Calvin Jordan, CEO of the Nova Scotia Association of Health Organizations Pension Plan in Bedford, N.S., discussed how this DB plan uses leverage to improve its asset liability matching at the Pension & Benefits Conference today in Toronto. The $3.6-billion plan’s asset mix is 25% fixed income (65%, but 40% is leveraged), 40% equities and […]
Pensions are politically difficult, said Peggy McCallum, a partner with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, speaking at the Association of Canadian Pension Management’s spring session, Checking the Pulse of Pension Reform, held on April 25.
According to a 2010 Conference Board of Canada survey, 64% of respondents indicated that their benefits programs are focused on health promotions and disease management. However, only 26% reported that their organizations had fully developed a comprehensive wellness strategy. “Health as a strategic business issue is something that businesses can no longer afford to ignore,” […]
The results of Towers Watson’s annual Pensions Risk Survey—presented today at The Conference Board of Canada’s 2011 Summit on the Future of Pensions: Rebuilding Pensions, Rethinking Retirement in Toronto—indicated that DB plan sponsors continue to convert to DC arrangements for current or future employees. “In the ’70s and ’80s, DB was in its heyday,” said […]
For the last 10 years, taking risk did not pay off for DB plans, said Leo de Bever, CEO and chief investment officer of Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo), speaking today at The Conference Board of Canada’s 2011 Summit on the Future of Pensions: Rebuilding Pensions, Rethinking Retirement in Toronto. DB is an efficient system, […]
An employer must accommodate an employee with any kind of health concern—whether physical or mental—up to the point of undue hardship. “The right to accommodate is a human right,” said Michael Lynk, an associate professor and associate dean of The University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Law, speaking Thursday at The Canadian Institute’s forum on […]
As employees begin to turn more and more to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for mental distress claims, employers need to know how to deal with the Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) review and appeal processes. Speaking at Heenan Blaikie’s 2011 Labour & Employment Seminar Managing Claims and […]
“The reality of workplace stress is with all of us—at all times,” said Rhonda Shirreff, a labour and employment lawyer with Heenan Blaikie, speaking today at the firm’s 2011 Labour & Employment Seminar Managing Claims and Controlling Costs with the WSIB. Stress is evident as employers place more demands on employees at work—and at home, […]
Why should institutional investors invest in the infrastructure space? Most pension plans need to match liabilities, and infrastructure investment is a way to do this, providing “real return protection,” said Janet Rabovsky, senior investment consultant with Towers Watson, speaking earlier this week at the Infrastructure Symposium 2011 in Toronto. “Given the level of bonds, many […]
When it comes to the workplace and motherhood, we’ve come a long way, baby. A woman’s job is now protected when she’s on maternity leave, guaranteeing her the same position (or a comparable one) when she returns. And a combination of maternity and parental benefits are payable to the mother for a maximum of 50 […]