November 2009

Fresh start
Leo de Bever, CEO of Alberta Investment Management Corporation, discusses AIMCo's evolution and the impact of the downturn on the money management industry.
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July 2009

A conversation with Karen Liberman of the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario
Liberman speaks frankly on the prevalence of mental illness, why we need to talk about it and what employers can do to help.
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June 2009

A conversation with G&K Services
According to uniform supplier G&K Services, when it comes to benefits that employees appreciate, a little creativity can go a long way.
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May 2009

Mind Your P's
When deciding which target date fund is the best, plan sponsors need to look at more than just performance.
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Change and communication: case study
How one plan sponsor revamped its benefits and pension plans and avoided backlash from its employees.
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April 2009

Efficiency: a Catch-22
Are processes in the group insurance industry too streamlined?
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March 2009

We Don’t Do Advice
Investment advice isn’t the only option—some plan sponsors opt for broader retirement planning education instead.
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View Point: Panel Discussion
Scott Perkin, President of the Association of Canadian Pension Management, shares his views on the pension panel report.
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February 2009

View Point: Drug Watch
Dr. Neil MacKinnon shares his views on the National Pharmaceuticals Strategy and what it means for benefits plan sponsors.
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January 2009

Viewpoint: What About Bob?
Bob Bertram shares his experiences working with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.
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December 2008

View Point: Imperfect Harmony
Nigel Field, co-chair of the Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan, and Terri Troy, its CEO, discuss current pension legislation and the potential impact of the Nova Scotia Pension Review Panel.
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November 2008

Money Managers Virtual Round Table
We brought together senior representatives from money management firms in a "virtual round table" to discuss the issues facing Canada's largest pension asset managers.
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Terms of Adherence
Two years after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new rules for disclosing executive compensation, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has done the same. Starting Dec. 31, 2008 public companies are going to have to disclose more information about how—and why—they compensate their top executives like they do.
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View Point: Information Access
Louise Ogilvie, vice-president, corporate services, with the Canadian Institute for Health Information, talks about our healthcare system and CIHI’s role.
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October 2008

Wellness Rewards
It starts with biometrics testing and an accelerometer (an advanced pedometer), but where the wellness program ends is really up the employee. For Stantec, an engineering, architecture and design professional services firm, employee health is important. After all, a healthy employee is an employee who is likely to be happier, more productive, and more engaged—critical factors in the current labour conditions.
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The Power of Flexibility
At BC Hydro, the compensation is competitive with other organizations in the industry and the benefits are generous. However, because the utility company is a public employer, legislation dictates what it can, and cannot, offer in terms of these rewards. So what BC Hydro can’t offer in monetary rewards, it makes up for it with flexibility.
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View Point: Western Insight
British Columbia’s Minister of Finance, Colin Hansen, discusses retirement savings, healthcare issues and workforce challenges in the province.
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September 2008

Top 50 DC Plans Report: The Waiting Game
With much talk about Canadians having to save for retirement, or Canadians not saving enough for retirement, the tax-free savings account (TFSA)—a new vehicle that will allow Canadians over 18 to save up to $5,000 a year—has certainly been winning the popularity contest with employers.
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Wired and Ready: The Cost of Web Communications
According to Statistics Canada, almost three-quarters (73%) of Canadians over the age of 16 went online for personal or professional reasons last year. With a number like that, plan sponsors can’t afford to lag in the area of web communications.
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View Point: Grade A Benefits
Bryan Tamblyn, president and chief executive officer of Georgian College, describes the innovative pension and benefits course that the college is launching this fall.
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August 2008

2008 Consultants Report: Most Engaging Plans
It’s a delicate balancing act: employers want to provide excellent benefits to their employees, but at the same time, they need to manage costs.
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2008 Pension and Benefits Consultants Directory
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Mad About UCD: User Experience Issues
Forrester Research, Inc. conducted 196 website reviews, asking users what they disliked most about the experience.
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View Point: Return From Oz
Leo de Bever has moved from Victorian Funds Management Corporation in Melbourne, Australia, to become the new CEO with Alberta Investment Management Corporation in Edmonton. De Bever discusses his new position, the global pension industry and leaving the land down under for colder climates.
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July 2008

Family Affairs
Employee assistance programs (EAPs) first appeared in the workplace in the 1940s to help employees resolve alcohol issues. Sixty years later, alcoholism and substance abuse is still a serious matter but it’s not the main reason people are calling EAPs.
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Is Canada Falling Behind on SRI?
Investing in a socially responsible manner is becoming increasingly important to pension plan sponsors, but it seems that in Canada, the legislative environment hasn't kept pace with the demand.
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A Guide to Glide Path
While each target date fund (TDF) provider has its own methodology in glide path design, the vast majority of products in Canada tend to follow a similar downward curve in the final 20 years prior to a fund’s maturity.
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Canada's 30 Best Pension and Benefits Plans
This list provides more detailed information on the types of benefits and pension plans offered, as well as what the companies do and where they are located.
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Viewpoint: Paper Route
Earlier this year, the Pan-Canadian Investors Committee helped develop a solution that will likely end the asset-backed commercial paper crisis in Canada. We asked Purdy Crawford, committee chair, to reflect on the path the credit crisis has taken and the lessons learned from this experience.
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Making the Cut
Employers are feeling the pressure of ever-increasing healthcare costs. How are post-retirement health benefits affected? This article also includes a sidebar on retiree benefits considerations for plan sponsors, only available online.
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Viewpoint: Money Talk
David Longworth, deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, discusses lessons learned from the credit crunch.
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DC2018: Further Coverage of the DC Plan Summit
The 2008 DC Plan Summit brought together industry experts and key stakeholders to discuss important issues for defined contribution plans in Canada.
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DC2018: A Vision for the Future
Delegates at the DC Plan Summit were assigned to teams and instructed to come up with a vision for DC Plans in the year 2018. Here are the highlights of that vision.
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2008 Group Insurance Methodology
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Viewpoint: Two Gentlemen of the West
Scott Sweatman and Christopher Brown, co-chairs of the B.C. and Alberta Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards, discuss the panel’s progress.
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Highlights from the Small Plan Sponsor Roundtable in Small World...at a Cost
Several small plan sponsors from across Canada participated in a virtual roundtable to talk about their concerns and challenges in providing their employees with benefits and pensions.
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Viewpoint: Is the Sky Really Falling?
Dr. Sherry Cooper discusses how the baby boomer generation is redefining retirement.
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Case Studies from Spectacular Plans

• EDS Canada: Improving Employee Morale through Communication and Wellness Initiatives
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• Bell Aliant: Using Diverse Media to Communicate Plan Changes
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Surviving Retirement: Shopping for Annuities
Buying an annuity can be a confusing endeavour for plan members. There are two basic types of annuities—term-certain annuities and life annuities—but there are also several different options that your plan member could possibly add to his or her annuity. Each option adds to the cost, and to the confusion.
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Viewpoint: Identity Crisis
CPPIB chair Gail Cook-Bennett explains the difference between the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and a sovereign wealth fund.
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