Tempting Cuts As organizations look to identify cost savings that will avert layoffs during tough times, employee benefits will likey come under review. While cuts to benefits may be tempting, employers are urged to keep longterm goals and outcomes in mind. “You shouldn’t impose a short-term solution that, in the end, might bite you,” says […]
Engaging your workforce is not only integral in making the 50 Best Employers list, it is crucial during periods of intense competition for talent. Organizations that can retain top talent have a competitive advantage in uncertain economic times, according to a study. Hewitt Associates’ 10th annual Best Employers in Canada study of more than 115,000 […]
A new agreement on the restructuring of the $32-billion third-party asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) market has brought investors within reach of their money and one step closer to turning the page on one of Canada’s longest-running financial sagas. A new agreement to swap the illiquid commercial paper for new bonds replaced the one struck in […]
After suffering a technical glitch that silenced trading on Wednesday, the Toronto Stock Exchange was back in business this morning. The problem occurred when the system’s key data feed system—along with its backup—failed, denying traders information such as quotes, corporate actions and index data. “I would like to apologize to our customers for the disruption […]
The legislation for solvency funding relief proposed by the Ontario government on Dec. 16 is likely to be welcomed by plan sponsors. But according to experts, whether or not the criteria will ever be met is unclear. While the full details of the legislation have yet to be released, the proposal matches the federal government’s […]
Activity at the Toronto Stock Exchange was at a standstill Wednesday morningn as a technical glitch prevented trading. No timeline has been offered as to when stocks on the TSX and TSX Venture Exchange would start trading, but the exchange said the markets will go into a “pre-open” mode once the technical issues are resolved. […]
Canadian private pension funds are among the worst-performing funds for 2008, according to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD’s Pension Markets in Focus report on fund performance between January and October this year states that Canadian private pension funds have posted a 22% drop in nominal returns-the third […]
The $52-billion BCE takeover bid is officially dead, according to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan-led buyers group. The deal fell through after accounting firm KPMG ruled two weeks ago that BCE wouldn’t pass a solvency test, a key condition of the agreement. On Monday, PricewaterhouseCoopers contradicted KPMG’s report, saying that the telecom company would be […]
A high-quality health benefits program is a valuable tool for attracting and retaining valuable employees, but rising costs and non-compliance among plan members can make such programs problematic. However, employers have options which can provide improved health for their employees and better value, according to experts. While the increase in drug plan costs is easy […]
While the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions report is largely being panned by observers for having too limited a mandate, the report by the Alberta-British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards is receiving positive feedback for a broad and sober assessment of what a modern retirement system should look like. “They’ve left no stone […]