Jennifer Paterson

2023 DC Investment Forum: Silver linings for retirement savings, investment trends and younger generations

Defined contribution pension plan members are currently in a different place, especially the younger generations, who are likely feeling as though their financial priorities don’t line up with workplace pensions the way they did for previous generations. “What I’m getting at here is the idea that retirement saving isn’t the undeniable consensus top priority it […]

  • November 6, 2023 November 2, 2023
  • 07:59

Editorial: Weighing the benefits of participation in a multi-employer pension plan

Whether it’s in the magazine, on the website or at our various defined contribution pension plan events, Benefits Canada is regularly writing about how DC plans are evolving. The pension industry has come a very long way in the last few decades. When my parents began their working lives in the early 1970s, they both had defined […]

  • October 13, 2023 October 12, 2023
  • 08:59

Editorial: Getting personal about life as a working single mom

Every time I sit down to write my editorial for our annual Women’s Issue, now in its sixth year, the themes these issues highlight for women feel extremely personal to me. This year is no different. In this year’s Cover Story, on page 14, six women between the ages of 22 and 53 shared how […]

  • September 15, 2023 September 14, 2023
  • 09:00

Q&A with BDO Canada’s Brooke Schwarz

The organization’s manager of national total rewards discusses incorporating ESG into the DEI space, its experience reimbursement program and spending time around B.C.’s lakes and mountains Q: What new programs or initiatives are you looking to implement? A: Since the actions of organizations are deeply intertwined with environmental, social and governance issues, excelling in these […]

  • September 15, 2023 September 14, 2023
  • 08:52

Are insurers updating their benefits policies to include the evolving role of NPs?

Last year, a benefits plan member in British Columbia was shocked when his insurance provider rejected an orthotics claim because the prescriber was a nurse practitioner rather than a “physician.” In the story, reported by the Victoria, B.C.-based Times Colonist, the chief executive officer of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. said it wasn’t the […]

  • August 25, 2023 August 25, 2023
  • 09:00

Editorial: Deciphering the data

I’m sitting down to write this on the hottest day so far in 2023. Environment Canada has issued a multi-day heat warning in my region — today, it’s 31 degrees Celsius but feels closer to 40, the humidity is 70 per cent, pressure is 101.3 kilopascal and the UV index is seven. This is the […]

  • August 11, 2023 August 10, 2023
  • 09:00

2023 CAP Member Survey: How CAPs are evolving to address changing financial priorities

With Canadians’ financial priorities shifting alongside a turbulent economic climate, including inflation levels not seen in decades and a never-ending rise in the cost of living, it isn’t surprising capital accumulation plan members’ commitment to retirement savings is taking a hit. Benefits Canada’s 2023 CAP Member Survey found just 41 per cent of respondents rated […]

  • August 11, 2023 August 10, 2023
  • 08:55

New study explores how DB pension plan size impacts investment mandates, asset allocation

A new study looking at the implications of scale in defined benefit pension plans found size is key for several trends over time, including investment mandates, asset allocation and cost in returns. The research, ‘Scale Economies, Bargaining Power and Investment Performance: Evidence from Pension Plans‘ was recently awarded first prize in the International Centre for […]

  • August 3, 2023 August 2, 2023
  • 11:00

Editorial: Speaking up on DEI must go beyond policies and programs

As employers continue to ramp up their focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, Benefits Canada is returning with its sophomore DEI issue. In my editorial at the front of last year’s June issue, I highlighted the overdue and rising attention on DEI in the workplace, but also pointed out the importance of going beyond ideas […]

  • June 23, 2023 November 1, 2023
  • 09:00

Editorial: Fulsome total rewards package imperative in challenging labour market

There’s never a drought of challenges for employers and 2023 is proving no different. Today, they’re facing inflation, labour shortages, competition for hiring, high turnover and employee burnout, to name just a few. That’s why it’s no surprise the ball is firmly in employees’ courts. Alongside the interminable rise in the cost of living and […]

  • May 12, 2023 May 17, 2023
  • 09:00