While 2018 ushered in a number of significant changes to Ontario’s pension legislation, including a major revamping of the funding rules for defined benefit plans, additional pending changes are afoot for 2019. Other provinces, such as British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, are also reviewing solvency funding requirements for plans registered in their respective jurisdictions. […]
One of General Motors of Canada Co.’s defined benefit pension plans is fully funded on a going-concern basis. The pension plan for hourly workers posted about $9.3 billion in assets as of its last official financial release in December 2017, according to the Globe and Mail, which received the information from an anonymous source. The assets represent a 101 […]
Canadian taxpayers are providing $22 billion each year to the country’s public sector pension plans by assuming undisclosed investment risks, according to a new report by public policy think-tank the Fraser Institute. In the report, its author Malcolm Hamilton suggested public pension funds view the income they provide to plan members on retirement as 20 […]
Though financial markets were volatile and bond yields dropped, Canadian defined benefit pension plans benefited from higher asset returns in November, with median solvency standing at 100.6 per cent, according to Aon’s monthly survey. Among the plans surveyed, 48 per cent were more than fully funded, down just 0.2 percentage points from the end of […]
Sears Canada Inc.’s pensioners reached a settlement last week after they were denied priority over the company’s other creditors. The settlement is subject to certain conditions before it becomes binding, according to a news release from Koskie Minsky LLP, the firm representing Sears’ retirees in the proceedings. The firm is dropping the deemed trust option it was […]
The federal government is asking Canadians to weigh in on a consultation paper that tackles issues related to pension underfunding and bankruptcy and insolvency laws. The topics open for comment include that dividend payments, share redemptions and executive compensation packages could be restricted under the Canada Business Corporations Act if a company has a large […]
The federal government is asking Canadians to weigh in on a consultation paper that tackles issues related to underfunding, insolvency and pension plans. The topics open for comment include that dividend payments, share redemptions and executive compensation packages could be restricted under the Canada Business Corporations Act if a company has a large pension deficit. […]
The federal government is launching national consultations on enhancing the retirement security of Canadians, including potential actions on pension regulations and bankruptcy and insolvency laws. Previously announced in the 2018 budget and reiterated on Wednesday in the fall economic statement, the consultation includes measures to help ensure employers maintain well-funded pension plans, better aligning corporate decision-making with […]
Increasing exposure to less liquid, alternative assets like infrastructure, real estate and private equity hasn’t created difficulty for Canadian pensions in repaying creditors, according to a report by Moody’s Corp. As pension portfolios have increased their allocations to alternatives, with these assets now making up close to 40 per cent of Canadian plan’s investments, concerns around liquidity […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board saw a net return of 0.6 per cent for the second fiscal quarter of 2019. With a total net assets of $368.3 billion as of Sept. 30, 2018, the fund added $1.7 billion during the quarter. “While returns were relatively flat in the second quarter, our teams performed well against our […]