Defined contribution pension plan members nearing retirement may need their employers’ help to achieve financial security during an era of low interest rates and increased inflation, according to a new report by the U.S.-based Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. It found target-date funds are the dominant investment strategy in most DC plans, used by 80 […]
A recent Ontario Divisional Court ruling serves as a caution that employers’ prior conduct may prohibit them from amending pension plans even when the collective agreement clearly allows them to do so. “The takeaway from the decision is that employers’ discretion to amend plans will always be subject to labour law principles in cases that […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario has released its final pension deregistration guidance, which identifies the documents, information and timeframes that are required under exemptions from the Pension Benefits Act to avoid a plan’s deregistration under the Income Tax Act. Maintaining ITA registration will permit the pension plan and its members to continue to […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is supporting employees’ and plan members’ financial literacy with its defined benefit pension education program and extensive member communications. “We run a program called People for Pensions, an education program focused on articulating the value of defined benefit pensions and not just the benefit they provide to people who have them, […]
In conversations with pre-retirees, retirees and industry professionals, there’s a growing recognition that retiring is often the easy part — it’s figuring out what they’re going to do with the rest of their lives that’s difficult. As a new retirement emerges, the retirement industry must shift from traditional retirement planning, which focuses exclusively on how […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is cautioning the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities on its revisions to guidelines for capital accumulation plans. The draft guidelines could “change the balance of the existing guidelines in a manner that will give many employers pause about starting or continuing CAP plans that are not defined contribution […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is providing feedback on the consultation draft of revisions to the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ guidelines for capital accumulation plans. If the guidelines are to be considered a minimum standard for plan administration, the increased responsibilities may act as a deterrent to employers choosing to make a […]
The percentage of Canadians participating in an employer-sponsored pension plan continues to rise, with roughly 6.6 million plan members in 2020, up 57,000 from 2019, according to a new report from Statistics Canada. It found more than 4.4 million Canadians were covered by a defined benefit pension plan in 2020, up 1.7 per cent from 2019, noting the majority (72 […]
Changes to the calculation of commuted pension values in Canada are making it more challenging for defined benefit pension plan members to determine an optimal day to quit their job and receive the maximum payout, says one actuary. Peter Gorham, an actuary at JDM Actuarial Expert Services Inc., says while he used to point plan […]
Scotiabank’s focus on making essential pension information more accessible to plan members was recognized at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The bank won in the Pension plan communications category for its streamlined approach to pension statements. In 2020, Scotiabank restructured its defined benefit pension plan statement into two versions — a simplified four-page […]