After a year of steady performance, fixed income markets could kick off 2026 with concerns from a macroeconomic standpoint, says Steve Locke, chief investment officer of fixed income and multi-asset strategies at Mackenzie Investments. “We’re seeing some fiscal and GDP tailwinds that are going to start to form fairly early in the new year. In […]
An article on proposed changes to preferred pharmacy networks outlined in the Ontario government’s fall economic statement 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. Ontario taking steps to end preferred pharmacy networks, introducing VPLA framework 2. […]
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 […]
The federal government’s latest budget brought along several announcements relevant to the institutional investor community of Canada — including a fund-of-funds initiative, clean electricity tax credits, funding options for airport assets — but an update on the real return bond program was nowhere to be found. “I read the debt management report and definitely noticed […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board are supporting an investment deal in which alternative asset manager Apollo will invest $6.5 billion for a 50 per cent stake in an offshore wind project. The transaction for Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 — a U.K.-based ongoing clean energy project — […]
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 […]
Canada’s federal government is raising funds to support green infrastructure and nature conservation projects through its fifth issuance of green bonds. The 30-year green bonds are designed to attract private financing and play a role in the country’s strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The investment asset is backed by Canada’s AAA credit rating. […]
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 […]
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 […]
The median solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit pension plans reached 129 per cent at the end of the third quarter 2025, up from 126 per cent, according to a new report by Mercer. The increase was attributed to positive returns on equities and fixed income, despite increased liabilities. Read: FSRA finds Ontario DB plans’ […]