For investors with a strong constitution, the current market malaise may very well represent some “good buying opportunities,” as described by Prime Minister Harper. For Canadians planning to retire within the next few years, the situation holds far less promise. However, new research suggests that a few changes to one’s portfolio mix can protect against […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has named Michael Sabia as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Sabia, 55, was CEO of BCE from 2002 to 2008, and chief financial officer at CN when the railway was privatized and then taken public. Prior to that, he was with the federal Finance Department […]
The March 5 Supreme Court of Canada decision to deny with costs the plan members’ application for leave to appeal from the decision of the Federal Court of Appeal in Dana P. Cousins et al. v. Attorney General of Canada et al.—known as the “Marine Atlantic” case—is a positive development for sponsors of federally regulated […]
After brutal rounds of layoffs, HR departments at many Canadian organizations are now focused on optimizing their talent pools and increasing communications. However, HR professionals should also be asking themselves specific questions about their role in the organization, according to an expert. Speaking at the 2009 HR Transformation conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Robert Zampetti, […]
The Health Council of Canada recently released two companion reports on the National Pharmaceuticals Strategy. Dr. Neil MacKinnon, contributor to the reports, discusses the NPS and its implications for plan sponsors. What trends do you see in Canada’s pharmaceutical coverage? In a 2007 international survey on health policy, the opinions of Canadians were compared to […]
Canada’s third-party asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) saga is drawing to a close. While investors wait to receive money or new notes, many are taking a hard look at the decisions that have brought them to this point. The Quebec government is asking how the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec managed to sink $12.7 […]
The typical institutional investment manager posted a 31% reduction in portfolio asset values in 2008, and now industry professionals are asking themselves how they got it so wrong, and how they can turn it around in 2009, a study reveals. Greenwich Associates’ 2008 U.S. Investment Management Study found that many American institutions have been frustrated […]
As federal and provincial governments prepare to pour money into Canada’s infrastructure, the prevalence of public-private partnerships may prompt institutional and private investors alike to significantly increase their allocations to this profitable sector, according to an expert. Speaking at the Alternative Investments for Institutional Investors seminar in Toronto, David McFadden, chair of the Gowlings National […]
Regardless of geography, culture, or language, all multinational employers face common HR challenges. The biggest being the changing concept of retirement and the continuing rise in the cost of healthcare. According to Mercer’s 2008 Introduction to Benefit Plans Around the World: A Guide for Multinational Employers survey of benefit programs in 48 countries, the top […]
A legal battle is looming in British Columbia over patients’ access to private healthcare, citing a precedent from the Supreme Court of Canada. The Canadian Independent Medical Clinics Association (CIMCA), along with a group of independent B.C. medical clinics, has launched a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of B.C. in an effort to have restrictions […]