Size matters when it comes to Canada’s much-vaunted model of pension investment. Sebastien Betermier, an associate professor of finance at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says the in-house capabilities and direct, private-asset investment that characterize the approach pioneered by the Maple 8 aren’t replicable by just any pension fund. “You need to be really […]
As private market assets become more widely adopted by institutional investors, they open up new, unexpected opportunities. Tom Keenleyside, associate director of investments at Western University, is ready to meet the moment. “We are in the process of scaling up; I think private market investments have become more mainstream among institutional investors. . . . […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan returned 4.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, up from 1.6 per cent in the second quarter, according to a new report by the Royal Bank of Canada Investor Services. This growth was driven by a broad-based mix of equity and fixed income contributions, the report […]
Democratic nations are facing a host of monumental challenges, including a shifting world order, the rapid spread of misinformation, an aging population and a rapidly warming world. Time is of the essence for Canada to mitigate the impacts of these mega trends, said Andrew Coyne, political journalist with the Globe and Mail, in the keynote […]
A sustainability investments classification platform co-founded by the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is being acquired by Net Purpose. The financial details of the transaction weren’t disclosed. Through this deal, Net Purpose will bring SDI AOP methodology, data processing and customer functions in house. It will also launch enhanced sustainable development goal classifications. “As a […]
The funded status of a typical defined benefit pension plan in Canada increased on both a solvency basis and on an accounting basis in September, according to a new report by Telus Health. The solvency index for plans grew to 107.4 per cent, compared to 105.8 per cent at the end of August, while the […]
The infrastructure arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System has confirmed the completed inaugural senior unsecured bond issuance for the BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust totalling $1.5 billion across five-, seven-, and 10-year tranches of notes. The transaction involving the trust, which is a holding company for the OMERS investment in Bruce Power, is one […]
An article on recent private equity investments by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. CPPIB increases stake in environmental services firm, receives approval for energy provider takeover 2. Solvency […]
Dutch authorities are summoning the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan on alleged evasion of dividend withholding tax worth more than €200 million. Last week, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service confirmed it was calling on a foreign pension fund based on the suspicion of evasion of dividend withholding tax. The agency didn’t name the Ontario pension […]
The funded status of a typical defined benefit pension plan in Canada increased on both a solvency basis and on an accounting basis in August, according to a new report by Telus Health. The solvency index for plans grew to 105.8 per cent, compared to 104.3 per cent at the end of July, while the […]