After an eventful two and a half month process, BCE Inc. has agreed to a bid from the consortium led by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Teachers’ bid is for $34.8 billion and, if debt is included, $51.7 billion. It will be the biggest acquisition in Canadian corporate history. Teachers’ was already BCE’s biggest shareholder, […]
Canadian 30-year-olds are already planning for retirement. Their attitudes and expectations toward it may shape how people save for the future and life at 65. It’s not all about buying a house, taking vacations and starting families. Today’s 30-year-olds are focused on their retirement, too. A full 69% of the 500 30-year-olds across Canada who […]
A survey conducted by Benefits Canada found 52% of 30-year-olds want to retire between 45 and 60 while 28% want to retire between 60 and 65. This desire could put pressure on employers to find alternative working arrangements to avoid potential talent shortages. We surveyed 500 30-year-olds across the country to get their opinions on […]
With prescription drug costs threatening to balloon out of control, many industry stakeholders warn that plan sponsors can’t take much more. But a recent survey reveals that overall, employers are not only doing fine, cost increases are even shrinking. According to ACS/Buck’s seventh annual Canadian Healthcare Trend Survey, the average annual total trend factor […]
In the competitive group insurance market, third-party administrators are positioning themselves to enhance services for employers and increase their own market share. Consolidation and economies of scale have dominated conversations about the group insurance industry in recent years. With stakeholders focused on these areas, a smaller player has emerged and capitalized on employers’ needs left […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan(OTTP)may be in talks with the U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts(KKR)to buy out BCE, according to recent reports. KKR is interested in a leveraged buyout of the Canadian telecommunications company but it cannot have a controlling stake because of regulatory hurdles. These include the foreign ownership rules that prevent […]
When Stephen Harper’s minority government took over in Ottawa early last year, 72% of federally regulated defined benefit(DB)plans had a solvency deficit as of June 2005, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. Private-sector plans faced large shortfalls of their own. On the first anniversary of the Conservative government, it’s clear there […]
BC: Why has the government decided there should be an expert commission to study pension issues now? GS: In 1986, when the current act was passed, it was a good vehicle for managing the process, but that’s 20 years ago. A number of issues have arisen since. We felt it was timely now to undertake […]
Wal-Mart jolted the U.S. healthcare industry in September when it began offering approximately 130 generic drugs at US$4 for a month’s supply including the dispensing fee, in the Tampa Bay, Fla. area. Critics noted many of the drugs were old and already available for the same price or less at other pharmacies. Regardless, Wal-Mart rolled […]
Since the removal of the foreign property rule last spring, interest in currency management has steadily grown. At a Toronto breakfast seminar Michael Victoros, FX and TAA Global Product Specialist, said there is opportunity for capturing alpha in currency trading. “A lot of people in the market aren’t looking for profit, so the market is […]