An article on how employers can support employees dealing with seasonal depression during the summer 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. What employers can do about reverse seasonal depression at work 2. TD requiring office-based […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan posted a 1.6 per cent return during the second quarter of 2025, an increase from the 1.1 per cent return seen during the previous quarter, according to a new report by the Royal Bank of Canada Investor Services. The report attributed the quarterly returns to a strong enough […]
A world of increased uncertainty over fiscal situations is leading to a market more conducive to fixed income and international equities, says Indrani De, head of global investment research at FTSE Russell. The firm’s most recent asset allocation insights report found a global market that’s seeing steepening yield curves amid economic uncertainty brought on by […]
The Calgary Foundation’s transition from a heavy domestic public market asset mix to a diversified portfolio opened the doors to a larger investible universe and minimized volatility, said Jessica Mitchell, an investment associate at the organization, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2025 Endowment & Foundation Investment Forum. “The questions that we asked […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing $200 million in Boralex as part of a financing deal completed alongside Fondaction. The investment partner will contribute $50 million to the unsecured subordinated loan transaction with a maturity date of June 27, 2033. The Caisse has been a significant shareholder in the renewable energy […]
Canadian capital accumulation plan members are increasingly allocating their investments to target-date funds, according to a new report by Sun Life Financial Inc. The report analyzed 8,600 employer-sponsored CAPs in Sun Life’s database, representing 7,500 plan sponsors and 1.5 million plan members. It found two-fifths (42 per cent) of CAP members opted for TDFs, representing […]
Alberta’s Public Service Pension Plan is reporting a 14.8 per cent investment return in 2024, pushing its assets under management to $21 billion as at the end of the year. Over a four-year period, the plan’s portfolio returned 8.5 per cent. However, it underperformed its benchmark by 0.3 per cent in 2024, primarily driven by […]
The median solvency ratio of Canadian defined benefit plans improved throughout the second quarter of 2025, reaching 126 per cent as at June 30, according to a new report by Mercer. It noted the average DB plan started the second quarter with a solvency ratio of 122 per cent, which declined to 121 per cent […]
The funded status of a typical Canadian pension plan increased on both a solvency and accounting basis during the month of May, according to a new report by Telus Health. The solvency index jumped to 101.1 per cent compared to 98.2 per cent at the end of April, while the accounting index increased from 99.5 […]
U.S. public pension plan sponsors have significantly diversified their portfolios since 2001, allocating, on average, 20 per cent of assets from public equities and fixed income to private equity, real estate, hedge funds and other alternative investments, according to a new report by Aon and the National Institute on Retirement Security. It found this shift […]