British Treasury chief Rachel Reeves said Thursday the government planned to merge dozens of pension funds with the aim of unlocking tens of billions of pounds for investment and boosting the U.K.’s subpar economic growth. Reeves said in her speech to finance leaders in central London that the creation of so-called “megafunds” will represent the […]
An article on incoming changes to Nova Scotia’s provincial Pension Benefits Act 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 last week: 1. Nova Scotia to allow unlocking of pension benefits 2. Alberta government fires AIMCo CEO, board, citing rising costs and poor […]
Earlier this year, Mexico’s senate approved the creation of a new pension fund to help provide more retirement security for low-income citizens. The reform aims to ensure pensioners receive 100 per cent of their last monthly salary up to roughly 16,777 Mexican pesos (US$975), which is the average monthly wage for workers affiliated with the […]
The Nova Scotia government is updating the provincial Pension Benefits Act to allow the unlocking of pension benefits. Effective April 1, 2025, plan members aged 55 and older will have a one-time ability to unlock up to 50 per cent of their locked-in funds when transferring to a life income fund. Read: Quebec’s amendment to […]
Young Canadian employees are facing a series of headwinds stemming from rising housing costs and decades of inaction by the federal government to support retirement savings, said Paul Kershaw, founder of not-for-profit organization Generation Squeeze and a policy professor at the University of British Columbia, during the keynote session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Defined Contribution […]
In its fall economic statement on Wednesday, the Ontario government said it plans to consult with pension industry stakeholders on the possibility of offering variable life benefits to employees in the province. In 2021, the federal government made amendments to the federal Income Tax Act to permit Canadian jurisdictions to regulate this new pension option, […]
Canada’s retirement system ranks No. 17 out of 48 countries, down from No. 12 in 2023, according to a new report by Mercer and the CFA Institute. The report analyzed retirement systems based on adequacy, sustainability and integrity. The top three systems remain unchanged from last year, with the Netherlands receiving the highest overall score (84.8 […]
Overseeing the transition of a single-employer pension plan to a jointly sponsored one felt at times like launching a startup firm, according to Theo Heldman, chief financial officer and vice-president of risk at the Workplace Insurance and Safety Employee Trust, speaking during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Risk Management Conference. “There was […]
Longevity risk is still among the top concerns keeping defined benefit pension plan sponsors up at night. While a 62-year-old person that retired in 2002 had a life expectancy of 21.4 years, that has now increased to 26.2 years, said Darwin Bozek, president and chief executive officer of the Ontario Pension Board, during a panel discussion at […]
The Nova Scotia government is offering to pay up to $15,000 a year into a new retirement benefits program for doctors in hopes the public money will keep more physicians in the province. Premier Tim Houston announced the new program Wednesday, saying the annual contributions will be available to Nova Scotia’s roughly 3,000 doctors at […]