According to Statistics Canada, 80 per cent of Canadian public sector workers benefit from a respectable, life-long pension. However, for many private sector employees the quality of the pension plan available to them leaves much to be desired. The typical private sector pension is a defined contribution plan, which means employees bear the risk of […]
Evolving expectations, a shifting interest rate environment and the need to manage increasingly large asset bases for performance and for national and societal impact are transforming how and where institutional investors allocate capital, according to a new report by the Boston Consulting Group. It found in 2024, sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds accounted […]
The federal government’s recent decision to transfer a $1.9 billion surplus from the Public Service Pension Plan to its general revenue is within its purview, says Mitch Frazer, a pension lawyer and managing partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. “[This situation is] slightly different because this plan is made by a statute and, […]
Brad Lander is advocating for public pension funds to enforce their responsible investment mandates even if that pits them against their partners. As New York City comptroller and chief financial officer, he’s the investment advisor and custodian for the city’s five public pension funds. In the role, he oversees the investment guidelines and allocations strategy […]
Canadian institutional investors are allocating only three per cent of their funds to domestic equities, according to a new study from London-based think thank New Financial LLP. The report, which analyzed 13 countries’ pension systems, found the U.S. had the highest allocation to domestic equities (44 per cent), while Norway had the lowest (0.5 per cent). […]
U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves met with some of Canada’s biggest public sector pension plans this month, as the country looks to reform its public pension system, according to a report by the Financial Times. Reeves is pursuing the creation of a pension model that would allow the U.K.’s local government pension scheme — worth about […]
Four of Canada’s largest pension funds have been ranked among the top 10 global pension funds for demonstrating best practices in governance, sustainability and resilience, according to a new report by data platform Global SWF. The assessment tool, which reviews the practices and efforts of state-owned sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds, gave the […]
The federal government’s move to introduce legislation extending pension eligibility to frontline public safety and law enforcement workers after 25 years of service could help manage room for new hires and ensure stable plan maturity, says James Fu, partner and national leader of pensions and benefits law at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Hundreds of frontline workers […]
More than half (52) per cent of new public safety employee hires are expected to retire from a defined benefit pension plan, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security. The report, which reviewed data from 28 U.S. police and fire pension plan sponsors, found that DB plans are an effective […]
A potential federal mandate for Canadian pension funds to increase their domestic investments could end up harming the very people the pension system is set up to protect, according to a new study by the Global Risk Institute. The paper examined the potential effect of official legislation that pushes for increased investments in domestic markets, […]