The Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging Retraite Québec to streamline its approach to actuarial solvency valuations for pension plans with members outside of the province. In an open letter, the ACPM requested the regulator either reconsiders its position on actuarial solvency valuations or grant exemptions to allow only one valuation to be carried […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is issuing $250 million to an organization that supports the institutional investment manager ecosystem in Quebec. The investment in the Quebec Emerging Managers Program works out to works out to $50 million each year for the next five years. Created in 2016, the program offers institutional investors access […]
Recent amendments to the Quebec Pension Plan to encourage people to work past age 65 offer more flexibility on contributions and retirement age, says Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, director of financial security research for the National Institute on Ageing at Toronto Metropolitan University. “If people are accumulating a pension, working longer could potentially increase their pension,” says MacDonald, who […]
Green Shield Holdings Inc. is acquiring Quebec-based employee assistance program provider BCH Consultants. The acquisition will add 700 Quebec-based clinicians to Green Shield’s existing network, expanding the national, bilingual scope of its mental-health services to nearly 5,000 clinicians and strengthening its offering in Quebec. This is the eighth acquisition by Green Shield in two years. Read: Green […]
While right-to-disconnect legislation provides employees with a clear definition of their expected work hours, governments have to be careful they aren’t overly regulating because people have different ways of working productively, says Elaine Gringauz-Yedlin, chief operating officer of corporate benefits at Johnston Shaw Inc. “I have two young children and sometimes during the day I get […]
Changes to Quebec’s policy on the use of biosimilars in its public drug plan could result in savings for private benefits plans, says one expert. On April 13, 2022, the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec will delist certain biologic drugs from its formulary, requiring patients covered by the plan to switch to a biosimilar […]
Twitter Inc. is among the latest employers enacting a coronavirus vaccination policy for employees. In an emailed statement to Benefits Canada, the social media company said anyone who wishes to return to its North American offices must be vaccinated and show proof. In May 2020, the company announced it would allow employees to continue working […]
Alberta will begin offering coronavirus vaccines to thousands of meat-packing employees across the province starting this week, but a union leader says some workers are reluctant to receive a shot from the government or an employer they don’t trust. The provincial government says starting Tuesday, vaccines will be offered to more than 15,000 workers at 136 […]
Long before the global pandemic, jurisdictions across Canada were embarking on pension solvency reform, with some moving from strict 100 per cent solvency funding requirements to going-concern plus models, which incorporate a funding cushion. Low interest rates, which make solvency funding very expensive, have been a key driver pushing the going-concern plus model, says Dean […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is calling on the Ontario government to consider amending the Employment Standards Act and the Pension Benefits Act to allow for auto-enrolment and auto-escalation features in capital accumulation plans. Specifically, it would like the government to allow employers to automatically deduct employee contributions from payroll to facilitate these features. […]