With the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz Co., Kraft Heinz Canada was left with a “mixed bag” of savings and retirement programs. It’s goal for a new streamlined program was a mandatory base plan and a voluntary component with 100 per cent employee participation. “It was important for us to come together […]
Providing tools to help defined contribution pension plan members make solid financial decisions rather than making the decisions for them was the impetus for Canadian Forest Products Inc.’s multi-year financial wellness program, according to Lisa Weber, the company’s pension and benefits advisor, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 DC Plan Summit. Since Canfor closed […]
The union representing nearly 800 employees at Calgary and Vancouver airports has ratified a first contract that includes retirement and benefits gains. The contract cements the continuation of the airline’s employee savings plan, which permits contributions to either a cash savings plan, a group registered retirement savings plan or a group tax-free savings account. Employee contributions […]
With the increased focus on integrating environmental, social and governance factors into pension plans, a new approach by BlackRock Inc. could have a significant impact on many Canadian defined contribution pension plans, group registered retirement savings plans and other types of workplace capital accumulation plans. The money manager recently announced it will be adopting an ESG approach […]
The union representing Pacific Western Transit Canada workers in Pemberton, Squamish and Whistler, B.C., has ratified a five-year collective agreement that will see members move to the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s DBplus. Members will contribute three per cent to the plan with an equivalent employer match, says Gavin Davies, a national […]
Contract food services and custodial workers at Canada’s colleges and universities have less access to pensions and paid leave than their in-house colleagues, according to a new report by the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The report, which analyzed employment data from publicly funded post-secondary institutions, found only 23 per cent of contract food services employers […]
As employers increasingly customize their human resources, benefits and pension communications campaigns, how are these methods connecting with employees? Long gone are the days of chunky tomes of group benefits and pension information. Once the norm, those pages and pages of minutiae have gradually been replaced by more personalized and targeted communications. “Direct communication is […]
As the move away from traditional defined benefit plans continues and intensifies, Canada’s multi-employer pension plans are providing employers with another retirement savings option for their employees. And despite facing a number of challenges, from industries in decline to legislative obstacles, MEPPs continue to attract plan sponsors from across the country. Read: Canadian MEPPs facing challenges […]
Pension coverage in the public sector is high, with the vast majority of public sector employees covered by a defined benefit pension plan. However, the story is very different in the private sector as pension coverage is much lower and is trending downwards. Only 22 per cent of private sector employees participated in a registered […]
Earlier this year, I received an email from a Canadian National Railway Co. employee who had recently learned their defined benefit pension plan was winding up and they’d be moved into a defined contribution plan. According to the plan member — who will remain anonymous — CN closed the DB plan to new hires more […]