An Ontario Superior Court ruling that allowed IBM Canada Ltd. to retrospectively rectify drafting errors that created unintended additional pension benefits for employees on disability leave augurs well for plan sponsors seeking similar relief going forward. “The case clarifies that there is a specific test for rectification of pension plans and other unilateral instruments, which […]
In its 2024-25 annual plan, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is focusing on assessing and mitigating systemic and high-priority risks in the province’s defined benefit pension plan sector. The regulatory body will review and enhance its supervisory framework to strengthen supervision of large public sector pension plans, ensuring its plan amendments and surplus […]
More than £50 billion in U.K. pension benefits were at risk of being misplaced in abandoned accounts or scattered across multiple lost pots in 2023, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research on behalf of PensionBee Ltd. It noted at least 4.8 million U.K. pension pots were considered lost in 2023, […]
Clear and flexible regulations that reflect the nature and diversity of target-benefit plans would allow these plans to thrive, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. The report analyzed data collected from 29 target-benefit plans registered in British Columbia, which was the first province to implement these plans. Read: Report finds disconnect […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is implementing a framework with core principals to help defined benefit pension plans avoid inappropriate risk-modelling strategies, said James Hoffner, the organization’s chief pension risk officer, during a conference on Monday. “Pension plans aren’t banks, they’re not commercial enterprises that are going to go out of business. We’re not going […]
Information technology risk has become a more prevalent concern in recent years, so it comes as no surprise that Canadian pension regulators are focused on ensuring that plan administrators manage this risk effectively. IT risk is associated with an entity’s IT infrastructure as a whole, including risk caused by error or malfunction, as well as […]
An article on the Ontario Court of Appeal’s affirmation of a $1.5 million punitive damages award was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pensions and investment articles of the past week: 1. Court of Appeal upholds $1.5 million punitive damages award in LTD claims case 2. N.B. transferring 5 public […]
In the coming year, the Association of Canadian Pension Management is looking forward to the possibility of participating in final consultations on policies and legislation determining variable payment life annuities, says Todd Saulnier, a principal at Mercer and president of the ACPM board. The 2023 federal budget proposed amendments to the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985 […]
Just a fifth (22 per cent) of Albertans say they support the province’s plan to leave the Canada Pension Plan in favour of a provincial plan, down from 27 per cent last October, according to a new survey by Leger Marketing Inc. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 Albertans, found while 40 per cent […]
An article on the funded position of Canadian defined benefit pension plans was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five top HR, benefit, pension and investment stories of the week: 1. Average DB pension plan’s funded position on solvency basis up in November: report 2. Decision raises questions about dependent contractors’ entitlement to reasonable notice […]