An article on a 2023 budget proposal to require employers to report dental coverage as part of the national dental-care program was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Enhanced national dental plan to require reporting of employer-provided coverage: budget 2. CAAT raising DBplus […]
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 […]
Trent University support workers represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union are joining the University Pension Plan. Under a new three-year collective agreement, the 460 employees — including administrative support staff, caretakers, secretaries, systems analysts and teaching assistants — will transition from the university’s defined benefit pension plan to the UPP in January 2025. […]
Similar to 2022, the coming year will present both challenges and opportunities for defined benefit pension plan sponsors, with the rewards going to plan sponsors that are resilient, embrace change and are willing and able to act when opportunities arise. Several trends that will be top of mind in the year ahead are: Inflation The […]
When Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Pension Plan’s board introduced alternatives to its investment lineup in 2020 with an aim to improve the defined contribution plan’s risk-adjusted returns through diversification, it wasn’t its first time at the rodeo. The move came after 15 years of experience and comfort with alternatives through the PEPP’s defined benefit companion plan, […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is reiterating its concerns about Bill C-228, which was designed to protect members of defined benefit pension plans during windups. “PIAC shares the same concern as the [House of Commons] standing committee on finance that pension security is paramount for our members,” wrote Peter Waite, executive director of the […]
When Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Pension Plan decided to make investments in alternative assets, it took a defined benefit approach to its defined contribution pension plan, giving its members access to private equity and infrastructure while still offering daily liquidity. The strategy was fitting, given the PEPP’s companion DB plan, the Municipal Employees Pension Plan, had […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management and the Pension Investment Association of Canada are among the organizations saying proposed amendments to the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act could negatively impact defined benefit pension plans. In an open letter to the House of Commons standing committee on finance, the ACPM and the PIAC — along with […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is seeking feedback on its proposed guidance on requirements for pension plans to take certain actions to avoid de-registration under the Income Tax Act. The proposed guidelines would provide an overview of the documents and information required by the FSRA and the Canadian Revenue Agency for pension plans […]
While the latest stage of the coronavirus pandemic is heralding a gradual return to relative calm, plan sponsors are stepping out of the frying pan and into the fire. The pandemic accelerated the ongoing evolution in the relationship between plan sponsors and plan members, with employees now looking to their employers to help them manage […]