Latest news in Governance/legislation

Call to Order

The pension committee plays an integral role in the administration and management of a pension plan. In today’s uncertain economic environment, pension plan risks and…

Manitoba releases proposed pension regulations

Manitoba has released proposed amendments to the Pension Benefits Regulations that result from changes made to the Pension Benefits Act in 2005 through Bill 10,…

  • By: Jody White
  • July 31, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Defining “employer”

Often so-called single-employer pension plans will have multiple related employers participating in the pension plan. There has been legal uncertainty in the past regarding whether…

HST a dark horse for plan sponsors

Determining the net effect harmonised sales taxes (HST) will have on pension plans and pension plan sponsors is still a bit of a crystal ball-gazing…

Pension coalition takes aim at stock-based compensation

A coalition of Canadian institutional investors is quietly leaning on the country’s big banks to move away from the use of stock-based compensation. Stephen Griggs…

  • By: Jody White
  • July 16, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Maximizing the value of solvency funding relief

In June 2009, the Ontario Government amended the Regulation to the Pension Benefits Act (Ontario), or PBA, providing most defined benefit pension plan sponsors with…

Increase retirement age: report

The solution to Canada’s workforce conundrum requires some fresh thought and tough choices, according to the C.D. Howe Institute. Some of the suggestions contained in…

  • By: Jody White
  • July 3, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Demystifying the deemed trust

  Careful observers of the Canadian pension scene may have noticed that when the federal government issued the final version of its new solvency funding…

Hard Lessons

How to address pension plan funding and insolvent plan sponsors in a time of crisis.   The financial results of 2008 are hitting pension fund…

Perfecting the process

How an internal audit can help your organization manage pension risks and improve its procedures.   In this turbulent economic climate, any reference to pension…

Time to raise the retirement age

Over the past several months, news headlines have been filled with the troubles pension funds have found themselves in. Indeed, there are a multitude of…

Ensuring maximum interpretive flexibility: a case study

The Manitoba Court of Appeal has outlined important principles of contractual interpretation with relation to pension plans, along with guidance on how possibly to avoid…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 29, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Demographics affect benefits options

A recent Mercer study on flexible benefits plans in the U.K. has found that preferred benefits options vary according to characteristics including age, gender and…

  • By: Staff
  • June 29, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Rightsizing may be the wrong option

Keeping costs at a minimum in this turbulent economy is top of mind for employers. At the recent Managing the Workplace During an Economic Downturn…

Canadian employers balance human capital, business costs

While Canadian employers move aggressively to contain costs and manage risk, they are also making a concerted effort to minimize the impact on employees, a…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 22, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

CIBC overtime suit dismissed

The Supreme Court has dismissed a $350-million bid to launch a class action against CIBC for unpaid after-hours work. In a 37-page decision, Madam Justice…

Union leaders dismiss Alberta-B.C. pension proposal

The Alberta-B.C. (ABC) pension proposal for a government-sponsored supplemental pension plan is flawed and should be abandoned in favour of comprehensive reform of the Canada…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 19, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Comparing U.S. and Canadian pension plans

Plan administrators attending the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans’ session on Retirement Arrangements on June 17 in Toronto learned that while Canadian and American…

Negative work environments can be costly

Recent legal decisions are sending the message that employees have the right to work in an atmosphere of civility and dignity and that employers that…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 15, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Northern Trust launches advisory group

Northern Trust has created a pensions advisory group to help European pension clients with investment and regulatory issues. “The formation of the retirement solutions practice…

Pension crisis centre stage

What seemed a bump in road in 2002 has now become a frighteningly deep hole for plan sponsors. At the same time, it is shedding…

Flaherty asks crown corporations to review executive comp

Facing criticism over the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s (CPPIB) compensation structure, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has asked all government-owned companies to review their…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 3, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

All hands on deck

Employee engagement is holding up under the pressure of the global recession, but with many workers beginning to question their leaders’ competency and direction. Employers…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 2, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Top 100 Pension Funds Report: Call to action

When the title of the annual report for the largest pension plan in the country begins with “Let us explain,” it’s clear that something has…

  • By: Jody White
  • June 1, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Over-promised, underfunded

When a particular pension or benefits topic is making waves in the media, I often hear from PR firms. If I had a dollar for…