In the midst of the current backlash against the very concept of diversity, equity and inclusion, VHA Home HealthCare is reinforcing its decades-long focus on developing an inclusive workplace culture. “Our commitment to DEI is central to our people strategy, so we’re not backing away, but rather continuing to emphasize and double down on our […]
When Bell Canada was communicating defined contribution plan changes to members in 2024, it turned to artificial intelligence to help personalize its message to all of its 25,000 plan members. The redesign, which aimed to respond to members’ different financial priorities, enhanced the company’s savings options with a first home savings account, a tax-free savings […]
As defined contribution plans mature, Canada is seeing the first wave of retirees that only have DC plans and plan sponsors are facing the challenges of this decumulation phase. Speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 DC Plan Summit, Yashar Zarrabian, regional vice-president for Quebec at Sun Life Financial Inc., outlined three pillars to […]
Accenture Canada is reinforcing its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion during Pride Month and beyond by offering leadership training and mentorship opportunities for all of its LGBTQ2S+ employees and allies. “We not only foster innovation and growth within these spaces, but ensure everyone knows this is a workplace of inclusion and equality,” says Caroline Gayle, […]
At the beginning of April, the OPSEU Pension Trust made a change to a definition in its plan text that will have meaningful implications for plan members with disabled children who need to continue to rely on their parents into adulthood. The organization expanded the definition of a child eligible for survivor benefits to include […]
“Let me start by pointing out the obvious: the last few years have been exhausting,” said Mina Krishnan, multi-asset portfolio manager at Schroders, during a session on regime shifts at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Global Investment Conference. “We’ve had the [coronavirus] pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and Brexit.” As a result […]
Housing affordability will be a challenge, particularly for newcomers to Canada — pushing more of that demographic into the rental market, said Aaron Pittman, head of institutional at Equiton, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Global Investment Conference. With 20 per cent of the Canadian workforce expected to retire over the next 10 years and a […]
Large and small, pension plan sponsors are adopting in-house tools, partnering with technology research institutes or relying on investment managers for technological support with asset allocation, risk management and other aspects of investment management. The growing interest coincides with an increasingly complex investment, demographic and regulatory landscape. A 2020 Deloitte report on the importance of […]
Traditionally, Chinese workers have relied on two pillars of income in retirement — the basic state pension and employer-sponsored plans open to employees in certain sectors. However, in late 2022, the Chinese government poured some concrete into the mould of a third pillar, unveiling the details of a previously announced private pension scheme. Under the […]
In 2021, the Saskatchewan Healthcare Employees’ Pension Plan set out to gauge just how well-versed its 60,000 members were about their defined benefit pension plan. The SHEPP launched a six-week survey focused on member demographics, their perception and understanding of the plan, expectations, communications preferences and interest in retirement topics. The survey yielded interesting results, […]