Staff

Caisse invests in audiovisual technology company, Ontario Teachers’ acquires Australian agriculture operator

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing in an audiovisual and entertainment technology company. The investment organization acquired a minority stake in the Montreal-based Solotech to support its acquisition and organic growth strategy designed for expansion in new markets, according to a press release. “With this investment — the largest in the […]

  • November 30, 2023 November 29, 2023
  • 11:00

Federal public sector pension indexation rate set at 4.8% for 2024

The pension indexation rate for federal public sector pensions will be 4.8 per cent in 2024, according to the National Association of Federal Retirees. The rate, which is set by the Treasury Board Secretariat in accordance with the Public Service Superannuation Act and the Supplementary Retirement Benefits Act, is a decrease from last year’s indexation […]

  • November 30, 2023 November 30, 2023
  • 11:00

World’s 100 largest asset owners’ AUM down 9% in 2022: report

The value of the total assets under management for the world’s 100 largest asset owners declined nine per cent to US$23.4 trillion as of Dec. 31, 2022, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. Among these asset owners, pension funds retained 53 per cent of AUM, down from 60 per cent five […]

  • November 30, 2023 November 30, 2023
  • 09:00

Average cost of U.S. health benefits per employee rose 5.2% in 2023: survey

The average per-employee cost of U.S. employer-sponsored health benefits has risen by 5.2 per cent in 2023 to reach US$15,797, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 1,900 U.S. employers, found cost increases were highest for employers with 50 to 499 employees (7.8 per cent on average) and these […]

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

2023 Mental Health Summit: How First West Credit Union is supporting employee health, well-being

Data analysis, education and early intervention are the key components of First West Credit Union’s Live Well employee health program, according to Liz Bailey-Connor, the organization’s chief people and culture officer, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2023 Mental Health Summit. “We were hearing from employees that they felt overwhelmed and, in some cases, […]

  • November 29, 2023 November 24, 2023
  • 07:53

OPB appointing Darwin Bozek as president, chief pension officer

The Ontario Pension Board is appointing Darwin Bozek as president and chief pension officer, effective Feb. 1, 2024. He joins the OPB from the Alberta Pensions Services Corp., where he was president and chief executive officer. He’ll transition into the role of president and CEO under the mentorship of current CEO Mark Fuller, who’ll step down […]

  • November 28, 2023 November 28, 2023
  • 09:00

61% of U.S. employers reporting increased employee volunteer activities in 2023: survey

Ahead of Giving Tuesday, nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of U.S. employers say they’ve seen an increase in employee volunteer activities this year, according to a new survey by the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals. However, despite this increase, the survey also found corporate social responsibility professionals have struggled to get participation levels back to a pre-pandemic […]

  • November 27, 2023 November 27, 2023
  • 15:00

Ontario DB pension plans’ average solvency ratio increased to 117% in Q3 2023: FSRA

The average projected solvency ratio for Ontario defined benefit pension plans increased slightly to 117 per cent in the third quarter of 2023, with more than three-quarters of plans projected to be fully funded, according to a new report by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. While the percentage of DB plans projected to have […]

  • November 24, 2023 November 23, 2023
  • 09:00

Top 5 HR, benefits, pension and investment stories of the week

An article on the federal government’s 2023 fall economic statement was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Feds consider end of ‘30% rule’ for pensions, propose EI adoption benefit: fall economic statement 2. Former federal finance minister defends ‘sustainably successful’ CPP amid Alberta pension […]

  • November 24, 2023 November 23, 2023
  • 09:00

Competitive pension risk transfer costs increase from 101.1% to 101.9% in October: report

The estimated cost to transfer retiree pension risk to an insurer in a competitive bidding process increased from 101.1 per cent of a plan’s accounting liabilities in September to 101.9 per cent of those liabilities in October, according to Milliman Inc.’s latest pension buyout index. The index uses the FTSE above median AA curve and annuity […]

  • November 22, 2023 November 22, 2023
  • 15:00