New pension rules in Alberta; Ontario to require insurance for self-insured disability plans

These are among the subjects included in the current issue of the Morneau Shepell News & Views, a monthly publication dedicated to providing insights to its clients in Canada

TORONTO, Aug. 22, 2014 /CNW/ - There have been several noteworthy developments in the area of pension reform recently. As part of its position as a thought leader in Canada, Morneau Shepell provides a monthly publication, News & Views, to provide insights to its clients. In the August issue of its newsletter, Morneau Shepell examines new pension rules in Alberta that will affect plan structures. The current issue also analyses several reforms in Ontario and the New Brunswick Government legislation to help the pensioners at Fraser Papers.

• NEW PENSION RULES IN ALBERTA – On July 22, 2014, the Alberta Government passed the new Employment Pension Plans Regulation. Key provisions of the New Regulation concern new plan structures, funding rules, plan membership, and disclosure requirements. News & Views goes into further analysis on the issue.
• ONTARIO TO REQUIRE INSURANCE FOR SELF-INSURED DISABILITY PLANS – On July 24, 2014, amendments to the Insurance Act received were passed through the Ontario Government. The changes to the Act are intended to protect future recipients of long-term disability payments by requiring that any plan for long-term disability benefits in Ontario be provided under a contract of insurance undertaken through a licensed insurer.
• A CHANGE IN PENSION PLAN DEATH BENEFITS IN ONTARIO –The change in the law will allow a common law spouse living with a member on the date of the member's death to receive the member's pre-retirement pension death benefits, even if the member also had a separated married spouse.
• FRASER PAPERS PENSION PLANS MOVING TO "SHARED RISK" MODEL – The New Brunswick government adopted legislation in a special one-day session permitting the two Fraser Papers pension plans to move to the "shared risk" model. This change, along with the contributions from the funding policy, will reportedly allow hourly pensioner payouts to increase. New Brunswick's introduction of the shared risk pension plan model in 2012, and recent events triggering a further reduction in the payout ratio, prompted a reconsideration of the Plans' extended wind-up structure.
• MARKET INDICES – Monthly summary of returns from various market indices such as the FTSE TMX Bond Indices and Canadian, U.S. and Foreign Equity Indices. Also includes returns from benchmark portfolios used by pension funds.
• TRACKING THE FUNDED STATUS OF DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS – Impact of past returns on plan assets and the effect of interest rate changes on solvency liabilities.
• IMPACT ON PENSION EXPENSE UNDER INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING – Expense impact for a typical defined benefit pension plan.

About Morneau Shepell Inc.
Morneau Shepell is the largest company in Canada offering human resources consulting and outsourcing services. The Company is the leading provider of employee and family assistance programs, as well as the largest administrator of retirement and benefits plans and the largest provider of integrated absence management solutions in Canada. Through health and productivity, administrative, and retirement solutions, Morneau Shepell helps clients reduce costs, increase employee productivity and improve their competitive position. Established in 1966, Morneau Shepell serves more than 20,000 clients, ranging from small businesses to some of the largest corporations and associations in North America. With approximately 3,500 employees in offices across North America, Morneau Shepell provides services to organizations across Canada, in the United States, and around the globe. Morneau Shepell is a publicly-traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MSI). For more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

SOURCE: Morneau Shepell - Corporate

Nathan Gibson, Manager, Corporate Communications, Morneau Shepell, 416-390-2641, [email protected]