An article on a survey that found four in 10 employees have taken mental-health leave 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. Survey finds four in 10 employees have taken mental-health leave 2. Investment volatility increasing […]
Benefits Canada celebrated the Defined Contribution Plan Summit’s 25th anniversary by looking at how the world has changed over the last quarter century, the subsequent impact on the pension sector and what’s next for DC pensions. On Feb. 26-28 in Montreal, the 2025 DC Plan Summit highlighted the lessons of the last several decades, putting […]
While good governance practices must be at the core of any pension plan, intricate frameworks are designed to be proportional to the size of the sponsoring organization, according to Leah Fichter, vice-chair at the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities and deputy superintendent of pensions and executive director of the pensions division at the Financial […]
In the early days of Bell Canada’s defined contribution plan, there was a lot of emphasis on information and big campaigns, but at that time, employers were reluctant to get too involved, according to Robert Marchessault, the telecommunications company’s director of pension and benefits, noting it was soon clear its members needed more guidance. Speaking […]
Increased investment volatility could trigger additional questions on the decisions of Canadian pension funds as governance reviews come into focus, says Level Chan, a partner in the pensions practice at Stewart McKelvey. “Where there’s greater volatility, we could expect that triggering more questions about how pension plans are weathering the storm.” When responding to additional […]
More than eight in 10 (84 per cent) U.S.-based employer-sponsored retirement plans have at least one likely Employee Retirement Income Security Act red flag from a regulatory and/or fiduciary perspective, according to a new report by consultancy Abernathy Daley 401k Consultants. The report, which analyzed filings for more than 760,000 plans, found 43 per cent […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is appointing Dexter John as chief executive officer, effective March 1. John is currently the president and CEO of Morrow Sodali Canada Ltd., where he has advised on corporate governance, environmental, social and governance initiatives, shareholder engagement, executive compensation and strategic investor voting analytics. Prior to that, he […]
The limited availability of retirement income solutions is giving physicians in Canada a compelling reason to join a new multi-employer pension plan, said Simone Reitzes, managing director of the Medicus Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Defined Benefit Investment Forum. As part of Reitzes’ engagement with potential new plan members […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp. has laid off 19 employees and cut their positions, including the role of running its diversity, equity and inclusion program. An AIMCo spokesperson said in an email Tuesday that despite the job cuts, the company remains committed to an equitable and inclusive workplace. Read: Alberta government fires AIMCo CEO, board, […]
Implementation of harmonized minimum funding regulations for federally regulated defined benefit pension plans tops the Pension Investment Association of Canada’s list of advocacy priorities in 2025. Currently, DB plan sponsors are operating amid a patchwork of minimum funding regulations across the country, as most provinces have introduced requirements of their own. “A unified ‘going-concern plus’ regime […]