The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is acquiring a battery storage provider. The investment organization will acquire Eku Energy from Macquarie Asset Management. The company designs electrical storage systems and operates a portfolio of these in projects in Australia, Europe and Japan. In the release, Lincoln Webb, executive vice-president and global head of infrastructure and […]
The world is entering an unpredictable period defined by increasing fiscal policy use, decreasing global trade and higher inflation and interest rates, according to a new research paper by the Investment Management Corp. of Ontario. “At IMCO, we believe that these global trends are leading us towards a new era of investing, one where it […]
Sales of U.S. workplace supplemental health insurance products totalled US$2.1 billion in the first nine months of 2022, rising 11 per cent year over year, according to a new survey by LIMRA. It also found workplace supplemental health insurers reported a combined total of $453 million in the third quarter of 2022, three per cent […]
Microsoft Corp. is providing its full-time U.S. employees with unlimited time off, effective this week. The policy, which will only apply to salaried U.S. workers, will be available to these employees as soon as they join the company, according to a report by technology news website the Verge. Employees who have an unused vacation balance will […]
Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of U.S. women say they expect to retire later than originally planned or not at all due to rising inflation, a significant increase from 25 per cent in 2021, according to a new survey by Edelman Data and Intelligence on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. The survey, which polled […]
An article on the potential impacts of Alberta withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Employers raising concerns over Alberta leaving CPP, but expert says move could yield benefits for workers 2. Co-operators acquiring Smart Employee Benefits […]
While employment is more than three per cent higher than it was at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, working hours are up by only 1.75 per cent due to increased levels of absenteeism, according to a new report by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Relative to pre-pandemic years, wage costs increased by an […]
The costs of employer-sponsored medical benefits in Canada are expected to rise 7.5 per cent in 2023, according to a new report by Aon. The report analyzed responses from more than 100 Aon offices that broker, administer or advise on employer-sponsored medical plans across the world. Consistent with last year, it found the medical conditions […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan lost ground on a solvency and accountancy basis in December, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. At the end of 2022, the solvency index reached 103.8 per cent, down 3.1 per cent from the end of November. The balance sheet index also fell 2.4 per cent — […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is appointing Oliver Duff as senior vice-president of global head of credit investments. Duff joined PSP Investments in 2016 and was previously the organization’s managing director of private debt. Prior to joining the PSP, he was the global head of leveraged finance and European head of capital financing at HSBC Bank. The […]