Russell Investments Canada has launched a new fixed income product designed to provide higher return potential than a typical fixed income fund. “The Russell Core Plus Fixed Income Pool provides a wider opportunity set by giving active bond managers the flexibility to find value beyond traditional sectors of the fixed income markets, such as non-Canadian […]
Auckland International Airport says discussions with the CPP Investment Board in relation to a proposal for CPPIB to acquire a significant interest in Auckland Airport have ceased. A majority of directors say they do not believe that pursuing the proposal would be in the “best interests” of shareholders or the company and therefore will not […]
Employees say they might take advantage of health and wellness programs if they reduced health insurance premiums, according to a survey. The Health Confidence Survey found that 44% of employed Americans would be extremely likely or very likely to participate if it reduced their premium by 5%. And half said they would be extremely likely […]
The proportion of Canadians who are participating or receiving benefits from a private pension plan offered through an employer has declined, finds a survey conducted on behalf of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions(OSFI). Just 24% say they are currently a member or a beneficiary of an employer-sponsored pension plan today, compared to […]
The Canada Pension Plan is financially sustainable, according to an actuarial report. The results contained in the report confirm that the legislated contribution rate of 9.9% for years 2010 and thereafter is sufficient to pay future expenditures and to accumulate assets worth $235 billion—5.2 times the annual expenditures—in 2015. “The retirement of the baby boomers […]
Wage increases for non-unionized Canadian employees are expected to average 3.9% in 2008, with the highest increases going to workers in Western Canada, according to the Conference Board of Canada. “The shortage of workers in Alberta is creating a ripple effect, putting upward pressure on wages across the country,” says Prem Benimadhu, vice-president, governance and […]
Strong competition exists in the supply of many generic drugs, but the benefits of this competition are not reaching the Canadian public in the form of lower prices, according to a study released by the Competition Bureau. The Generic Drug Sector Study finds that to compete for space on pharmacies’ shelves, generic manufacturers offer rebates […]
A survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans finds that 51.4% of Canadian organizations offer a defined contribution(DC)plan. The most popular DC plans offered are the registered DC or money purchase plan, offered by 70.3% of respondents, according to the firm’s Employee Benefits Survey: U.S. and Canada 2007. The second most common is […]
A consortium that includes the CPP Investment Board is taking Puget Sound Energy, a Bellevue, Washington-based utility, private. The consortium also includes British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, Alberta Investment Management, Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, Macquarie-FSS Infrastructure Trust, and Macquarie Bank Limited. The deal values Puget Sound Energy US$7.4 billion, which includes $3.2 billion in shareholder capital […]
Only 45% of large cap Canadian equity investment managers beat the S&P/TSX Total Return Index in the third quarter of this year, according to the Russell Active Manager Report. That was down from 53% in the second quarter and 65% in the first quarter of this year. The 45% figure was the lowest number since […]