Canada’s defined benefit plans are allocating more to alternative investments as a result of a two-decade period of low inflation, according to a new study from the Bank of Canada. It found sustained decreases in interest rates from 1998 to 2018 have threatened to erode private DB plan solvency surpluses. According to the authors — Bank […]
The vast majority (94 per cent) of employers said they expect an increase in medical services in 2022 due to delayed care during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health. The survey, which polled 136 large employers that cover more than eight million plan members, asked about changes they […]
Canada’s consumer price index rose by more than half a per cent in July, reaching 3.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis, according to Statistics Canada. Canadians saw the cost of shelter rise faster than any other spending category outside of gasoline, with real estate prices rising 13.4 per cent year-over-year. Inflation hit new home […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is calling on the federal government to permit standalone variable payment life annuities to pool participants from all registered retirement plans. In its 2022 federal budget submission, the CLHIA said VPLAs, as enacted, will only be available to members of very large defined contribution pension plans, excluding Canadians […]
Bumble Inc. is introducing paid leave and a biannual company-wide week off for its global employees. The dating app, which has offices in Russia, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S., is rolling out the paid leave to ensure employees are caring for themselves outside of work, according to a statement. It includes: a minimum of […]
iA Financial Group is introducing a flexible, choice-based approach to bringing its employees back to the office post-coronavirus pandemic. The approach, which combines both remote and office-based work, is designed to provide the majority of the organization’s more than 8,000 employees with the ability to choose where to work on a daily basis to be […]
New collective agreements for two separate groups of employees include improvements to health benefits and work-life balance. The negotiations between Federated Co-operatives Ltd. and Unifor, which have been bargaining since the last collective agreement expired on Aug. 31, 2020, include improvements to benefits, increased scheduling flexibility and a one per cent wage increase in each […]
Millennials and generation X are more worried about retirement than older generations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey of U.S. workers by the National Institute on Retirement Security. Some 64 per cent of millennials (ages 25 to 43) and 54 per cent of gen-Xers (ages 44 to 55) are […]
Aon and Willis Towers Watson are confirming the European Commission’s conditional approval of the two companies’ proposed merger. “This is a major step that demonstrates continued progress toward obtaining regulatory clearances for the proposed combination,” said the companies, in a press release. “Both firms operate across broad, competitive areas of the economy and believe this approval affirms […]
Colleges and Institutes Canada is the latest employer to join the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan. The organization, which is the voice of Canada’s colleges, Collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel, polytechnics and institutes, works with employers, governments and stakeholders, as well as helping partners around the world transform their education systems. CICan’s […]