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BCI acquiring U.S. fiber communications provider

The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is acquiring U.S.-based fiber communications solutions provider Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. in a joint transaction with private investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners. The acquisition will be worth about US$3.1 billion. The purchase agreement price suggested a 70 per cent premium to Consolidated Communications’ public share price at April 12, […]

  • October 19, 2023 October 19, 2023
  • 11:00

Majority of U.S. DB pension plan sponsors expect to divest liabilities over next 4 years: survey

Nine in 10 (89 per cent) U.S. defined benefit pension plan sponsors say they’re expecting to completely divest their plan liabilities in roughly four years, according to a new survey by MetLife Inc. The survey, which polled 250 DB plan sponsors, found nearly all (94 per cent) said the financial impacts of volatility and related risks […]

  • October 4, 2023 October 4, 2023
  • 15:00

Survey finds a third of Canadian workers finding cost a barrier to accessing mental-health support

A third (32 per cent) of Canadian employees say cost/affordability is the top barrier to getting mental-health support, according to the latest mental-health index by Telus Health. The survey, which polled 3,000 respondents, found lack of available care/long wait times (16 per cent) and not knowing where to get care or what type of care […]

  • October 2, 2023 October 1, 2023
  • 09:00

Canadian insurers paid out record $114BN in health, retirement benefits in 2022: CLHIA

Canada’s life and health insurers paid out a record $114 billion in health and retirement benefits last year, up $11 billion since before the coronavirus pandemic and up 60 per cent from a decade ago, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “During a year when many households faced higher […]

  • September 29, 2023 September 28, 2023
  • 09:00

Competitive pension risk transfer costs climb from 100.2% to 100.5% in August: report

The estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process increased from 100.2 per cent of a plan’s accounting liabilities to 100.5 per cent of those liabilities in August, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest pension buyout index. The index uses the FTSE above median AA curve and annuity purchase composite […]

  • September 28, 2023 September 27, 2023
  • 10:30

Survey finds plan sponsors, members divided over whether workplace supports musculoskeletal health

While nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of health benefits plan sponsors agree their work environment supports musculoskeletal health, two-thirds (65 per cent) of plan members say their work environment contributes to aches and pains, according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. It found when plan sponsors were provided with details about the impact of […]

  • September 26, 2023 September 26, 2023
  • 09:00

Public DB pensions key to supporting women, BIPOC workers in retirement: report

Public defined benefit pension plans can play a critical role in delivering adequate retirement income for U.S. retirees, while providing a key buffer against economic hardship for women, the Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities and workers without a college degree, according to a new report by the National Institute on Retirement Security and […]

  • September 18, 2023 September 18, 2023
  • 15:00

38% of plan members experienced a high level of stress over past 3 months: survey

More than a quarter (38 per cent) of plan members say they’ve experienced a high level of stress on a typical day over the past three months, up from 27 per cent in 2022 and exceeding the previous high mark recorded in 2021 (35 per cent), according to the 2023 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. The […]

  • September 18, 2023 September 15, 2023
  • 09:00

North American institutional investors own half of private capital raised globally in 2022: report

North American institutional investors raised $749.7 billion, nearly half (49 per cent) of the $1.53 trillion total private capital raised globally between the second half of 2022 and the end of May 2023, according to a report by Preqin. It found the weakest period for deal activity since the start of the coronavirus pandemic was […]

  • September 15, 2023 September 15, 2023
  • 15:00

NYC, Oregon public pension funds suing Fox over 2020 U.S. election coverage, alleging harm to investors

New York City’s pension funds and the State of Oregon are suing Fox Corp., alleging the company harmed investors by allowing Fox News to broadcast falsehoods about the 2020 U.S. presidential election that exposed the network to defamation lawsuits, according to a report by the New York Times. The lawsuit, which didn’t specify the damages […]

  • September 14, 2023 September 14, 2023
  • 11:30