Moderators: Nadia Darwish, vice-president of development, marketing and investment strategy; and Karrina Dusablon, vice-president of business development, client relationship and member experience, at Desjardins Insurance Topic: Balancing a human and digital approach to plan member experiences Augmented reality, big data, robo-advisors and artificial intelligence are playing growing roles in the digital era. By 2020, Canadians […]
Moderators: Christine van Staden, regional vice-president, group customer; and George Ng, senior account executive, group customer, at Great-West Life Assurance Co. Canada is an increasingly diverse country. Canadians live across six time zones, comprise four workplace generations (traditionalists, baby boomers, generation Xers and millennials) and include more than 200 ethnic origins. The number of speakers […]
For any pension plan administrator looking for guidance around governance responsibilities, look no further than the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ guideline No. 4. The guideline, which was originally published in 2004, offers a principles-based approach, recognizing there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to governance and leaving implementation up to the plan administrator. The guideline and its accompanying […]
Common Wealth is teaming up with James Evans and Associates Ltd. to support the former’s retirement plans with member-focused, self-service plan administration and record-keeping technology. JEA’s technology allows employers with capital accumulation plans to access certain customization tools, including plan design, branding, communication and education for members. It also incorporates features like default investment choices and auto-escalation. Read: Nest Wealth launches group […]
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has published guidance on its interpretation and expectations for the default investment option selected by the administrator of a defined contribution pension plan. The guidance sets out how a plan administrator should select a suitable default investment option, as well as how it should document, communicate and review […]
With studies suggesting some gaps in financial literacy among millennials, a panel at the 2018 Benefits and Pension Summit will tackle ways of educating and reaching younger plan members. Shannon Lee Simmons, founder of the New School of Finance and a member of the panel at the April 17 event at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, says a lot of […]
Ontario has published a description of its proposed regulations around the payment of variable benefits from defined contribution pension plans one year after announcing its intention to permit the option. The provincial government announced its plans in its 2017 budget. Once passed, Ontario will follow in the footsteps of other jurisdictions allowing the option, including British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, […]
Nest Wealth Asset Management Inc. is launching a digital group registered retirement savings plan in an effort to make it easier for small- and medium-sized businesses to provide retirement savings to employees. The plan is free for employers to use and features digital enrolment for employees. It also allows employers to monitor their plans online and administer options such as contributions and […]
The Co-operative Superannuation Society pension plan is one of Canada’s largest defined contribution plans, growing from its Saskatchewan roots in 1939 to include some 351 employers from across the country today. Martin McInnis, executive director of the plan, will speak about the benefits of a multi-employer defined contribution plan and whether they could be the way of the future during a session […]
Over the past 25 years, Canada’s retirement system has evolved significantly through new funding frameworks and federal and provincial reforms to facilitate innovation in plan design. And with Canadians living and working longer and investment returns predicted to soften, it’s no surprise the pension industry is calling for an update to the Income Tax Act […]