menu_open Columnists
Benefitscanadastaff

Benefitscanadastaff

Benefits Canada

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Canadian DB pension plans’ median solvency ratio decreases to 123% in Q1: report

Canadian DB pension plans’ median solvency ratio decreases to 123% in Q1: report

The median solvency ratio among Canadian defined benefit pension plans was 123 per cent as of March 31, according to a new report by Mercer Canada. It...

yesterday 3

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Employers that invest in mental-health care reporting reduced claims, absenteeism: report

Employers that invest in mental-health care reporting reduced claims, absenteeism: report

For every dollar invested in integrated mental-health coverage and care, $1.50 is returned through lower mental-health claims by year two, even before...

previous day 2

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Sun Life acquiring two specialized alternative investment managers

Sun Life acquiring two specialized alternative investment managers

Sun Life Financial Inc. is acquiring the remaining interests in global real estate investment management advisor BGO and global alternative credit...

tuesday 2

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Only 22% of global employees agree their job is secure: survey

Only 22% of global employees agree their job is secure: survey

Just a fifth (22 per cent) of global employees strongly agree their job is safe from elimination, according to a new survey by ADP Inc. The survey,...

tuesday 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Quebec seeks to increase VRSP uptake through minimum contribution rates, new investment options

Quebec seeks to increase VRSP uptake through minimum contribution rates, new investment options

In its 2026 budget, the Quebec government said it intends to enhance the appeal of voluntary retirement savings plans amid low uptake of the savings...

06.04.2026 3

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Weight management drugs, rare disease treatments expected to drive private drug plan costs in 2026: report

Weight management drugs, rare disease treatments expected to drive private drug plan costs in 2026: report

Weight management drugs and high-cost specialty treatments are expected to have the biggest impact on private drug plans this year, according to Telus...

06.04.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

84% of employers say AI impacting succession planning: survey

84% of employers say AI impacting succession planning: survey

More than eight in 10 (84 per cent) employers say artificial intelligence is starting to affect their succession planning, according to a new survey...

03.04.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Caisse, CPP Investments named in New Zealand fintech workers’ class action

Caisse, CPP Investments named in New Zealand fintech workers’ class action

Two of Canada’s largest pension funds are named in a US$4.6 billion class action by the employees of a New Zealand-based software company. About 200...

02.04.2026 6

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

AIMCo returns 7.5% in 2025 amid private market headwinds

AIMCo returns 7.5% in 2025 amid private market headwinds

The Alberta Investment Management Corp. is reporting a total fund net investment return of 7.5 per cent for 2025, underperforming its benchmark return...

02.04.2026 9

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Manitoba to require employers to provide free menstrual products in workplaces

Manitoba to require employers to provide free menstrual products in workplaces

Manitoba is set to become the first province in Canada to require employers to provide free menstrual products in workplaces. The provincial...

01.04.2026 4

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

64% of employers cite cost control as top benefits priority in 2026: report

64% of employers cite cost control as top benefits priority in 2026: report

Roughly two-thirds (64 per cent) of global employers say cost control is their No. 1 benefits priority  in 2026, citing it as a key focus as they...

31.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Report finds solvency ratio of typical DB pension plan increased to 101.7% in January

Report finds solvency ratio of typical DB pension plan increased to 101.7% in January

The funded status of a typical defined benefit pension plan increased on a solvency basis but decreased on an accounting basis in January, according...

31.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Majority of Canadian women aged 35 to 55 say menopause symptoms impact work: survey

Majority of Canadian women aged 35 to 55 say menopause symptoms impact work: survey

Nearly two‑thirds of Canadian women aged 35 to 55 say menopause symptoms affect their job performance, while more than half report that the time...

30.03.2026 6

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

2026 Workplace Benefits Awards now open for entries

2026 Workplace Benefits Awards now open for entries

Calling all employers and plan sponsors — the 2026 Workplace Benefits Awards are now open for entries! If your organization is leading the way in...

30.03.2026 6

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Caisse acquiring renewable energy firm, Ontario Teachers’ investing in German residential real estate

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Brookfield are acquiring renewable energy firm Boralex Inc. in a take-private deal, for a total...

27.03.2026 6

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

55% of institutional investors say private market managers’ communication could improve: report

More than half (55 per cent) of global institutional investors think the financial reporting they receive from private market managers needs to...

26.03.2026 7

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Women lag men in use of workplace retirement savings plans: report

On average, women retire with 27 per cent less savings than men, according to a new report from Sun Life Financial Inc.  The report, based on two...

26.03.2026 7

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Blue Cross Life acquiring StanCorp Financial’s Canadian voluntary benefits business

Blue Cross Life Insurance Co. of Canada is acquiring StanCorp Financial Group Inc.’s Canadian voluntary benefits business. Read: U.S. employers...

25.03.2026 7

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Unifor, Community Living agreements include transition to CAAT DBplus pension plan, benefits gains

The union representing nearly 125 workers at Community Living Dryden-Sioux Lookout in Ontario have ratified new three-year collective agreements that...

25.03.2026 8

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

OMERS appointing Luca Lupo as senior managing director and head of Europe

The infrastructure arm at the Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System is appointing Luca Lupo as senior managing director and head of Europe,...

24.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

72% of U.S. employees suspect RTO mandates are designed to reduce headcount: survey

Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of U.S. employees suspect return-to-office mandates are a ‘stealth layoff’ designed to drive voluntary...

23.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

A third of employees merely surviving as mental-health needs rise: report

More than a third of employees say they’re merely surviving and 69 per cent of benefits leaders report declining performance linked to mental-health...

23.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

85% of U.S. asset owners relying on consultants for investment services: report

The majority (85 per cent) of U.S. institutional asset owners rely on consultants to oversee manager selection, performance monitoring, asset...

19.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Women occupying only 23% of board seats in Canada: Stats Can

In 2023, women occupied 23.2 per cent of seats on boards of directors, increasing 0.5 percentage points compared to 2022 (22.7 per cent),...

19.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Canadian pension risk transfer market reaches $6.8BN in 2025: report

The Canadian pension risk transfer market reached roughly $6.8 billion in 2025, down from a record $11 billion in 2024, according to a new report by...

18.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

61% of employers lack communication strategy for workplace change: report

A majority of employers still don’t have a formal strategy for communicating workplace change, despite identifying it as their most urgent internal...

16.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

OPTrust returns 4.2% in 2025, remains fully funded

The OPSEU Pension Trust is reporting a 4.2 per cent net investment return in 2025, according to its latest year-end report. As at Dec. 31, 2025, the...

13.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Ontario Teachers’ portfolio returns 6.7% in 2025, net assets grow to $279.4 billion

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan achieved a 6.7 per cent net investment return as at Dec. 31, 2025, resulting in a total investment income of...

12.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Half of U.S. women say caregiving responsibilities impacting career ambitions: survey

Nearly half (49 per cent) of U.S. female employees have stymied their career ambitions because of caregiving responsibilities, compared to just 32 per...

12.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

HOOPP reports 7.7% return in 2025, net assets increase to $132 billion

The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan achieved a 7.7 per cent net return at the end of 2025, resulting in a net investment income of $9.7 billion,...

11.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Reliance on AI could increase market volatility for Canadian financial system: CSA

The Canadian financial system showed resilience amid a volatile 2025 marked by increased economic uncertainty, according to the latest systemic risk...

11.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Fewer than half of managers feel equipped to address employee mental-health issues: report

Fewer than half of people leaders say they feel equipped to address employee mental-health issues, according to a new report by Telus Health. The...

11.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Expanded use of GLP-1s a major driver of drug plan costs in 2026: report

Glucagon-like peptide-1 therapies remain a major cost driver of employer-sponsored drug plans and will further contribute to costs as they become...

10.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

1 in 3 Canadians doubt they’ll meet retirement savings target: survey

Canadians believe they’ll need an average of $1.7 million to retire comfortably, up from $1.54 million in 2024, and more than a third say they’re...

10.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

CWIPP returns 9.9% in 2025

The Canada-Wide Industrial Pension Plan is reporting a 9.9 per cent investment return in 2025, pushing total assets to $1.074 billion. The growth was...

10.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

CPP Investments appointing David Colla as senior managing director, global head of credit investments

CPP Investments is appointing David Colla as senior managing director and global head of credit investments, effective April 1, 2026. Colla joined CPP...

10.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Communication key to reinforcing value of workplace retirement plans: report

Employers can reinforce the value of their workplace retirement plans by communicating to plan members about the importance of having money later...

10.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

40% of women say they aren’t satisfied with employer’s benefits plan: survey

While more than half (57 per cent) of Canadian women agree that International Women’s Day initiatives can have a meaningful impact in the workplace,...

10.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Young Canadians prioritizing flexibility as retirement outlook shifts: survey

Young Canadians are redefining how they think about retirement, with many expecting to work longer and prioritizing flexibility and work-life balance...

10.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

CAAT CEO departing following leadership crisis, paying back $1.6 million vacation payout

Derek Dobson, chief executive officer and plan manager at the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology’s pension plan, is departing the organization...

10.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Ontario DB plans’ average solvency ratio stays flat at 124% in Q4 2025: FSRA

Ontario’s defined benefit pension plans reached a median pension solvency ratio of 124 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a new...

10.03.2026 10

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff

Men report more confidence, employer support for AI use than women: survey

Men (85 per cent) are more likely than women (72 per cent) to express confidence in using artificial intelligence tools at work, according to a survey...

10.03.2026 20

Benefits Canada

Benefitscanadastaff