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FSRA issuing guidance on pension plan administrator responsibilities

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 — […]

  • July 30, 2021 July 29, 2021
  • 09:00

More plan sponsors meeting members’ retirement goals in 2021: survey

A majority (72 per cent) of plan sponsors believe their retirement savings plan is meeting its goals this year, up from roughly 66 per cent in 2020, according to a new survey by Fidelity Investments Inc. While 68 per cent said their employees are saving enough for retirement — up from 59 per cent in […]

  • July 29, 2021 July 29, 2021
  • 09:00

BCI returns 16.5% and increases AUM in fiscal 2021: annual report

The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. returned 16.5 per cent for its combined pension plan clients and increased its assets under management from $171.3 billion to 199.6 billion in the year ended March 31, 2021. In its annual report, the investment manager said the $28.3 billion increase of assets under management reflected investment gains of […]

  • July 27, 2021 July 26, 2021
  • 12:00

Pension annuity transactions in Canada totalled $4.45BN in 2020: report

Despite market upheaval as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Canadian pension risk transfer market had its third-best year for group annuity transactions, according to Eckler Ltd.’s latest report. By the end of 2020, pension risk transfer market transactions totalled $4.45 billion, only slightly behind 2018’s $4.5 billion but below 2019’s $5.2 billion, noted the report. […]

  • July 21, 2021 July 21, 2021
  • 15:00

Uncertainty around return-to-work plans affecting employees’ mental health: report

As vaccination efforts continue rolling out across the country, ambiguous return-to-work plans are impacting Canadian workers’ mental health, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. While the mental-health score among Canadians for June was negative 10.7, a slight increase from May’s score of negative 11.2, it was the 15th consecutive month where it sat in the […]

  • July 21, 2021 July 21, 2021
  • 09:00

Canadian employees opting for hybrid work, thriving less than global peers: survey

Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of Canadian employees said they prefer a hybrid or remote working arrangement, according to a new survey by Accenture. It found 37 per cent of Canadian respondents said they feel they can be productive and healthy primarily while working remotely, while another 41 per cent said they can be productive […]

  • July 21, 2021 July 21, 2021
  • 09:00

DB pension interest in fixed income grew in 2020, finds PIAC asset mix report

Members of the Pension Investment Association of Canada saw their managed assets grow by 7.4 per cent in 2020, according to a new report. In its defined benefit asset mix report covering 2020, the PIAC found its members’ DB pensions grew by 7.4 per cent, from $2.286 trillion to $2.454 trillion, over the course of […]

  • July 15, 2021 July 15, 2021
  • 09:00

Pension membership on the rise in Canada: StatsCan

More than 125,000 Canadians became active members in a registered pension plan in 2019, according to a new report by Statistics Canada. It found the number of active members was up two per cent from 2018 to just over 6.5 million. Women accounted for more than three-quarters of the increase in new memberships — up 97,500 from 2018 to 3.3 million — while about 28,000 more men joined […]

  • July 7, 2021 July 7, 2021
  • 15:00

Caisse invests in health-care company, Ontario Teachers’ in Chinese microfinance firm

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is participating in a $225 million Series D funding round of AlayaCare, a Montreal-based at-home health-care software provider. The company’s artificial intelligence-based software is used by more than 500 health-care organizations around the world. In the past two years, it’s seen its U.S.-based business grow seven-times over. […]

  • June 24, 2021 June 23, 2021
  • 10:30

PIAC urging SEC to adopt broader ESG reporting rules

The Pension Investment Association of Canada is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt new rules mandating enhanced disclosures of climate risks and other environmental, social and governance factors. In a letter submitted by Natasha Trainor, PIAC’s chair, the association said it supports regulatory proposals that would require businesses to disclose more information on […]

  • June 22, 2021 June 22, 2021
  • 09:00