Latest news in Governance/legislation

Black Swans and Bad Apples

While risk management, asset allocation and impending regulatory changes were on the agenda at the CPBI Ontario Region’s 4th Annual Pension Investment Forecast on Wednesday…

  • By: Jody White
  • January 15, 2009 September 13, 2019
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What About Bob?

Executive vice-president Bob Bertram talks about his years at Teachers’ and his advisory role with the pension fund after retirement. During your time at the…

Service Upgrade

Technology is transforming the administration of group benefits plans—­and it’s doing more than just accelerating procedures. It’s Bill’s first day of work. He meets his…

Trials and Transitions

Revisiting the plan sponsor’s role in the retirement process. In the aftermath of the market meltdown, plan members nearing retirement are more fearful than ever…

Silver Lining

Increased disclosure in climate change reporting is welcome news for investors. The unprecedented turmoil in financial markets and economies around the world has drastically changed…

  • By: Don Raymond
  • January 15, 2009 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Singled Out

The Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions report has left single employer plans on the sidelines. The Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions (OECP) carried a heavy…

Front Lines

OECP Report Underwhelms For defined benefit (DB ) plan sponsors looking for relief from the financial and legal issues that have made DB plans problematic,…

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

Mercer Predicts Opportunities in 2009

While some have described 2008 as a roller coaster ride, Mercer compares it to a big jump off a steep cliff. In light of that,…

Opinions Split over Single Regulator Recommendation

The verdict is out. While Ontario, Nova Scotia and British Columbia have expressed support for Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s plan for a national securities regulator,…

East Side Story

Legislation around plan termination, an end to mandatory retirement and rulings in significant court cases all contributed to pension developments in 2008. But what will…

Mercer pension index up slightly

Recovering equity markets and rising interest rates combined to nudge the overall health of pension plans upward this past quarter, according to Mercer. The Mercer…

  • By: Jody White
  • January 6, 2009 September 13, 2019
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Proceed With Caution

The Wronko case puts employers on notice when it comes to changing group plans. A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision has severely limited an…

Lunch and Learn

Saint Mary’s University encourages its plan members to attend financial planning education sessions, with or without incentives. In 1953, Saint Mary’s University in Halifax implemented…

Chaos Theory

A practical explanation of the credit crisis—how we ended up in the current economic situation and where we can go from here. The current financial…

Time of the Season

Reflections on 2008 and hopes for brighter days ahead in 2009. I’m looking at the white flakes whirling around outside the window—nicely coordinated with the…

Devil in the Details

The legislation for solvency funding relief proposed by the Ontario government on Dec. 16 is likely to be welcomed by plan sponsors. But according to…

  • By: Jody White
  • December 17, 2008 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

B.C./Alberta Pension Report Lauded

While the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions report is largely being panned by observers for having too limited a mandate, the report by the Alberta-British…

  • By: Jody White
  • December 3, 2008 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Ontario Pension Report Misses the Mark

The Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions (OECP) report contains more bad news than good for pension plans in the province and was released at the…

  • By: Jody White
  • December 2, 2008 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Relief Plan Gets Poor Marks

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s recent proposal to offer funding relief to federally regulated pension plans is under fire for being unworkable in the current…

  • By: Jody White
  • December 1, 2008 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

Alberta/B.C. Report Calls for Supplemental Pension Plan

The long-awaited report from the Alberta/British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards was released Friday, calling for sweeping changes to pension standards legislation for…

  • By: Jody White
  • November 28, 2008 September 13, 2019
  • 00:00

OECP Report Briefing

The ballroom at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto was packed on Wednesday morning as representatives from the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions (OECP), Watson…

Harry Arthurs and the deathly DB system

 From its title all the way to the final recommendation, the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions’ report strives to balance off the often-contradictory desires of…

The OECP Report: A Missed Opportunity

Some thoughts on the final report of the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions The Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions (OECP) final report, A Fine Balance:…

The OECP Report: Time is of the Essence

While some of the recommendations put forward in the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions report were well received by the industry, whether or not the…

OECP Releases Report

Two years after the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions was created, its 222-page report—along with 142 recommendations—was released to the public on Thursday. The report,…