Despite many institutional investors pressing pause on their real estate activities in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, those that keep calm and carry on with a focus on diversification and innovation are poised to emerge as winners. “Real estate values, like other investment vehicles, can vary at different times based on shifting demand […]
To bolster Alaska’s public sector, a bipartisan effort is underway to relaunch the state’s pensions as defined benefit plans. “I’m carrying this bill on behalf of thousands of state employees who have worked for more than a decade to refine it,” said Cathy Giessel, leader of the state senate’s Republican majority during her introduction of […]
Ontario-based pension plan sponsors can help reduce the number of missing plan members by examining their communications strategies and maintaining best practices in record keeping and data management, says Caroline Blouin, executive vice-president of pensions at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. “As an employer, there is an opportunity to provide some education and […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is reporting a total fund net return of four per cent for 2022, driven by strong returns from private equity and inflation-sensitive asset classes. The pension fund exceeded its benchmark of 2.3 per cent, according to a press release announcing its annual results. Its inflation-sensitive asset portfolio — including commodities […]
The aggregate funded percentage of U.S. multi-employer pension plans dropped to 79 per cent in 2022, from 91 per cent in 2021, according to a new report by consulting firm Milliman Inc. It found the decrease was largely the result of significant investment losses during 2022, despite the first wave of special financial assistance funding […]
An article on a private member’s bill prohibiting the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board from making certain investments was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Private member’s bill prohibiting certain CPPIB investments survives first reading 2. Expert panel: Air Canada decision illustrates danger […]
The College of Family Physicians of Canada pension plan is joining the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s DBplus. “As a result of merging our plan with CAAT, we will be able to provide all of our employees with a defined benefit pension for life with a number of features including inflation protection […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System’s assets grew by 4.2 per cent to $124.2 billion in 2022, according to its annual results. “Our significant allocations to private investments and focus on short-term credit over long-term bonds protected OMERS from the worst period of market losses incurred by investors since the 2008 global financial crisis,” said […]
A recent court decision in Ontario illustrates the potential danger for employers that attempt to rely on pension plan terms to refute claims for pension-related losses in the context of wrongful dismissal actions. The case, Williams v. Air Canada, involved a claim by a long-time employee whose employment was terminated in 2020 when the airline […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors using overlay strategies will gain more flexibility amid rising inflation now that the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has released guidance allowing them to disregard the overlay when measuring going-concern liabilities, says James Koo, a partner in Aon’s wealth solutions division. In May 2022, the OSFI raised the maximum […]