In the Expert Commission on Pensions’ 2008 review of Ontario’s pension system, it recommended an agency or unit of the provincial government serve as a pension champion. According to the commission, the pension champion’s responsibilities would include working closely with stakeholders, promoting and facilitating innovation in the pension system and leading policy development efforts in […]
If there was one message for defined benefit pension plan sponsor delegates at the 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum, it was that the fate of global markets in 2023 is on a knife’s edge. In the keynote address, Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group, said he expects the Canadian economy […]
BMO Financial Group expects North American economies will go through a shallow recession in 2023, according to Douglas Porter, the bank’s chief economist and managing director, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum. “I would give it a 25 per cent chance that central banks can still negotiate this without one. […]
Consensus expectations for U.S. inflation and interest rates in 2023 are overly optimistic, said Robert Forsyth, head of SPDR exchange-traded funds strategy and research at State Street Global Advisors SPDR, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum. “Our view is that the futures market is still pricing in an […]
In the current market, institutional investors should consider increasing allocations to real estate and real estate investment trusts, said Joseph Shaw, managing partner and head of institutional sales at Hazelview Investments, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum. In the past decade, the average defined benefit pension plan’s allocation to real estate has risen, […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is appointing Romeo Leemrijse as executive managing director of equities, effective Jan. 1, 2023. In the role, he’ll be responsible for the growth of the Ontario Teachers’ private and public equities investments and will report to Ziad Hindo, the pension fund’s chief investment officer. Read: Ontario Teachers’ names Anna Murray […]
An article on how Canada compares to other countries in terms of its vacation day offering was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Canada ranks 39 out of 43 countries for vacation day offering: report 2. Coke Canada expanding coverage for mental-health, family-building […]
As the University Pension Plan increases its focus on climate change, its responsible investment policy considers environmental, social and governance factors as essential to sound long-term investing. “We’ve seen a lot of evidence from a variety of service providers — from investment banks to investment managers — that have demonstrated [the climate] is getting warmer […]
In 2014, Colyn Lowenberger, then the director of pension and disability administration at the City of Regina, heard a knock at his office door — it was opportunity. After walking into the room, the chair of the Regina Civic Employees’ Superannuation and Benefit Plan asked Lowenberger to discuss a list of concerns about the defined […]
In 2022, the University Pension Plan implemented a growth plan, investment strategy, climate action plan and administration system. In a note to the jointly sponsored defined benefit pension plan’s 37,000 members, Barbara Zvan, its president and chief executive officer, touted the achievements during the UPP’s first full calendar year as well as the plans for its second. […]