Provincial finance ministers have been quietly prodding Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to pause planned increases in the premiums employers and employees pay into the Canada Pension Plan. The planned increase on Jan. 1, 2021 is part of a multi-year plan approved by provinces and the federal government four years ago to boost retirement benefits through the public plan by […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is appointing Gavin Benjamin as partner in its retirement solutions business. With more than 30 years of experience in the pension industry, he was most recently senior director of retirement and actuary at Willis Towers Watson. As a consulting actuary, he advises plan sponsors on all aspects of pension plan management, including design, […]
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic raising economic concerns, the Arthritis Society is taking a responsive approach with its Financial Literacy Month initiatives during the month of November. “We’re reading the pulse,” says Cheryl McClellan, the organization’s chief operating officer. “We haven’t seen a lot of people stressed directly in our organization, but generally, we understand […]
The Global Risk Institute is bringing together experts from various institutions to build a roadmap for implementing variable payment life annuities to achieve lifetime income for retirees in response to growing concerns of outliving retirement savings. Canadians are living longer, but with this longevity, they’re also watching their workplace pension coverage decline, noted a press […]
On the heels of winning re-election in British Columbia, the New Democratic Party’s work is just beginning, particularly in delivering on its promise to extend pensions and benefits to precarious workers across the province. In its re-election platform, the party pledged to develop a government-backed, collective benefit fund for independent contractors, self-employed and part-time workers, […]
The maximum pensionable earnings under the Canada Pension Plan for 2021 are increasing to $61,600, from $58,700 in 2020. The new ceiling was calculated according to a CPP legislated formula that takes into account the growth in average weekly wages and salaries in Canada, according to a press release from the Canada Revenue Agency. Contributors who earn more than $61,600 in […]
The average gross income replacement ratio for a typical defined contribution plan member was up at the end of September, according to Eckler Ltd.’s latest capital accumulation plan income tracker. It found a typical male DC plan member retiring at age 65 at the end of month saw their gross income replacement ratio returned to 56 per […]
While working Canadians expect to retire, on average, at age 62, they’ll require $878,000 in retirement savings, more than twice the amount of current retirees, according to a new study by Mackenzie Investments. It found 45 per cent of respondents who are still working said they plan to continue doing so in some capacity, compared […]
With Canadian employees feeling the toll the coronavirus pandemic is taking on the economy, should policy-makers facilitate the use of workplace emergency savings plans? “We know from data that 28 per cent of Canadian households who are financially impacted by COVID in August were drawing down on their [tax-free savings accounts] and [registered retirement savings […]
Alberta’s Local Authorities Pension Plan is cancelling its coordination option, citing regret and confusion from plan members who mistakenly accessed the feature without fully understanding the financial implications. According to a statement by the LAPP, coordination will be discontinued for members who start their pension on or after Jan. 1, 2021. It noted the option’s elimination will […]