The Ontario government’s new funding framework for target-benefit plans will provide more flexibility for plan administrators and boards, says Domenic Barbiero, principal at Eckler Ltd. The proposed framework requires trustees to establish a number of policies, including funding, benefits, communications and overall governance. “This proposal is the second iteration of a proposal from the Ministry […]
An arbitrator has ruled that a pension grievance filed seven years beyond a collective agreement’s time limit could proceed because of the employer’s “culture of acquiescence” regarding enforcement of the limit. “The message to employers is that if they get in the habit of letting time limits slide, their lack of adherence can come back […]
An article on the Ontario Court of Appeal upholding its decision in the Brewers Retail Inc. pension case was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Court of Appeal upholds decision in Brewers Retail pension case 2. Are insurers updating their benefits policies to include […]
Improved benefits and pensions are needed for wildland firefighters amid the unprecedented amount of wildfires in Canada this year, says Bert Blundon, president of the National Union of Public and General Employees. “Firefighters have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, mental-health concerns and cancer. That last one is the main source of contention for wildland […]
More than half of U.K. defined benefit pension plan sponsors say they’d consider ways of securing benefits for their members beyond insurance-based solutions, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, conducted during a recent webinar among 330 pension plan sponsors and trustees, asked which long-term strategy options they’d consider for their DB plan. Nearly two-thirds […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is appointing Andrew Fung as acting executive vice-president of pensions. Fung joined the provincial regulator in 2018 as chief actuary of pensions. In 2019, he was appointed the organization’s head of relationship management and prudential supervision (pensions). Read more People Watch news. Prior to joining the FSRA, Fung […]
With the Muslim population steadily growing in Canada, employers that offer defined contribution pension plans can avoid unintentionally creating a pension gap by providing these members with access to retirement savings solutions that align with their faith. Under Shariah law, Muslims can’t hold investments that would bring social or environmental harm, such as shares in […]
In response to the federal government’s consultation on draft amendments to pension legislation pertaining to the transfer of unclaimed benefits for missing plan members, the Association of Canadian Pension Management is suggesting the legislation include a condition to allow the transfer of assets in the case of an ongoing pension plan in addition to closed plans. […]
The U.S. Department of Labor is launching an employee ownership initiative to encourage more employers and employees to take advantage of these opportunities. The new initiative will fall under part of the SECURE 2.0 Act — which was passed by Congress in 2022 — and aims to empower workers through ownership arrangements and educate them […]
The federal government’s plan to consolidate Canada mortgage bonds into the Government of Canada bond program could limit pension funds’ ability to mitigate risk through diversification, according to the Pension Investment Association of Canada. In an open letter to Finance Canada, the PIAC said the move may force institutional investors to choose between accepting lower […]