Canadian Public Sector Pensions and Benefits Conference

Guiding Your Pension Through the Current Economic Environment

With some global economies now cutting interest after more than two years of elevated rates, leading to various states of hard and soft landings, where should investors look now for managing their asset mixes to deliver on the investment pension promise?

Challenges to Administration Encountered by Public Sector Pension Plans

In this session, we’ll explore the complexities of ensuring top-tier member service, emphasizing the crucial role of stakeholder relationships for accurate data. We’ll also discuss strategies for efficient pension administration to maintain the positive reputation of our plans.

DB Innovation Today: Driven by Plan Members and Employer Needs

Discover how joint governance fosters a culture of innovation in pension plan management. This session explores how balancing the needs of plan members and employers drives strategic evolution and diversification.

Redefining Retirement: Innovative Approaches for Public Sector Pension Plans

As lifespans grow longer, public sector pension plans face a critical opportunity to redefine what it means to retire. This session explores bold, forward-thinking strategies to modernize retirement planning and empower members to thrive in a 100-year life.

Learn how to:

• Gain leadership buy-in to prioritize longevity-focused initiatives
• Build innovative, holistic programs that address evolving member needs.
• Leverage collaboration and shared learning to drive industry-wide progress.

Through real-world insights and actionable takeaways, this session will challenge traditional approaches and inspire organizations to lead the way in creating retirement experiences that are as dynamic and resilient as the lives of their members.

Financial Wellness Planning

Examine the benefits and risks of financial wellness planning, focusing on the differences between guiding and advising. We’ll discuss key considerations, potential discussion points and the risks associated with providing—or withholding—financial advice.

Addressing Benefit Fraud: Roles and Responsibilities for Trustees and Plan Sponsors

This session will provide a comprehensive overview of benefit fraud, including disability and pension-related issues. We’ll cover the responsibilities of plan sponsors and trustees in adjudicating fraud cases, managing unintentional and intentional overpayments, and using tools like obituary searches to detect fraud when families fail to report deaths.

Cybersecurity in the Public Sector

There are unique cybersecurity challenges faced by public sector plan sponsors, who often hold more data internally compared to the private sector. We’ll discuss how to evaluate and manage third-party providers, understanding that not all are equally equipped to prevent fraud. We’ll also examine the lack of transparency in provider practices and highlight the critical risks posed by third-party vendors.

AI in Benefit Administration

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming benefit administration, offering opportunities to enhance efficiency, personalize member experiences and streamline decision making. Participants will gain insights into leveraging AI to optimize operations, address challenges, and create value for members and employers.

Driving Member Outcomes: Ensuring Comfortable Retirements

Focus on strategies to help members achieve comfortable retirements, emphasizing the role of effective communication. We’ll explore how plan sponsors, in collaboration with key partners, can enhance member outcomes through targeted initiatives and support.

Tackling the Pension Gender Gap and the Fraser Supreme Court Decision

Across all worldwide pension systems, there continues to be a gender gap resulting in women receiving up to 26% less pension income in their retirement. This is partly due to social imbalances that continue to see women taking more time away from the workplace to have children and care for families, including elderly parents. The Fraser Supreme Court decision dealt with a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) related to the RCMP pension plan (RCMP plan). It concluded that the inability of a group of female RCMP plan members who participated in a job-sharing program to purchase pension service for the time they did not work violated the equality rights provision in the Charter, addressing this very issue.

Investing in Canadian Equities

Over the past few years, there has been a greater push for Canadian investors to re-shore their investments in Canadian companies. At the same time, calls for a response to Canada’s declining productivity are rising. This session will look at the pros and cons of pension funds investing in Canada as well as how reduced domestic investment may be contributing to low productivity.

Topics include:

• Open letter to the finance minister
• Government response
• Pros and cons
• Impact on productivity.

Changes in the Benefits Space

First, the Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act was passed by the federal government in 2012, then Ontario’s Bill 14 received Royal Assent on July 24, 2014. Most recently, the province of British Columbia has sought input on proposed changes to the Financial Institutions Act. All this action requires that long-term disability (LTD) insurance be insured. In this session, we will explore this trend and discuss the potential impact on plan sponsors offering self-insured LTD benefits.

This session will:

• Explore the movement towards insuring LTD plans
• Discuss potential implications of these changes
• Outline key considerations and suggested actions.