New draft regulations from the federal government would allow registered pension plans to borrow money and extend the deadline to retroactively credit pensionable service under a defined benefit plan in a bid to help plan sponsors maintain their pensions through the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the government’s coronavirus economic response plan, the regulations would apply to employers […]
The majority of U.S.-based defined contribution pension plan sponsors said they haven’t felt the need to pause or reduce contributions during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. While 86 per cent of respondents said they aren’t considering suspending matching employer contributions, just eight per cent said they already have. […]
More than 80 per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 64 are prepared for retirement and the vast majority have a high probability of being prepared, according to a new report by business school HEC Montréal’s Retirement and Savings Institute with funding from the Global Risk Institute. The report, which analyzed the results of a […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is appointing Glen Oikawa as a client relationship partner, retirement solutions partner and Calgary office leader. In the new role, he’ll focus on delivering innovation, thought leadership and dedicated service to several of the organization’s largest plan sponsor clients across Western Canada. With more than 20 years of experience in financial well-being, […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is updating its guidance for pension plans around filing deadlines and member communications. The update reflects the government of Ontario’s regulations amending the Pension Benefits Act. The amendments are effective as of June 18 or some period relative to that date, which may mean the regulation changes won’t provide relief to some administrators if their […]
As you’ll read in this issue’s cover story, our 2020 CAP Member Survey was fielded at the end of March and early April, targeting respondents as they were beginning to face the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. While we still asked our annual questions about capital accumulation plan members’ retirement readiness, we also wanted […]
Employers across Canada are facing a number of challenges in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, including staying connected with employees and looking after their well-being. “Our people are our most important resource,” says Michelle Desnoyers, Canada benefits and human resources information services lead at Fluor Canada Ltd. “At such a challenging time, we want […]
As if preparing for retirement wasn’t already a steep challenge, along comes the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the global economy, throwing up even more obstacles for capital accumulation plan members to maneuver. This year’s annual CAP Member Survey, supported by Actuarial Solutions Inc. and Morneau Shepell Ltd., fielded its questions between March 30 […]
The Saskatchewan Pension Plan is improving investment choice for members in the accumulation phase and introducing new options to help them through decumulation as well. Leading up to retirement, SPP members are defaulted into a balanced fund, which has been in place since the plan started in 1986. In 2010, it introduced a short-term fund, […]
The market value of assets in Canadian employer-sponsored pension plans rose to $2.09 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2019, up 2.3 per cent from the previous quarter, according to new data from Statistics Canada. All investment categories saw growth, led by real estate (4.9 per cent) and public equities (4.5 per cent), with mortgages […]