Michel Charron has had a front-row seat for the revolution in the Canadian investment industry’s approach to environmental, social and governance issues. Following the foundation of the United Nation’s principles for responsible investment in 2008, his firm, PBI Actuarial Consultants Inc., immediately signed up. But the concept required explanation for some pension plan sponsors, he […]
The solvency status of Canada’s defined benefit pension plans dipped for the first time this year in July, according to a new report by Lifeworks Inc. The monthly pension indices report found the average Canadian DB pension plan saw its solvency ratio dip to 108.7, down 0.6 from the previous month. This is the first […]
Since target-date funds were introduced to the Canadian market in the early 2000s, they’ve become the dominant investment choice for defined contribution pension plan members. The funds, which are balanced with dynamic asset mixes that adjust as members approach retirement, are offered in a series — typically, one fund for each five-year target retirement band — with each fund […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. returned 16.5 per cent for its combined pension plan clients and increased its assets under management from $171.3 billion to 199.6 billion in the year ended March 31, 2021. In its annual report, the investment manager said the $28.3 billion increase of assets under management reflected investment gains of […]
Members of the Pension Investment Association of Canada saw their managed assets grow by 7.4 per cent in 2020, according to a new report. In its defined benefit asset mix report covering 2020, the PIAC found its members’ DB pensions grew by 7.4 per cent, from $2.286 trillion to $2.454 trillion, over the course of […]
The aggregate funded ratio for Canadian defined benefit pension plans in the S&P/TSX composite index increased from 94.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 to 95.6 per cent in the second quarter, according to a new report from Aon. It also found pension assets rose by four per cent during the same period. The […]
The value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds increased to $2.2 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to new data from Statistics Canada. This was an increase of 4.7 per cent from the previous quarter, when the value of assets hit $2.12 trillion, and represents a 6.6 per cent year increase from […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is reporting a net return of 18.4 per cent in fiscal 2021. As of March 31, 2021, the PSP had $204.5 billion in net assets under management, up 20.4 per cent from $169.8 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year. The PSP also reported a 10-year annualized […]
The funded position for an average Canadian defined benefit pension plan improved slightly during May, with a solvency of 108.2 per cent, according to a new report by LifeWorks Inc. (formerly Morneau Shepell Ltd.) On an accounting basis, it found expenses for the average pension plan had dropped precipitously since the beginning of 2021, at […]
Purpose Investments Inc. is introducing a new longevity pension fund, which invests 50 per cent in equities and 50 per cent in fixed income. It can be incorporated into a defined contribution plan to provide plan members with an in-plan decumulation option, says Pat Leo, vice-president of retirement solutions at Purpose Investments, noting investors can redeem […]