While Ontario Power Generation has had a major medical absence program in place for years, it saw an opportunity for a review and update in 2016, leading to changes that solidified its win for best absence management program at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 11. Working with many stakeholders, including unions, human resources […]
An entire month of diversity and inclusion initiatives led Niagara Casinos to take home the title of best diversity program at Benefits Canada’s 2018 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 11. The company’s diversity and inclusion committee, formed to leverage resources and drive participation, set a month of different activities in April 2018 to highlight the benefits of inclusivity in […]
The use of target-date funds is on the rise in Canada, with more members of capital accumulation plans being offered the investment option every year. Half of plan sponsors with defined contribution plans (50 per cent) and group registered retirement savings plans (51 per cent) allocated target-date funds as their default option in 2016, according […]
It was a bumpy ride for commodity prices between 2014 and 2016, a result of their close correlation to the state of the global economy. In particular, 2015 saw a major downward trend in many of the more frequently traded commodities, such as corn, gold, lead, silver, soy and wheat, with iron ore, natural gas […]
Will institutional investors be able to breathe a sigh of relief now that North America has come away from the negotiating table with a new trade deal? As the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaces the long negotiated North America Free Trade Agreement, political cohesion in North America has been restored, according to Dec Mullarkey, managing director in the investment strategy […]
A growing number of institutional investors believe integrating environmental, social and governance factors into their portfolios can help generate alpha, according to a new survey by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. This represents a major jump, from 24 per cent in last year’s survey to 38 per cent this year. On the other hand, 20 per […]
The challenging questions for institutional investors going into the last months of 2018 will be how much further global trade tensions will rise and the subsequent impact on economic growth, company profits and inflation, according to Russell Investments latest market outlook. As well, further action on the part of the U.S. Federal Reserve will be a […]
The idea that health, drug and retirement benefits draw in top executive talent is overly simplistic and worth delving into deeper, according to Jonathan Foster, vice-president of executive compensation at Accompass Inc. The vast majority of organizations hiring executives offer a benefits plan, so having one is no longer a distinguishing factor for an employer, said Foster at […]
Both institutional investors and the companies they take stakes in must innovate to take meaningful action on climate change, says Hugh O’Reilly, president and chief executive officer of the OPSEU Pension Trust. “We have to accept that as an investor community, we haven’t done nearly enough,” says O’Reilly. “In light of that, from a certain perspective, […]
While the financial sector is more likely poised for steady, sustainable growth than it was 10 years ago, worrying trends provide hints about what may cause the next downturn, according to a strategy note from Unigestion. “In a nutshell, in terms of global growth, in terms of compared to a 2008 situation, the path of growth […]