The International Centre for Pension Management is celebrating 20 years of promoting strong pension governance practices by regularly engaging plan sponsor members, says Sebastien Betermier, the organization’s executive director. “It’s a milestone and it speaks to the value of having candid and quality exchanges among the pension funds . . . it’s a safe space for them […]
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 […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan posted a median return of 1.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, according to a new report by RBC Investor Services. The report, which tracks performance and asset allocation across Canadian DB plans, also found that the plans saw a return of 4.4 per cent for […]
The funded ratio of the average Canadian defined benefit pension plan, excluding the effect of asset smoothing, reached 124 per cent as at March 31, 2024, up seven per cent from the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a new report by Normandin Beaudry. It found the average solvency ratio of Canadian pension plans was […]
In its 2024-25 annual plan, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is focusing on assessing and mitigating systemic and high-priority risks in the province’s defined benefit pension plan sector. The regulatory body will review and enhance its supervisory framework to strengthen supervision of large public sector pension plans, ensuring its plan amendments and surplus […]
The median solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans increased two per cent in the first quarter of 2024, according to a report by Mercer. The report, which tracks more than 450 DB pension plans, found the median solvency ratio grew to 118 per cent, as at March 29, 2024, from 116 per cent […]
The funded position of a typical defined benefit pension plan rose both on a solvency basis (2.8 per cent) and an accounting basis (2.3 per cent) during February, according to Telus Health’s latest pension index. It found the solvency of the average DB plan rose to 103.6 per cent in February, up from 100.8 per […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan generated a median return of 8.4 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a report by Northern Trust Corp. The report, which tracks DB plans within the Northern Trust Canada universe, found the average Canadian DB plan ended the year with a median 10 per cent return. […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan posted returns of 8.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to RBC Investor Services. It found the average Canadian DB plan ended 2023 with a 9.1 per cent return, a significant increase from negative 10.3 per cent in 2022. Read: Average Canadian DB pension plan returns […]