February 2024
01Feb

Canadian funds tapping into investment opportunities in Brazil

By PALASH GHOSH   Canadian pension funds have been investing in Brazil, a huge country that boasts a growing $2.1 trillion economy, the largest such economy in Latin America and an especially attractive target for infrastructure and energy investments, as evidenced by the recent agreement by Caisse de Depot et Placement du Québec to increase its stake in a natural gas transmission firm. Ironically, Brazil jumped two spots last year to surpass Canada itself as the globe's ninth biggest economy, the International Monetary...

February 1, 2024
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December 2023
13Dec

This is what Canada will look like in 20 years – are we ready for an aging population?

The rapid growth expected among Canada’s senior population in the coming years is one of the “most significant demographic trends” in the country’s history, says demographer Doug Norris. While this growth may present some challenges for younger generations, industry experts say it will also offer opportunities to pave the way for a better future. Residents aged 65 and older are part of the fastest-growing age group in Canada today, said Norris, who is chief demographer at Environics Analytics, a marketing...

December 13, 2023
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11Dec

Quebec pension model back on the table in Alberta?

EDMONTON — Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner — after promising any stand-alone Alberta pension plan would not follow the contentious Quebec model, then saying it might, then saying it won’t — told reporters Friday that possibility is back on the table. Horner rejected suggestions he was sending mixed messages, but the Opposition NDP called it another example of how the United Conservative government is crafting key policies on the back of a napkin as it examines having Alberta leave the...

December 11, 2023
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November 2023
27Nov

Canada. Alberta premier quiet on reason for abandoning promised in-person CPP exit consults

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith won’t say what happened to her government’s promise to hold face-to-face meetings with citizens in December on quitting the Canada Pension Plan. However, thousands of citizens got their say or tuned in to five recent telephone town hall consultations, she said during a house question period last week, noting nearly 100,000 people participated online. “We’re going to ask the chair of that committee, Jim Dinning, to give us his impressions of where we find ourselves.” New Democratic...

November 27, 2023
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06Nov

Canada. ‘Take your job seriously’: Employment Minister tells Alberta to stick with Canada Pension Plan

Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault says he is against any attempt by the Alberta government to leave the Canada Pension Plan. "I can tell you that the federal government and I are very clearly committed to working with Albertans to keep them in the Canada Pension Plan," Boissonnault told CTV’s Power Play on Friday. "It's simply wrong to politicize pensions." Alberta's governing United Conservative Party contends that the province's workers put more into the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) than they get...

November 6, 2023
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03Nov

Alberta pension plan: Analysis of costs, benefits, risks and considerations

By LifeWorks Alberta Treasury Board and Finance (ATBF) has engaged LifeWorks to prepare a detailed analysis of the costs, benefits and structure of a potential Alberta Pension Plan (APP). This analysis includes actuarial, economic, legal, and technical information regarding the establishment and ongoing operation of an APP. This analysis will give ATBF a clearer picture on what a future provincial pension plan may look like and help answer key questions that Albertans are asking about the costs and benefits of such a move. This report does...

November 3, 2023
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01Nov

Canada Pension Plan Increases Green, Transition Investments by 20% to C$79B

The C$575 billion ($416.4 billion) Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s investments in green and transition assets rose 20% to C$79 billion, as of March 31, from C$66 billion at the same time in 2022, according to its “2023 Report on Sustainable Investing.” The pension giant, which aims to invest at least $130 billion in green and transition assets by 2030, also announced it has reached carbon neutrality for internal operations for scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions sources for fiscal...

November 1, 2023
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October 2023
27Oct

Canada. Finance ministers to meet on Alberta’s proposal to leave Canada Pension Plan

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has agreed to convene a meeting with provincial and territorial finance ministers to discuss Alberta’s proposal to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan. The agreement comes after Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy called for the meeting in a letter to Freeland, saying Alberta’s withdrawal could cause “serious harm.” Freeland says any province has the right to leave the program, but it’s important the decision “be based on facts and be clearly and well informed. “It is absolutely my...

October 27, 2023
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16Oct

To counter its aging population, Vermont offers $5,000 for recent graduates to stay on

Vermont has joined the growing list of states hoping to retain young people by paying their student loans. The program, launched this year, will give recent graduates of Vermont colleges up to $5,000 if they stay and work in the state for two years. Lawmakers hope the initiative will keep more young people in Vermont. From The Hechinger Report in Vermont Public, Liam Elder-Connors reports. LIAM ELDER-CONNORS, BYLINE: A couple of months ago, Mohamud Diini was ready to leave Vermont....

October 16, 2023
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02Oct

Chinese stocks pose reputational risk to US, Canadian pension funds amid geopolitical tensions, says Alpine Macro strategist

Chinese stocks are becoming a reputational hazard for US and Canadian pension funds because of geopolitical risks, a strategist said. Money managers are having a hard time convincing their boards to invest in Chinese assets even if they see long-term potential, as they worry about being seen to be aligning with a hostile government, according to Alpine Macro, a Montreal-based research firm. As a result, they are reducing their exposure to the country and use any market rallies as an opportunity to sell, it...

October 2, 2023
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