The Quebec government’s removal of the maximum annual amount that can be paid to people aged 55 and older with a variable benefit account tied to a defined contribution pension plan or with a life income fund is part of a broader push to provide retirees with more flexibility to draw on their locked-in retirement savings […]
Since decreased cognition can impact retirees’ ability to make sound decisions, the Canadian Union of Public Employees urges its members to discuss financial matters with their families long before exiting the workforce. “If we wait until we’re in distress, we either make very bad decisions or we don’t make any decisions at all, which can […]
While Blair Richards understands why the industry is moving away from defined benefit pension plans, he worries about what may be lost in the process. When Richards — the chief investment officer at the Halifax Port ILA/HEA pension plan — joined the institutional investor 40 years ago, DB plans were an attractive hiring and retention […]
An article on the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s priorities for the coming year was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the week: 1. CLHIA focusing on improving pharmacare, rare disease drug coverage in 2024 2. Majority of Canadian employers expecting […]
In the coming year, the Association of Canadian Pension Management is looking forward to the possibility of participating in final consultations on policies and legislation determining variable payment life annuities, says Todd Saulnier, a principal at Mercer and president of the ACPM board. The 2023 federal budget proposed amendments to the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985 […]
The impacts of climate change and federal super-priority legislation on Canadian pension plans are among the issues that the Canadian Institute of Actuaries is monitoring in 2024, says Simon Nelson, a principal at Eckler Ltd. and chair of the CIA’s pension practice committee. While climate change is a consideration across all of the CIA’s practice […]
The Pension Investments Association of Canada is calling on the British Columbia government to refrain from setting limits on the type of entities that can offer variable life benefits. In an open letter, the association said a competitive landscape that includes a broad scope of service providers, including registered pension plans, would be beneficial for retirees, noting […]
An article on how the federal government should ensure its new Canadian Dental Care Plan doesn’t displace existing employer-sponsored dental coverage was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Tax credit could ensure national dental-care plan doesn’t displace employer-sponsored coverage: expert […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada will concentrate its legislative advocacy efforts on funding reform in 2024, including for an overhaul of long-term, minimum funding regulations for federally regulated defined benefit pension plans, said David Lawson, the PIAC’s new chair. In an emailed statement to Benefits Canada, he said as DB plan sponsors continue to face […]
More than half (53 per cent) of Canadian retirees say they’re receiving, or will receive, less than $50,000 in annual retirement income from their employer-sponsored pension plan, according to a survey by the Ontario Securities Commission. It found just 19 per cent of retirees with employer-sponsored pension plans said they expect to receive between $50,000 […]