Canadian Pension Certificate Program - Spring 2024

Canadian Pension Certificate Program - Spring 2024

March 19 - 28, 2024 9:30 AM to 4:30 PMOnline - Eastern Time
Area of Interest: Pensions Format: Web


Canadian Pension Certificate Program

Online Course


Program offered in partnership with the Human Resources Professionals Association

Starts: March 19, 2024 at 9:30 AM - Ends: March 28, 2024 4:30 PM - 23 CPD Hour(s)

Pensions and retirement savings used to be a relatively straightforward area for HR professionals. Not anymore.
While still a very important element of employee compensation, the landscape of pension and retirement savings has become much more complex.
Longer life expectancies and workplace demographics that often skew toward the more mature end of the spectrum are also complicating factors. And as pension law and regulation continue to evolve, a good understanding of the legal framework, best practices and risk management is critical to successful plan administration.

In this certificate course, master one of the most important elements of employee compensation and learn how to make your firm's programs as efficient as possible. This is an invaluable opportunity to further your career and enhance your company's effectiveness by becoming an expert in the area of pension and retirement savings.

What will I learn?

After completing the certificate program, participants will have the skills and information required to:

  • Gain an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that applies to pension and other retirement savings plans.
  • Learn tips on best practices in plan administration and governance.
  • Get strategies to reduce risk and liability in plan administration.
  • Develop an understanding of investment and plan structure principles across different plan types
Price

HRPA and/or CPBI Members: 1,870 cad + taxes
Non-Members: 2,350 cad + taxes

Join CPBI-ICRA  to save  $ 480  and much more! (regular membership   $ 325 + taxes)

THIS ONLINE COURSE IS DELIVERED USING ZOOM MEETING 

*** CPBI Members can email [email protected] to receive their coupon code.

The promo code entitles you to the HRPA Member rate. If you are an HRPA member, you will automatically receive the HRPA Member rate without having to apply the promo code. Registrants are allowed only one discount per registration, equivalent to the HRPA Member rate.
To receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program, the candidate  must successfully complete an online assessment after each scheduled module.
This program will not be recorded. This is an intact program in which attendees must attend all of the sessions in order to qualify for the certificate.
What is covered?

During this four-day, eight-module virtual experience designed for HR practitioners, participants will collaborate with peers through instruction, case studies, scenarios and simulations that include:

Module 1 – Plan Overview and Statutory Requirements

  • Overview of defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, and other  registered plans
  • Pension standards registration and compliance requirements
  • Tax registration and reporting requirements (e.g., plan registration requirements, advantages of registration, T4 reporting, pension adjustments, etc.)

Module 5 – Best Practices in Communications & Record Keeping

  • Best practices for all organization types & size
  • Common communication pitfalls
  • The importance of clear and accurate communications
  • Communications in a post-COVID world

Module 2 – Key Concepts – Defined Benefit Plans

  • Plan funding
  • Investment rules (30%/10%) and regulations
  • Actuarial funding, valuations and assumptions
  • SIPPs
  • DB limits under ITA
 Module 6 – Administrative Guidelines for Life Events

  • Beneficiary Designations
  • Leaves of Absence
  • Separation of Employment
  • Marital Equalization Payments
  • Employer Corporate Transactions

Module 3 – Key Concepts -Defined Contribution Plans

  • Service providers and investment options (risk appetites)
  • Default investments
  • Fees
  • DC/money purchase limits under the ITA
 

Module 7 – Plan Member’s Transition to Retirement

  • Helping your members address the retirement gap
  • Decumulation product trends and insights
  • Improving Member outcomes
Module 4 – Investment Concepts Explained – for DB & DC Plans

  • Investment managers
  • Alternative investments
  • Global & Canada investment trends
 

Module 8 –Governance and Risk Management

  • Principles of plan governance
  • Risk management (including de-risking) and best practices in plan governance

Who should attend?

HR professionals/Executives, VPs/Directors/Managers of Human Resources, HR generalists, Pension Committee Members, Boards of Trustees, C-suite Executives. Head of Finance, Finance Managers, Analysts, Pension Specialists, HR Consultants, Business Owners.

What is the course format?

This certificate program combines live virtual instruction with hands-on experiential learning through case studies, scenarios, group work/break out discussions and simulations.

Live Virtual Sessions:

There will be online instructor-led modules, during which practical examples and experiences will be shared.

Materials:

Participants will be provided with session workbooks to follow along with the content covered in each module and to take notes, as well as additional pre-session readings and post-session assignments.

Peer Learning and Group Work:

Participants will have the opportunity to learn from each other while answering questions and sharing experiences and observations during the modules, as well as through practical, hands-on exercises and simulations based on real-world labour relations events and processes.

Time Commitment:

This four-day certificate program will be delivered in eight modules. Participants will spend four (4.5) hours each day participating in the virtual sessions and accompanying exercises and simulation activities. Over the duration of the course, participants can expect to spend an additional five (5) hours completing offline independent work (outside of the daily sessions).

The in-class virtual modules will be held as follows:

Schedule:

Introduction - March 19, 2024 (9:30am - 10:00am EST)
Module 1 – March 19, 2024 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST)
Module 2 – March 19, 2024  (2:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST)
Module 3 – March 21, 2024 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST)
Module 4 – March 21, 2024 (2:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST)
Module 5 – March 26, 2024 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST)
Module 6 -  March 26, 2024 (2:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST)
Module 7 – March 28, 2024 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST)
Module 8 - March 28, 2024 (2:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST)




For more information or registration please call: email [email protected] or call 888 788-3185 Choose 1 for Region, then Ext. 3

Cancellation Policy 

Course Facilitators

 
Jason Paquette

Counsel, Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada

 
Jason Vary

President, Actuarial Solutions Inc.

Jason is a pension and benefits lawyer supporting Sun Life’s Group Retirement Services and Group Benefits businesses.  These businesses serve the needs of Canadians by providing retirement and savings plan asset administrative services, and life and health insurance benefits and administrative services.  Prior to joining Sun Life, Jason was in private practice, where he provided advice to clients in the public and private sectors on a wide range of pension and benefits issues. Jason has practiced in defined benefit pension and retiree health plans for over twenty years. He has experience with many plan designs including single-employer, multi-employer, jointly-sponsored, private sector, government, unionized, non-unionized, as well as registered and non-registered executive plans. He also provides clients with independent due diligence services with respect to mergers and acquisitions, and expert independent advice on matters before arbitrators and the courts. Jason is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries and is also an active volunteer within the actuarial profession and with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario.
   

 
Paul Rossi

Senior Investment Consultant, Eckler

 
Natasha Monkman

Partner, Hicks Morley’s Pension Benefits and Executive Compensation practice group

Paul has over 15 years of working with clients of all sizes with defined contribution (DC) or defined benefit (DB) plans. Paul has been primarily focused on DC over his entire career. He has extensive knowledge of investment managers and record keepers. Paul has also contributed to the industry through conference speaking engagements. Paul also co-leads Eckler’s university co-op hiring program for their investment team. 

Natasha regularly advises private and public sector employers on a variety of plan administration, compliance and governance matters relating to their employee benefit plans and pension plans, including with respect to the administration of marriage breakdown and death benefit entitlements. She also regularly advises employers under going significant transactions and with respect to pension plan funding issues.

   
 
Pamela Chan Ebejer

Partner, Dentons

 
Salina Shariff

Senior Director, Retirement Solutions and Financial Wellness, People Corporation

Pam Chan Ebejer is a partner in the Employment, Labour and Pensions group of Dentons’ Toronto office.
Pam regularly provides strategic and legal advice to plan sponsors and administrators on all aspects of defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, including design and amendment, fiduciary responsibilities, governance and funding issues, and regulatory compliance. Pam also has extensive experience advising on pensions, retirement and savings plans, and employee benefit matters in corporate transactions, including asset and share transactions, and in assisting clients develop and amend executive and deferred compensation plans.
Pam supports local, national and international employers in all labour, employment and human rights law areas.
Organizations also regularly retain Pam as an independent investigator of allegations regarding workplace harassment and sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying.		 Salina leads a team responsible for the support and management of sponsor and member retirement solutions, including plan governance, legislative and investment guidance, and overall plan strategies to support CAP guidelines, minimize sponsor risk and maximize member outcomes.  Salina has also championed the launch of a digital financial wellness platform.
Salina’s career spans over 30 years within retirement solutions in several of Canada’s largest insurance companies. Salina’s background in retirement administration, client relationship management and financial education makes her a subject matter expert for colleagues and clients. The last decade of Salina’s career has focused on various components of retirement solutions to assist plan sponsors and members in achieving their retirement goals.
Salina holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Retirement Plan Associate (RPA) designation, is Life Licensed (LLQP) and has passed exams for the Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) and Canadian Securities Course (CSC).
   

 
Dimitri Poliak

Principal, Savings, Normandin Beaudry

 
Kelleher Lynch

Associate, McCarthy Tétrault

Dimitri has practiced in defined benefit and defined contribution consulting for 14 years.

Dimitri consults on investment manager search and selection, plan re-design, mergers and acquisitions due diligence and, has developed proprietary organizational retirement readiness diagnostics to help plan sponsors design more effective retirement programs. 

 

Kelleher is an Associate with McCarthy Tétrault’s National Pension, Benefits & Executive Compensation Group in Toronto and a member of McCarthy Tétrault’s Pension Funds Investment Group.

Kelleher provides strategic legal advice to public and private companies on legal issues arising in respect of the planning, establishment, governance, administration, and wind-up of pension plans, profit sharing plans, registered retirement savings plans, welfare benefits plans, retirement compensation arrangements, equity compensation plans and other forms of executive compensation.

Kelleher is the Chair of the Pension & Benefits Section of the Ontario Bar Association for the 2021-2022 year. He also serves on the Executive of the Pension & Benefits Section of the Canadian Bar Association, and on the Ontario Regional Council of the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute.

   

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