With companies finding themselves strapped for cash in the wake of the coronavirus, are plan sponsors scaling back on the company match in capital accumulation plans? Looking at the bigger picture in the U.S., companies are more focused on keeping their businesses running than on their defined contribution plans, says Peg Knox, chief operating officer […]
Pension plan stakeholders will see a continued evolution of both short- and long-term reform, with some significant developments expected in 2020. “Hopefully, Ontario will finalize the rules for its target benefit regime — perhaps we’ll see the introduction of single employer target-benefit rules — and there should be some action on variable benefits because the […]
Eight hundred unionized employees of Regina-based Co-op Refinery remain locked out after contract negotiations stalled. The refinery, which is part of Federated Co-operatives Ltd., locked out members of Unifor Local 594 on Dec. 5. Unifor said Co-op is demanding major concessions on the employees’ defined benefit pension. Currently, the DB plan is fully funded by Co-op, but […]
Employees at Eacom Timber Corp. have a new six-year collective agreement, which includes improvements to the pension and benefits plan. The lumber operation employs 160 people at its Timmins, Ont. mill and regional administrative centre, 110 of whom are members of the United Steelworkers Local 1-2010. Prior to the agreement, employees contributed a mandatory $120 […]
As pension regulators move forward with legislation permitting annuity options for certain capital accumulation plans, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is calling on the federal government to make flexible annuities available for registered retirement savings plans, registered retirement income funds and tax-free savings accounts. In March 2019, the federal budget proposed enabling advanced life deferred annuities for […]
In a new white paper, the Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging the federal government to reform the Income Tax Act rules for registered pension plans. In the ACPM’s view, ITA reforms are required to build on government initiatives aimed at increasing retirement savings by updating the tax rules released in 1992 so they better reflect today’s socioeconomic environment and Canadians’ […]
In the 1970s and early 1980s, defined benefit plan members clamoured for the portability provided by converting their plans to defined contribution arrangements. But that enthusiasm has waned over the years, with the majority of capital accumulation plan members simply not up for the challenge of managing their own investments. For plan sponsors, concerns also include […]
As employer-sponsored pension plans and personal retirement savings continue to shrink, the third pillar of Canada’s retirement income troika, the publicly funded Canada Pension Plan, is seeing improvements. Some of the enhancements, which are being gradually phased in from Jan. 1, 2019, borrow from what Australia already has in place for its superannuation system. In […]
Canada has learned a lot from the U.K. Diversified growth funds, which began crossing the pond in 2008, are the latest import. But the funds still haven’t gained much traction over the last decade, though they do offer pension plans another option in their portfolio. A diversified growth fund is a fund that targets a […]
While previous research has indicated that defined contribution pension plan members benefit from a limited number of core investment options because it reduces choice overload, is this still true now that automatic enrolment and default funds are becoming more common? According to new research by Morningstar Inc., more investment options in a DC arrangement could […]