Pension managers’ pooled funds posted meagre returns in the third quarter of 2018, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s performance universe. Markets were less synchronized during the latter half of 2018, leading to more mixed results than earlier in the year, noted the report, which showed a median return of 0.4 per cent before management fees. However, this […]
The total number of active registered pension plan members in Canada rose nine per cent between 2006 and 2016, from 5.8 million to 6.3 million, according to a new notice from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. The percentage of active registered members participating in a contributory plan also increased during this period, rising from […]
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the NDP government will introduce new pension legislation soon after the legislature resumes Monday. Speaking to the United Nurses of Alberta, Notley said the previous government didn’t fight for working people. She reminded nurses about Bill 9 and Bill 10 — proposed legislation that attempted to change public sector pension plans. Read: Assets in […]
The government of British Columbia is kicking off a conversation on reforming the province’s solvency funding rules in an effort to encourage private sector companies to continue to offer defined benefit pension plans. The consultation, which is open to the public, look to discuss a number of technical reforms that could improve predictability for plan sponsors and enable […]
The Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s plan to share its expertise with as many Canadian workers as possible nabbed it the award for pension performance at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards in Toronto on Oct. 11. With a backdrop of strong fund performance in its main plan, as evidenced by its 118 per […]
Tension between pension adequacy and sustainability is growing across the world, according to the annual Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index. The Netherlands and Denmark have the best global pension systems, with scores of 80.3 and 80.2, respectively, and both achieving A grades. They scored highly on adequacy and sustainability, while other European countries, such as Austria, […]
The Canadian Association of Retired Persons is calling out the federal government, saying it’s unfair the pensions of Sears Holding Corp.’s American employees will be protected by the U.S.’s Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. while Canadian employees will see benefits cuts. The Canadian operation has been under court-ordered liquidation since June 2017, and Ontario’s superintendent of financial services ordered […]
Factoring environmental, social and governance considerations into investment decisions is good risk management, according to one pension plan sponsor. “Definitely for real assets, we see it presenting risks, but also opportunities,” said Donna Mathieu, chief executive officer of NAV Canada Corp.’s pension plan, while speaking on a panel at the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute’s 2018 […]
Take the free money. This is my regular mantra for employees in employer-sponsored retirement plans. But many employees don’t enrol in company-sponsored plans or don’t take the maximum amount of free money available. When human resources professionals ask their employees why, their responses include: “I get a better return with my advisor, so I am contributing with her/him.” “The investment […]
Benefits Canada honoured winners across 11 categories at the 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards in Toronto on Thursday. In a room at the Arcadian Loft, more than 100 leaders in the benefits, pension and investment industry gathered to see awards presented to winning employers demonstrating the leading-edge work underway to improve employee’s physical, mental and financial health through tangible workplace programs. […]