The Ontario government is launching an infrastructure bank that will leverage investments by public sector pension plans and other Canadian institutional investors. In its fall economic statement on Thursday, the province said it will provide $3 billion in initial funding to the Ontario Infrastructure Bank, which will support the development of new long‐term care homes, […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan returned negative four per cent in the third quarter of 2023, according to two new reports. The RBC Investor and Treasury Services’ universe, which tracks performance and asset allocation across Canadian DB plans, found the most recent quarterly losses mean the average return has decreased to 1.9 per cent […]
While many institutional investors participate in class action lawsuits against investee companies to recover assets lost due to malfeasance, others do so to be activists, according to W. Mark McNair, a securities litigation lawyer at Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP. Plan sponsors that have suffered a significant loss may file a claim to signal to […]
The Ontario Ministry of Finance’s proposed guidance for multi-employer target-benefit pension plans undermines incentives for employers to contribute towards their employees’ retirement savings, including cost certainty, with unduly burdensome regulatory framework, according to the Association of Canadian Pension Management. In an open letter, the ACPM expressed its hesitation about proposed rules restraining trustees’ ability to prudently […]
Climate and cybersecurity are the leading risk factors concerning Canadian pension plan administrators, according to a pension lawyer. Susan G. Seller, a pension and benefits lawyer at Bennett Jones LLP, adds third-party arrangements and commercial real estate risks round out the most pressing categories for federally regulated pension plans. “We’re living in a time where […]
Canada’s retirement system ranks No. 12 out of 47 countries but has room for improvement amid a challenging economy and ageing population, according to a new report by Mercer and the CFA Institute. The report analyzed retirement systems based on adequacy, sustainability and integrity. It ranked the Netherlands with the highest score (85.1 out of 100), […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors that are considering winding up their plans or converting them to another framework following the federal government’s super-priority bill have more innovative options, according to Mitch Frazer, managing partner at Mintz LLP, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Risk Management Conference. Although Bill C-228, which received royal assent at the end […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors must consider the downsides of using a liability-driven investment strategy, particularly the role of interest rates, said Duncan Burrill, managing director and chief executive officer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Risk Management Conference. However, he also noted the pension fund’s LDI […]
While U.S. auto workers would like to see their pension plans converted from defined contribution to defined benefit, it may be more challenging than it was for their Canadian colleagues. The recent contract agreements for Unifor members at Ford of Canada and General Motors will see DC plan members move into the Colleges of Applied […]
An article on the Association of Canadian Pension Management’s response to the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ draft risk management guideline was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. CAPSA pension risk management guideline too divergent, says ACPM 2. B.C. Municipal Pension Plan appointing […]