Cancer treatments represented 33 per cent of medicines in all phases of clinical trials in 2023, followed by treatments for infectious diseases (13 per cent) and central nervous system diseases (12 per cent), according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. It found more than 12,000 new medicines were undergoing clinical […]
The United Nations’ Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance is reporting that 81 of its institutional investor members, representing combined assets under management of US$9.4 trillion, have set intermediate decarbonization targets. In its fourth progress report, the institutional investor association also reported reductions in absolute financed emissions of, on average, at least six per cent annually. The […]
Winnipeg-based Ellement Consulting Group is merging with Vancouver-based George & Bell Consulting Inc. The combined firm, which will operate under the Ellement banner effective Jan. 1, 2025, will consist of 220 employees servicing 250 plan sponsor clients throughout Canada, advising on $3 billion of annual health and welfare payments and premiums and $120 billion of […]
Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of Canadian employers have reduced the size of their office footprint by embracing hybrid work and allowing employees to work in office and co-working spaces closer to where they live, according to a new survey by International Workplace Group PLC. The survey, which polled more than 250 Canadian employers, found […]
The ratio of the market value of assets to the projected benefit obligation for a hypothetical benchmark plan changed little for global defined benefit pension plans in the third quarter of 2024, according to a new report by WTW. It found this ratio increased among DB plans in Brazil (0.9 per cent), Canada (1.2 per […]
Only 16 per cent of Canadian employers have implemented a pay transparency strategy, while 41 per cent have strategies in development and 22 per cent plan to develop their strategy within the next year, according to a new survey by Mercer. The survey, which polled more than 1,100 global companies, found 60 per cent said […]
The Canadian edition of an international set of sustainability investment disclosure standards will be officially released in December, according to the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board. The organization was tasked with creating a set of sustainability investment standards in Canada based on those created by the International Sustainability Standards Board. The two new disclosure metrics — CSDS […]
The Nova Scotia government is updating the provincial Pension Benefits Act to allow the unlocking of pension benefits. Effective April 1, 2025, plan members aged 55 and older will have a one-time ability to unlock up to 50 per cent of their locked-in funds when transferring to a life income fund. Read: Quebec’s amendment to […]
The market volume of annuity purchases by Canadian defined benefit pension plan sponsors reached an estimated $2.1 billion in the third quarter of 2024, a small decline from $2.5 billion in the previous quarter, according to a new report by Telus Health. It noted some insurers are showing a strong appetite and offer competitive pricing […]
The percentage of female benefits plan members using fertility drugs rose by roughly 12 per cent between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report, which analyzed the insurer’s 2024 aggregate claims data, found between 2021 and 2023, 15 per cent of new mothers made claims for mental-health treatments within […]