As 2017 draws to a close, we turn our attention to the new year. As usual, there’s a lot happening in the Canadian pension environment. Below are four pension trends to watch for in 2018. 1. Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan reform The Canada Pension Plan enhancements will be phased in from Jan. 1, 2019, and the Quebec […]
Bankruptcy and its impact on company’s pension plans was a big story in 2017, with Sears Canada Inc. and Stelco Inc. grabbing the most headlines of the year. Benefits Canada rounds up your favourite pension stories of 2017: Sears faces $300M retirement benefit shortfall as retailer seeks CCAA protection 2017 Top 100 Pension Funds Report: The evolution of DB […]
Employers in search of simpler retirement products for their workers are looking to group registered retirement savings plans and deferred profit-sharing plans as a solution, say experts at capital accumulation plan providers. Benefits Canada’s 2017 CAP Suppliers Report shows that the number of plan sponsors offering DPSPs has ballooned by 112 per cent over the past decade, from 3,539 […]
For some investors, tradition isn’t cutting it anymore. Rock-bottom interest rates are squeezing fixed-income returns, and the need to diversify through sturdy, lower-risk assets is apparent. While low volatility in equity markets is comforting, how long will it last? “We don’t know when but we’re pretty sure the equity market will correct, maybe severely,” says […]
Decumulation is a clear and significant concern for the sponsors of capital accumulation plans, the results of Benefits Canada’s 2017 CAP Member Survey show. The annual survey found 61 per cent of plan sponsors would be likely to allow their members to leave their assets within their plans after they retire if regulations allowed. Of […]
While total pension wealth rose for an eighth consecutive year in 2016, the wealth of employer-based pension plans increased at a much weaker pace than the previous year, according to Statistics Canada. Total pension wealth rose 3.8 per cent to $3.6 billion by the end of 2016, following a 5.1 per cent gain in 2015. The wealth of employer-based pension plans rose 3.5 per cent to […]
Few Canadian employers are tracking the impact of their defined contribution pension plans or measuring their outcomes, according to new research by Willis Towers Watson. It found only 26 per cent of survey respondents measure the retirement readiness of their employees at least every three years, while 30 per cent monitor it periodically and 40 […]
Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. and Unifor Local 2027 have ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes moving to a defined contribution plan for future hires. The union, which represents 137 production and skilled trades workers at the distillery in Windsor, Ont., noted in a news release that 66 per cent of union membership voted […]
In its sixth year of offering employees educational workshops during Financial Literacy Month, Western University has changed its approach this time by delivering information on a range of topics rather than just the organization’s pension plans. In the past, the university has used the financial literacy focus to communicate the details of its two defined contribution plans, […]
The days of working for one employer and contributing to a single pension plan for an entire career are long over. In fact, 28 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Workopolis Inc. in 2014 had already had between five and 10 jobs, and Statistics Canada figures show defined benefit membership is continuing to fall while […]