With many Canadian defined benefit pension plans in a strong funded position, plan sponsors, particularly those with unionized workforces, are increasingly discussing the use of surplus funds, says Gavin Benjamin, a partner in the retirement and benefits solutions practice at Telus Health. The funded position of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan rose on […]
The federal government is currently seeking recommendations about its plan to introduce solvency reserve accounts for federally regulated defined benefit pension plans. Under the government’s proposed model, first announced in 2022, these accounts would be optional and constitute a separate account within a DB plan. In a press release, the government said solvency reserve accounts […]
An article on International Business Machines Corp.’s latest pension risk transfer was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. IBM transferring US$6 billion in pension liabilities via group annuity buyout 2. How employers can encourage employees to take guilt-free sick days […]
Roughly 200 employees of the Ontario Native Women’s Association are joining the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan. The ONWA is a not-for-profit organization that works to empower and support Indigenous women and their families across Ontario, according to a press release. Previously, the employees were enrolled in a group registered retirement […]
In 2023, the world’s 300 largest pension funds’ assets under management increased by 10 per cent to US$22.6 trillion, compared to $20.6 trillion at the end of 2022, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. It found the top 20 largest global pension funds’ AUM increased by 12 per cent during the […]
The median projected solvency ratio for Ontario defined benefit pension plans was 123 per cent as at June 30, 2024, up slightly from 122 per cent as at March 31, according to a new report by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. It found this increase was attributable to a rise in solvency discount […]
International Business Machines Corp. is transferring roughly US$6 billion in defined benefit pension obligations through a group annuity buyout. Prudential Financial Inc. will assume responsibility for making retirement benefit payments to roughly 32,000 retirees and their beneficiaries beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Read: IBM entering US$16BN pension risk transfer The transaction marks the second pension risk […]