The U.K. government is proposing new rules requiring defined benefit pension plan sponsors to provide regulators with a summary of their investment strategies. Under the proposed rules, which were announced by the Department of Pensions and Welfare, DB plans would have to submit long-term funding and investment strategies to the U.K.’s pension regulator. The rules would […]
An article about Hootsuite providing employees with an extra week off this summer was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Hootsuite giving employees additional week off to support mental health, work-life balance 2. Younger employees more likely to switch jobs for better benefits: […]
The Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee is releasing the final framework it will use to identify investment funds that disclose adopting responsible investing strategies. “Given the rapidly developing nature of global [environmental, social and governance]-related and sustainable investing frameworks, the CIFSC’s intent is not to further complicate the global or Canadian landscape but, rather, to […]
The pension plan for the faculty and staff of the University of Toronto grew from $6.3 billion to $6.6 billion in the first six months of 2021. For the second half of the year, the assets were officially in the custody of the University Pension Plan, though the day-to-day management of portfolios remained UTAM’s responsibility well into […]
Despite year-to-date asset losses and historically high levels of inflation, most Canadian defined benefit pension plans are reporting increased funded positions in the second quarter of 2022, according to a report by Mercer Canada. It found the median solvency ratio increased from 108 per cent as at March 31 to 109 per cent as at […]
The Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan generated net returns of 5.56 per cent during its latest fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2022. According to its annual report, the PSSP, a defined benefit pension plan for 41,000 current and former public sector employees in Nova Scotia, saw the value of its assets rise […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is entering a strategic alliance with a produce vendor. According to the agreement, PSP Investments will manage the acquisition of Spanish citrus orchards while Citri & Co. will operate and manage the farmland, packing, distribution and sale of crops. According to a press release, the alliance was brokered by […]
A new report is urging pension plan sponsors and other institutional investors to ensure the resilience of their portfolios in a number of different inflationary scenarios. The report from Mercer argued inflation rises spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and widespread monetary easing are balanced by several disinflationary forces, like globalization. Geopolitical tensions, however, could upset […]
New Brunswick’s auditor general is reigniting a dispute with the an independent public sector asset manager responsible for investing on behalf of pension plans jointly sponsored by Crown corporations. In a report, Paul Martin, the province’s auditor general, expressed concerns that Vestcor Investment Management Corp., which provides administration services for 11 public sector pension plans and […]
The potential impact of a disorderly transition to a low carbon economy is a top factor driving financial market regulators to accelerate and focus their efforts on climate-related risks, said Tamara DeMos, chair of the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ environmental, social and governance committee and managing director of private pensions. Speaking during the […]