Running out of time: An urgent call to fortify Canada’s private retirement pillars (Deloitte)
Over the next 10 years, 14% of Canadians – that’s three million households – are set to retire. However, minimal growth in dedicated savings and a recent, rapid increase in retirement expenses will leave the majority of them financially vulnerable. Left unaddressed, this gap in readiness will make retirement a stressful journey and create financial and emotional burdens for their families and communities.

Profiles of Retirement — Ontario Securities Commission 
The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) partnered with Ipsos to conduct a survey of Canadians 50 years of age or older to understand the experiences and expectations of retirees and pre-retirees. The study addressed several topics including financial planning and knowledge. The OSC also explored the current financial situation of retirees and the expected situation for pre-retirees.

Reframing Retirement — What Retirement Means to Canadians, and Why It Matters for Pension Plans
What would have to be true for a pension plan to be a product you would buy? If you have a workplace pension, you’re already better off than approximately 65% of Canadians – but is your pension the solution you would choose to fulfill your needs in retirement? If you don’t have a pension, what value could one offer that would make it a priority use of your hard-earned money? If you work in the pension industry, does your organization approach pension plan design through the lens of customer value?

Canadian Retirement Survey
Since 2019, HOOPP and Abacus Data have been conducting the Canadian Retirement Survey and the retirement security picture for Canadians has remained bleak. The latest survey shows significantly fewer Canadians have saved for retirement in the past year, as inflation continues to rise. Half of Canadians under 35 say they are living beyond their means. Canadians close to retirement are falling behind as almost half report less than $5,000 in savings.

The business case for good workplace retirement plans
This report presents a business case for employers to offer good workplace retirement plans. It aims to spark a conversation about how Canadian businesses can offer and enhance workplace retirement plans to create business value, while strengthening retirement security for workers.

Public Pension Reform and the 49th Parallel: Lessons from Canada for the U.S.
The U.S. defined benefit public pension system has drawn increased attention because of questions about the long-term sustainability of many of the underlying pension funds – as well as concerns of equity between pension plan members, retirees, taxpayers, bondholders, and users of public services… The authors trace difficult decisions undertaken in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s along with essential descriptive features of the Canadian Model. Using a novel primary dataset, the authors benchmark the 25 largest U.S. plans against their ten largest Canadian peers, exploring key issues in a paired analysis.

Room to Thrive: Why Principles-based Standards Make Sense
for Regulating Contingent Pension Plans
As membership in traditional defined-benefit pension plans declines, plans in which benefits are contingent on the financial status of the plan are becoming more common. Rather than placing all the risk on sponsors to deliver guaranteed benefits to members, these contingent pension plans require members to take on at least some of the risk that benefits may or may not meet expectations. This E-Brief focuses on two types of contingent plans, target-benefit plans and multi-employer pension plans.

The Quest for Sustainability in Contingent Pension Plans
The types of pension plans offered to Canadian employees are changing. As membership in traditional defined-benefit pension plans declines, plans in which benefits are contingent on the financial status of the plan are becoming more common. Rather than placing all the risk on sponsors to deliver guaranteed benefits to members, these contingent pension plans require members to take on at least some of the risk that benefits may or may not meet expectations. At the same time, the term “sustainability” has risen to the fore of pension discussions. But what does it mean in the new context for pensions? How can it be achieved? What are the implications for regulatory policy?

A Tale of Two Pension Plans:
My Experience with a Contingent Pension Plan and the Lessons Learned
The plans are substantially similar, but increases in life expectancy, an aging workforce, the fall-out from the 2008-2013 recession and sustained low interest rates have resulted in two very different consequences for the Canadian and US plans.

The Great Pension Debate: Finding Common Ground
In the never-ending debate about finding an optimal pension model, many proponents start the discussion at extreme ends of the pension model paradigm…At one extreme is a traditional, fully guaranteed defined-benefit (DB) pension plan… At the other extreme is a traditional defined-contribution (DC) plan.

The Value of a Good Pension: How to improve the efficiency of retirement savings in Canada
People often ask whether Canadians are saving enough for retirement. But having enough money to live on through your senior years is about more than just saving. The questions we should be asking are:

• What is the most efficient way for Canadians to save for retirement?
• What can be done to help reduce the cost of retirement for more Canadians?

HOOPP commissioned Common Wealth to lead research to answer these questions, with support from Ryerson University’s National Institute on Aging.

Association of Canadian Pension Management webinar: Pensions Canadians want
A key take-away from this webinar is that Canadians would be willing to pay for a retirement system that provides features like those found in defined benefit plans. Watch the webinar to find out more about what Canadians want out of a retirement system.