The Municipal Benchmarking Network Canada is the latest organization joining the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan. The benchmarking collaborative, formerly known as Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative, established itself as an employer earlier this year and is now providing its employees with CAAT’s defined benefit pension plan retroactive to Oct. 1, 2020, said a […]
Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd. and Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd. are de-risking with a $176-million group annuity buy-in amidst volatile markets caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deal covers 750 retirees and beneficiaries and there will be no change for plan members, who will continue to be paid from the plan as before the […]
During the virtual 2020 Defined Benefit Investment Forum on Thursday, the Canadian Investment Review announced the winners of its inaugural Pension Leadership Awards. The winners are: Investment governance award — Concordia University pension plan Sustainable investing award — Bâtirente Chief investment officer of the year — Julie Cays, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan DC investment […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is commenting on a consultation from the Canadian Institute of Actuaries’ actuarial standards board, providing feedback on benefit security, stress testing and windup valuations. In a letter, the PIAC said the meaning and mandated disclosures of benefit security are public policy issues for lawmakers and regulators. “While the views of the [actuarial standards […]
After the global financial crisis, securitized credit was left with a bad reputation, but it may be time for investors to look at how the asset class has changed and the opportunities it offers, says Noah Funderburk, vice-president and portfolio manager at Amundi Pioneer. At its essence, securitized credit is a fixed income security with […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities is releasing a consultation draft of revisions to its pension plan funding policy guideline. The guideline provides direction on the development and adoption of funding policies for defined benefit and target-benefit pension plans, including best practices for plan administrators and sponsors. Read: CAPSA updates guidelines on DC plan payout, […]
Despite the low interest rate environment, it still makes sense for defined benefit pension plan sponsors to adopt a liability-driven investment strategy, said Serge Lapierre, global head of LDI at Manulife Investment Management, during a webinar it sponsored on Monday. LDI investing is a risk management framework, he noted. “It’s not an asset class or a […]
In search of better risk-adjusted returns, the York University Pension Fund decided to look beyond Canada’s borders, shifting its equity allocation to be 100 per cent global. The fund is a hybrid defined benefit and defined contribution plan, with the benefit level depending on the rate of return and a minimum guarantee for members. Its investments, […]
Defined benefit plan sponsors can’t predict the future — but with a provision for adverse deviation, they can at least plan for it. “Given the work that actuaries do, where it’s all about quantifying risks and all these unknowns, it’s always best to be conservative,” says Andrew Gillies, partner and consultant at Robertson, Eadie & […]
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest employer to join the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s DBplus. The college’s 14 employees were contributing to a defined contribution arrangement before joining the plan on Nov. 1. The individual employees have the option to convert their DC accounts […]