Looking back at all of the pension legislation stories we’ve written up during the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve noticed federal and provincial governments definitely favoured defined benefit plans over defined contribution plans in their various temporary regulations. In the first month of the pandemic, the feds halted solvency special payments for federally regulated DB plans until […]
Certain politicians have suggested Alberta withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan and go it alone. Would the province benefit from a solitary system or is the idea short-sighted? Niels Veldhuis, economist and president of the Fraser Institute In June, Alberta’s Fair Deal panel recommended the development of a comprehensive plan to withdraw the province from […]
Over the last 20 years, managing a pension plan has looked a little like riding a roller coaster — with the 2001 technology bubble, 2008/09 financial crisis and the recent coronavirus market volatility providing sudden, gut-wrenching drops that can draw a scream from even the heartiest of souls. “From an investment standpoint, we’ve been in […]
The Local Authorities Pension Plan is in an interesting situation. Historically, the president of the Alberta Treasury Board and the minister of finance was the plan’s legal trustee and administrator, but in 2019, the LAPP became independent of government, with its own sponsor board and corporation, which now acts as the plan’s trustee and administrator. […]
Amid the activity — and inactivity — of this past summer, the federal government and several provinces reached an important milestone affecting plan sponsors and administrators of multi-jurisdictional pension plans. On July 1, 2020, a new agreement regarding the administration and regulation of these plans came into force. A little history Pension plan oversight primarily […]
While the Association of Canadian Pension Management is urging the Newfoundland and Labrador government to introduce legislative amendments to facilitate pension unlocking in cases of financial hardship, it also suggests this move should include plan sponsors. In response to the provincial government’s questionnaire on the topic, the ACPM recommended that locked-in retirement accounts, life income funds and […]
Quebec is one step closer to allowing employers to introduce target-benefit pension plans. On Wednesday, Eric Girard, Quebec’s minister of finance, tabled Bill 68, which was initially introduced in November 2019. The bill draws inspiration from a report by the expert panel on the future of the Quebec retirement system, which was published in 2013. “Quebec […]
Ford Motor Co. and Unifor’s new collective agreement tackles everything from racial inequality, medical cannabis coverage and a new pension plan. The $1.8 billion deal ratified on Monday includes a racial justice advocate in a nod to the ongoing racial reckoning occurring in society and workplaces. The newly created role will complement existing inclusivity efforts at […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is expressing its support for the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s draft guidelines for pension plan sponsors dealing with missing members. In a letter, the PIAC said the draft guidelines would be helpful on a go-forward basis, but also noted plan administrators need more options regarding current missing […]
The government of Ontario is providing employers with the option to defer contributions to certain defined benefit pension plans to help with their organization’s cash flow during the coronavirus pandemic while providing safeguards for funding plan member benefits. The province has amended its Pension Benefits Act to allow for the temporary deferral of contributions, while the Financial Services […]