Governance-related resolutions are receiving more overall votes from defined contribution pension plan members, but environmental issues are more engaging on a vote-per-measure basis, according to a new survey by two U.K.-based organizations. The study, by asset management firm Legal and General Investment Management Ltd. and fintech company Tumelo, found measures related to all levels of […]
The Alberta Investment Management Corp. has reached an investment management agreement with the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund Board following a protracted period of negotiation. The agreement will see the Alberta Teachers’ assets, valued at $19.1 billion in its 2020 annual report, transferred to the custody of the AIMCO. According to Rod Matheson, the Alberta Teachers’ […]
Phishing and ransomware attacks are among the top threats to pension plan sponsors and institutional investors by cyber criminals, according to Jennifer Williams, director of information security at the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. “A common approach by cyber criminals begins with a simple phishing email designed to cause an employee to mistakenly action the […]
Pension plan members have super-priority when it comes to normal costs but not to special costs owed to bankrupted plans, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador finds in a recent ruling. In the case, Anthony Capital Corporation (Re), between the trustees of the defunct Anthony Capital Corp.’s executive pension plan and representatives for the […]
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is updating its process for releasing guidance regarding assumptions for hypothetical pension windup and solvency valuations. For quarterly guidance relating to periods from March 31 to Dec. 30, June 30 to Dec. 30 and Sept. 30 to Dec. 30, an explanatory report providing supporting material will be issued after the […]
While the majority of Canadian pension and retirement savings plan sponsors view governance as a top priority, 24 per cent said they haven’t conducted a review of their governance policy in the past three years, according to a new survey by Aon. It found 21 per cent of respondents identified “outdated or inefficient plan governance […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is releasing final interpretation guidance to support the role and responsibilities of pension plan administrators. The guidance, an updated and consolidated version of four previous documents, said the administrator’s role includes responsibility for implementing processes to ensure pension plan risks — such as investment, funding, operational and legal — […]
It’s a welcome development that so many pension fund managers are increasingly preoccupied with the ethical implications of their investments and incorporating data to ensure that funds adhere to the environmental, social and governance criteria. Described by Mirza Baig, global head of ESG research and stewardship at Aviva Investors, as the “year ESG came of age,” 2020 saw record sustainable […]
The Association for Canadian Pension Management is urging New Brunswick’s Financial and Consumer Services Commission to ensure unclaimed entitlements from ongoing pension plans are eligible for transfer to the province’s unclaimed property fund at the option of the plan administrator. Under a proposed revision to New Brunswick’s unclaimed property program, organizations and government entities holding […]
While a recent dispute between the Canadian National Railway Co. and the surviving same-sex partner of a deceased plan member will likely inspire other plan sponsors to ensure pension benefits are correctly distributed, the amount of new claimants coming forward will likely be relatively small, says Jill Wagman, managing principal at Eckler Ltd. “It may […]