Posts Tagged ‘pensions’

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Canada, provinces agree to ‘historic’ pension deal

Tuesday, June 21st, 2016

The agreement came together as pollsters pointed to overwhelming popular support for public pension reform amid concerns about the adequacy of retirement savings… The federal Liberals ran on a platform to upgrade the public pension system, as did their Ontario cousins. The result also means Ontario will abandon its project to go it alone with its own pension plan… the deal was reached in part because of compromises and the desire to maintain a single, portable CPP across Canada.

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Federal government, provinces agree to new deal on CPP reform

Tuesday, June 21st, 2016

The agreement-in-principle, which only Quebec and Manitoba neglected to endorse, will see an increase in monthly premiums phased in starting at $7 a month in 2019 for a typical worker earning about $55,000. Once the plan is fully implemented, the maximum annual benefits will increase by about one-third to $17,478. Mandatory matching contributions will also mean a jump in payroll expenses for employers.

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Expanding CPP will help all Canadians

Saturday, June 18th, 2016

Historically, CPP benefits were set low on the assumption that most Canadians would have another pension plan through work. But… only two in five Canadian employees (and one in four private-sector employees) have a pension at work. Even for those who do, workplace pension coverage has been declining for years… As a result, millions of Canadians are on track to retire with more debt and low or significantly lower incomes… businesses, and local economies will bear the consequences.

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Time to soak the seniors

Monday, June 13th, 2016

in 1976, 37 per cent of all seniors lived in poverty. Today, it’s about 7 per cent – much lower than the poverty rate for children or any other segment of the population. Canadian seniors are among the most affluent people in the world… There are two simple ways to cut down on the elderly bias in spending… means-test our entitlements … Adjust the “retirement age”

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Canada’s pension-reform debate needs a large dose of reality

Thursday, June 9th, 2016

Wage growth has been quite modest, but largely because earnings have been diverted; the share of employee compensation from employer social policy contributions (EI, pensions, health benefits etc.) has reached record highs (16.2 per cent of wages and salaries in the first quarter of 2016 – up from 9.5 per cent in 1981). Employees are, on balance, better protected now than ever before, but they themselves have borne the costs.

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Society has an obligation to provide safety net for pensioners

Saturday, June 4th, 2016

That some four million Ontarians alone are suffering that social deficit prompted… an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan that would top up inadequate federal income supports. Millions of Canadians have not saved enough for retirement… millions of Canadians have been unable to save, lacking sufficient income to do so… the middle class hasn’t had a pay raise in three decades, adjusted for inflation. Another factor is “precarious employment.”

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How CPP reform could kill Ontario’s pension plan

Saturday, June 4th, 2016

… a last-ditch effort to revive CPP expansion is muddying the reform waters… Updating the CPP, whose maximum payout is a mere $13,110 annually, requires seven provinces with two-thirds of the population. Realistically, the only way to achieve reform is to stick with a “modest” CPP expansion that is minimalist, hewing to the lowest common denominator and taking the maximum amount of years to phase in… Ontario’s nightmare scenario is more talking, dithering and deferring by Ottawa and the other provinces.

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Ottawa imposes unequal increases in benefits for injured veterans

Wednesday, June 1st, 2016

… the minimum payments will be based on the current salary of a senior private, even if the disabled soldier left the military at a higher rank… this is being done in the interest of fairness. “To do otherwise… would mean that some veterans receiving the benefits could be making more than their comrades on active duty.” … the majors, the colonels, the generals and even the high-ranking non-commissioned officers – will not be affected by the rank reductions.

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Employers should support expansion of the Canada Pension Plan

Tuesday, May 31st, 2016

… employers who currently make no contribution at all to employee retirement savings would have to pay more under an expanded CPP. Hence the fierce opposition of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. But a modest, phased-in premium increase in the range of 3 per cent of payroll costs up to maximum CPP earnings would not be economically disruptive, as shown by past experience.

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The Social-Policy-Is-Back Budget

Wednesday, March 30th, 2016

March 2016 marked a significant turning point in the country. Social policy is back! It comprises, once again, a vital component of Canada’s DNA. We are particularly pleased with the announcement of the Canada Child Benefit… We do have a concern, however, regarding… the distributional impact of the middle class tax cut is problematic.

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