During a panel discussion at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Global Investment Conference in April, three pension plan sponsors shared their perspective on plan design and the changing patterns for employees close to retirement. Nearly a decade ago, Via Rail Canada Inc. began allowing payments of lump sums to individuals up to age 65 to […]
An article on the federal government’s national pharmacare bill receiving approval in the House of Commons was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Pharmacare bill passes in House of Commons, heads to Senate 2. 32% of Canadian SMEs facing […]
Roughly seven in 10 (73 per cent) Ontario Pension Board plan members believe environmental, social and governance factors should play a critical role in the plan’s investment considerations, according to a new survey included in the investment organization’s inaugural ESG report. The survey, which polled roughly 10,000 plan members, found nearly two-fifths (39 per cent) of […]
The Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan saw a net return of 9.5 per cent for 2023, with net assets of $20.1 billion, up from $18.2 billion in 2022, according to its latest annual report. As of Jan. 1, 2024, the investment organization maintained a healthy funding level of 124 per cent on a going-concern […]
As an institutional investor, Asif Haque knows the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan has a responsibility to meet the rising challenge of climate change through responsible capital deployment. “[We] have a gigantic role to play in using our ownership and influence to engage with companies on their transition to a low-carbon future,” […]
The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario is reporting a net return of 5.6 per cent for 2023, with net assets increasing to $77.4 billion. The investment organization’s year-end report found public equities returned 18 per cent in 2023, followed by global credit (7.7 per cent), fixed income (5.9 per cent), private equity (5.7 per cent), […]
Significant headwinds in the commercial real estate sector have impacted the number of transactions seen in 2023, leading institutional investors to pursue diversification at home and abroad. The totals for acquisition dispositions of office assets in 2023 were “extremely low” compared to the previous year, says Lewis Gascoigne, an investment consulting principal at Eckler Ltd., […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s late-stage venture and growth investment arm is investing $80 million in India-based financial software company Perfios. The company serves the banking, financial service and insurance industries across 18 countries and will use the investment to expand its international footprint. As part of the transaction, Darius Vakil, a director at Teachers’ Venture […]
The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan is reporting an annual return of 9.38 per cent for 2023, partly due to the performance of equities and fixed income, says Michael Wissell, chief investment officer at the HOOPP. The investment organization finished the year with $112.6 billion in net assets, compared to $103.7 billion and a return of […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust returned 5.3 per cent for 2023, according to its latest year-end report. It found, as of Dec. 31, 2023, the plan’s net assets stood at $25 billion, up from $24.64 billion in 2022. It also reported a funded status of 100 per cent, marking 15 consecutive years at a fully funded […]