A bill currently under consideration by Canada’s senate could hasten the closure of open defined benefit plans, according to Gavin Benjamin, a partner in LifeWorks Inc.’s pension and benefits solutions business. “In our view, this is a potential outcome, particularly with respect to companies for whom the ability to borrow is affected by the bill,” […]
Canadians’ total pension wealth increased by 7.9 per cent in 2021 to reach nearly $4.9 trillion by the end of year, according to a new report by Statistics Canada. It found revaluations of pension asset prices — largely due to equity market gains — increased pension wealth by $259.4 billion in 2021. On average, pension […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp. is appointing Marlene Puffer as chief investment officer, effective Jan. 30, 2023. In the role, she’ll serve as head of both public and private investments, including responsibilities for economics and fund strategy, fixed income, infrastructure, public and private equity, private debt and loan, private mortgages and real estate. Read: AIMCo […]
The possibility of a global economic slowdown is of greater concern to global institutional investors than rising inflation, according to a new survey from the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. The survey, which polled investors at public pension plans and sovereign wealth funds with combined assets of about US$27 trillion, were asked to rank the […]
A deal for the Royal Bank of Canada to absorb HSBC Bank Canada for $13.5 billion is good news for pension plans, said Dave McKay, chief executive officer of RBC. “This is good for shareholders — which are largely pension funds — and that’s average Canadian pension funds,” said McKay during a conference call. 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, […]
In its fall economic statement, the Ontario government said it will ask stakeholders to provide feedback this winter on a draft framework for target-benefit pension plans. “Implementation of a permanent target-benefit framework would pave the way for more employers to offer workplace pension plans, increasing the opportunities for workers to save for their retirement,” said the […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s assets returned 0.2 per cent during the second quarter of fiscal 2023, according to its latest quarterly report. By Sept. 30, 2022, the investment organization’s net assets reached $529 billion, up from $523 billion at the end of June. About $5 billion was generated by net transfers, while the […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is facing losses from an investment in a cryptocurrency exchange that filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. The pension fund invested a total of US$95 million in FTX International, a Bahamas-based exchange, which was valued at US$32 billion in 2021. In October 2021, the Ontario Teachers’ invested US$75 million in FTX, followed by […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is revealing details about its responsible investment strategy in a new report. PSP Investment’s responsible investment report highlights its efforts to integrate material environmental, social and governance factors into its investment process. It also includes a climate-related financial disclosure based on the recommendations of the task force on climate-related […]