A large imbalance in supply and demand and a competitive environment for traditional alternative asset classes are leading institutional investors to look at more creative investment opportunities, including agriculture and farmland, renewable energy and middle-market private credit. During a panel discussion at a CFA Society event in Toronto on Wednesday, Sandra Bosela, managing director and […]
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador has reached a deal with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. that aims to secure the future of the company’s two defined benefit pension plans. Provincial officials met with the company Sunday to set out the deal, which will guarantee a letter of credit for Corner Brook Pulp and […]
The federal government’s plan to extend employment insurance parental benefits to 18 months is “misguided” and “sets a bad precedent,” according to a number of employer and employee representatives discussing the changes on Thursday in front of the Senate committee on social affairs, science and technology. “The low EI maternity and parental benefit rate is […]
The British Columbia Supreme Court has rejected an American multi-employer pension plan’s claim for $1.25 billion against a U.S. company’s Canadian subsidiary. The case revolved around the claim that a Canadian subsidiary was on the hook for the unfulfilled pension withdrawal liabilities of one of its parent company’s U.S. subsidiaries. The parent company, Walter Group, includes U.S., […]
The top drivers for using benefits technology include reducing costs (36 per cent), better control or management of benefits data (35 per cent), improving benefits communications (29 per cent) and providing a better experience for employees (27 per cent), according to new research by the business research organization LIMRA. “. . . One of the biggest […]
While the days of handing out gold watches and lapel pins to recognize an employee’s years of service are largely outdated, recognition programs in Canadian workplaces still revolve primarily around formal milestones, rather than informal, day-to-day appreciation from managers and colleagues. But as technology and data play a growing role in many human resources and […]
The British Columbia Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling that gave a copper mine employee an 18-month severance package upon retirement. At trial last year, the B.C. Supreme Court had awarded Albert Aubrey, an employee at mining company Teck Highland Valley Copper Partnership in Logan Lake, B.C., $176,250 in damages for a breach of an employment contract. […]
British Columbia PharmaCare has partnered with Pacific Blue Cross to introduce new claims technology that aims to improve the process for plan members seeking approvals for coverage of higher-cost drugs only partially covered by the provincial health-care system. To be eligible for drugs that require special authority under the province’s public drug program, plan members […]
Now is the time for employers to start looking at the Canada Pension Plan enhancements and their potential affects on workplace pension plans, said lawyer Stephanie Kalinowski during an event in Toronto on Wednesday. “Especially for [defined contribution] plans, in particular, it’s really an opportunity to step back and look at your overall plan design.” […]
The Prince of Wales’ Accounting for Sustainability project has launched a Canadian chapter of its chief financial officer network that will focus on the role the finance community plays in integrating environmental and social issues into financial decision-making. Founding members of the Canadian chapter, which is the first outside Europe, include chief financial officers from […]