Liquidity status is helping some of Canada’s biggest pension funds meet the challenges of a volatile investment market thanks to exceptional liquidity status, according to a new report by Fitch Ratings Inc. The report, which compared the credit ratings and portfolios of seven of the largest Canadian pension funds with approximately $2.1 trillion in net […]
In an open letter, leaders from Canada’s biggest pension funds are asking the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board to reconsider a two-year relief period granted to companies around non-climate disclosures. “Where sustainability-related factors are material, they have the potential to present material financial impacts to companies’ performance and is important information for boards and investors,” read […]
Ontario’s small claims court has ruled that an employer’s letter, which described the benefits coverage that would exist following a divestment as ‘comparable’ to prior levels of coverage, didn’t create a contractual obligation to preserve past service benefits. “The decision makes a clear distinction between an informational announcement or other general information that is not […]
Some of Canada’s largest pension funds are rethinking their real estate strategies as higher interest rates continue to push valuations lower and lenders pull in their purse strings, according to reporting by Bloomberg. Read: Canadian pension funds seeking diversification in real estate at home, abroad: experts Indeed, it said the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System is selling LifeLabs Inc. in a deal worth roughly $1.35 billion to U.S.-based Quest Diagnostics. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, said a press release. The Canadian laboratory firm will retain its brand, headquarters and management after the deal closes. “OMERS is proud […]
While many of the investment strategies and resources at the disposal of the Maple 8 — Canada’s eight largest public pension plans that represent more than $2.1 trillion in assets under management — are out of reach for medium- and small-sized plan sponsors in the country, the path carved by the most sophisticated investment organizations […]
While real assets are largely absent among the investment options offered by Canadian defined contribution pension plans, they can offer significant long-term benefits to plan members, said Andrew Knox, managing director of Franklin Templeton Investments’ global real assets fund, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 DC Plan Summit in February. “[Defined contribution] investors in […]
An article on Eastman Kodak Co.’s plans to outsource management of its pension assets was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the week: 1. Kodak outsourcing US$1.6TN of pension assets to maximize overfunded status 2. OMERS returns 4.6% for 2023, driven by equities, fixed income […]
Canada’s largest public pension funds are showing modest improvements on climate action but are moving too slowly overall, according to a new report by a climate advocacy group. The progress report from Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health found four of the 11 pension plans it examined still don’t have emissions reduction targets […]
An article on how the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System has contributed to the province’s gross domestic product was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the week: 1. OMERS pension benefits accounted for 9.3% of Ontario retirement income in 2023: report […]