The start of the year ushered in additional bulk-buying power for Canada’s publicly funded drug plans, giving them a greater ability to negotiate lower prices. But what about the private insurers that remain on the outside of the arrangement and would also like an opportunity to lower their costs? In January, the federal government announced […]
Compliance is one of the hallmarks of the insurance industry, but with amendments to federal privacy laws last year, group benefits providers are facing a host of new consent and disclosure-related obligations that can offer helpful tools or signal potential headaches. Bill S-4, the Digital Privacy Act, came into force in June 2015. It amended […]
Scott Perkin fondly recalls his appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in 2010. The Canadian pension landscape was being shaken by funding challenges, record-low interest rates and the protest in September of that year by Nortel pensioners angered by the windup of their $2.5-billion underfunded plan. As president of The Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM), Perkin expected he’d be asked to outline the association’s position on one or two topics. Instead, committee members peppered him with questions on a host of issues.
Marc Poupart, divisional vice-president, pension and retirement programs, with Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), discusses his company's extensive DC retiree base.
After years of waiting for its DC plan members to turn into amateur investment managers, Marc Poupart, divisional vice-president, pension and retirement programs, with Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), says the organization realized it was time for a change.
On the group benefits side, those organizations with fewer plan members still face a few roadblocks when it comes to offering the flexibility that many of their employees seek.
Although the risks and challenges are often the same, no matter the size of the plan, the solutions are ultimately different, says Steve Eadie, a partner and pension consultant with Robertson, Eadie & Associates.
For many mid-size plan sponsors, finding ways to keep employees engaged in retirement saving during the years when retirement is not top of mind is one of the primary considerations in plan design.