The Pension Investment Association of Canada will concentrate its legislative advocacy efforts on funding reform in 2024, including for an overhaul of long-term, minimum funding regulations for federally regulated defined benefit pension plans, said David Lawson, the PIAC’s new chair. In an emailed statement to Benefits Canada, he said as DB plan sponsors continue to face […]
While it’s impossible to predict exactly how pension case law will evolve in future, one can offer an educated guess at some legislative developments and other issues that may confront pension plan sponsors and administrators in the coming year. Risk management Plan sponsors can expect a continued focus on risk management as a key part […]
A story on mental-health themes and challenges for 2024 was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Expert panel: Employers taking preventative, holistic approach to employee mental health in 2024 2. AI holds uncapped potential for pension plan sponsors’ administration, communications: […]
While pension plan sponsors are still in the early days of exploring how artificial intelligence solutions could help automate maintenance tasks, they’re exploring the various functionalities they can automate from a member service standpoint, says Akio Tagawa, president and chief executive officer at consultancy Linea Solutions. He’s seen increased interest from plan sponsors in evaluating how […]
With the arrival of the new year, there are three topics that will be important for pension plan sponsors, members and other industry stakeholders in 2024. The economy and financial markets At the end of 2023, the Canadian economy and the financial markets were still feeling the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Read: Expert panel: […]
A story on how the federal government is considering ending Canada’s ’30 per cent rule’ was the most-read investment story on BenefitsCanada.com this year. Here are the 10 most popular investment news stories of 2023: 1. Feds consider end of ‘30% rule’ for pensions, propose EI adoption benefit: fall economic statement 2. Uptick in U.S. commercial office real estate […]
A recent development in the U.K. pension market to give British workers a ‘pot for life’ could reduce the quality of retirement plans that are already in place and create administrative challenges, says Adam Bexson, senior corporate pension consultant at Verlingue Ltd. Currently, plan members are automatically enrolled into a retirement plan chosen by their employer, […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s proposed family rule could allow for pension benefits to be divided more fairly in the event of a marriage breakdown, says Louis Duranleau, a senior principal of pensions at Normandin Beaudry. “When there’s an agreement between the spouses to share the retiree’s pension before it’s effectively divided in […]
Nova Scotia-based private employers can now transfer their pension plans into the Public Service Superannuation Plan. The Private Sector Pension Plan Transfer Act, which received royal assent on Nov. 9, provides all employers based in the province with the option of offering or continuing to offer a defined benefit pension plan with a prescribed funding […]
Increased volatility, stubborn inflation and erratic interest rates are making for financially uncertain times, where it can be more reassuring to seek safety in shared risk, rather than shouldering financial ambiguity alone. Celebrated for their pooled assets and shared risk, multi-employer pension plans are gaining traction. Tami Dove, director of member experience at the Co-operative […]