Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says if Alberta were to quit the Canada Pension Plan it would require a “complex and multi-year process” of negotiating international social security agreements to deal with contributors who work abroad. Freeland said Friday that would be among the steps the Alberta and federal governments would have to take if […]
Defined contribution pension plan members are currently in a different place, especially the younger generations, who are likely feeling as though their financial priorities don’t line up with workplace pensions the way they did for previous generations. “What I’m getting at here is the idea that retirement saving isn’t the undeniable consensus top priority it […]
The Ontario government is launching an infrastructure bank that will leverage investments by public sector pension plans and other Canadian institutional investors. In its fall economic statement on Thursday, the province said it will provide $3 billion in initial funding to the Ontario Infrastructure Bank, which will support the development of new long‐term care homes, […]
An article on Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s win in the Financial wellness category at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Lululemon’s retirement savings plans, financial literacy initiatives lead to award win 2. Telus Communications’ commitment to psychologically safe workplace leads to […]
The Ontario Ministry of Finance’s proposed guidance for multi-employer target-benefit pension plans undermines incentives for employers to contribute towards their employees’ retirement savings, including cost certainty, with unduly burdensome regulatory framework, according to the Association of Canadian Pension Management. In an open letter, the ACPM expressed its hesitation about proposed rules restraining trustees’ ability to prudently […]
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has agreed to convene a meeting with provincial and territorial finance ministers to discuss Alberta’s proposal to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan. The agreement comes after Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy called for the meeting in a letter to Freeland, saying Alberta’s withdrawal could cause “serious harm.” Freeland says any province […]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau entered the Alberta pension-exit debate Wednesday, saying the federal government will fight any threat to the stability of the Canada Pension Plan. In an open letter to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the prime minister also took her to task for launching the debate in the first place. Smith’s office didn’t immediately […]
Canada’s retirement system ranks No. 12 out of 47 countries but has room for improvement amid a challenging economy and ageing population, according to a new report by Mercer and the CFA Institute. The report analyzed retirement systems based on adequacy, sustainability and integrity. It ranked the Netherlands with the highest score (85.1 out of 100), […]
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors that are considering winding up their plans or converting them to another framework following the federal government’s super-priority bill have more innovative options, according to Mitch Frazer, managing partner at Mintz LLP, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Risk Management Conference. Although Bill C-228, which received royal assent at the end […]
While U.S. auto workers would like to see their pension plans converted from defined contribution to defined benefit, it may be more challenging than it was for their Canadian colleagues. The recent contract agreements for Unifor members at Ford of Canada and General Motors will see DC plan members move into the Colleges of Applied […]