In its 2024-25 annual plan, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is focusing on assessing and mitigating systemic and high-priority risks in the province’s defined benefit pension plan sector. The regulatory body will review and enhance its supervisory framework to strengthen supervision of large public sector pension plans, ensuring its plan amendments and surplus […]
The impacts of climate change and federal super-priority legislation on Canadian pension plans are among the issues that the Canadian Institute of Actuaries is monitoring in 2024, says Simon Nelson, a principal at Eckler Ltd. and chair of the CIA’s pension practice committee. While climate change is a consideration across all of the CIA’s practice […]
Predictions of the demise of defined benefit pension plans are premature. The reality is DB is still alive and well in the public sector, with a growing number of multi-employer plans making the promise of financial certainty in retirement provided by DB pensions available to private sector employers of all sizes. What’s under threat is […]
A typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan’s funded position improved on a solvency basis and decreased on an accounting basis in April as a result of the strong performance of domestic equities and decreases in bond yields, according to a new report by Telus Health. During the month, the solvency of the typical Canadian DB […]
An article on Bill C-228 receiving royal assent was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Controversial super-priority pension bill receives royal assent 2. PSAC, government tentative agreement includes new protections around remote work, wage increases 3. FHSA may work best in conjunction with group […]
A controversial law giving super-priority to defined benefit pension plan members during plan windups and insolvencies is coming into effect after receiving royal assent from Governor General Mary Simon. While Bill C-228 received royal assent at the end of April, most of its measures won’t come into force for another four years. However, the requirement […]
What’s in a name? A pension by any other name would smell as sweet — or would it? I started writing this month’s Pension Feature as an exercise to sift through some of the terms used by the pension industry to describe the different types of plans, but also to answer the question: Does the […]
The bill is a divisive one, with the pension industry concerned about the future of corporate-sponsored defined benefit pension plans and an association representing plan members firmly in its favour. Todd Saulnier, board president, the Association of Canadian Pension Management While Bill C-228 on its own may not spell the end of all DB plans, […]
A bill that would give super-priority to defined benefit pension plan members during plan windups and insolvencies is likely to be passed by the senate because the pension sector hasn’t provided viable alternatives, says Mike Powell, president of the Canadian Federation of Pensioners. On Feb. 8, 2023, Powell delivered a presentation in support of Bill […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is prioritizing the protection of employment-based pension coverage in 2023. “Our members are concerned that well-intentioned regulatory changes, such as Bill C-228, may actually diminish employers’ support for pensions,” says Graeme Hay (pictured), the PIAC’s new chair and chief investment officer at Manitoba’s Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund, referring to a […]