In Uber era, valuing of intangible assets urgently needs consistent standards
Add in irregular accounting practices, and financial treatment of IA becomes bewildering December 5, 2018 Corporate boards lack the tools to assess the value and risks associated with intangible assets (IA), according to the Licensing Executives Society (LES), which has proposed an IA standard that focuses on board oversight. LES is a 50-year-old leading association […]
Appeal court upholds ruling in RCMP pension case
December 20, 2018 The Federal Court of Appeal is upholding a ruling denying female Royal Canadian Mounted Police employees the opportunity to buy back into their pension plan after they moved to part-time roles to raise their families. The case arose when three former RCMP officers opted to job share and work reduced hours to spend more […]
Supreme Court set to hear Nevsun Resources case on Eritrea human rights abuses
One result may be that customary international law may be made to apply to companies as well as countries December 27, 2018 The future of the Canadian resource industry hangs in the balance as the Supreme Court of Canada prepares to hear a high-profile case accusing Canadian miner Nevsun Resources Ltd. of human rights abuses […]
UK clarifies scope of privilege
Decision of Court of Appeal allays concerns about narrowing scope of professional privilege Nov 27, 2018 A RECENT DECISION of England and Wales’s Court of Appeal has allayed concerns about the narrowing scope of professional privilege afforded to legal advice in the United Kingdom. The decision in Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) v. Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), released […]
A 2018 roundup of the top legal cases in the benefits industry
December 21, 2018 When considering the legal cases attracting the most attention from the pension and benefits industry in 2018, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal’s decision in Talos v. Grand Erie District School Board was one of the most talked about of the year. “This case is important because plan administrators who previously relied on the Employment Standards […]
Feds toughen, expand list of integrity regime offences
Friday, January 11, 2019 The federal government’s changes to the integrity regime, which came into force on Jan. 1, 2019 to help ensure it does business with ethical suppliers in Canada and abroad, could well be a wake-up call for business. “In the last five years, there’s been a sense of complacency in the online […]
Saskatchewan to adopt super-priority for deemed trusts
January 23, 2019 Saskatchewan will soon be the latest jurisdiction to adopt an enhanced priority for deemed trusts created by its pension benefits legislation. The Pension Benefits Act establishes a deemed trust for amounts contributed by both employers and employees. Bill 151, which amends the province’s Personal Property Security Act, will create a super-priority for […]
From record highs to crisis lows, volatility takes toll on debt markets
On the bright side, Canada is developing a broader and deeper hybrid market Canadian issuer activity in debt capital markets last year turned out to be nothing less than a tale of two halves: a record first half, followed by the slowest second half since the financial crisis. “H1 was busy, the summer was the […]
How will OHIP+ rollback affect plan sponsors?
February 4, 2019 The Ontario government is proposing a rollback of OHIP+, which would restrict the free prescription drug coverage program to dependants under age 25 who aren’t covered by private plans. The previous Liberal government implemented the program in January 2018 with an estimated cost of $465 million annually. It covered all OHIP-insured dependants […]
Feds settle class action, compensating 1,700 who became ill on parental leave
February 13, 2019 The federal government’s about-face in settling a multi-million dollar class action in the Federal Court of Canada means more than 1,700 individuals who become ill while on parental leave between 2002 and 2013 will be compensated for the government’s refusal to convert their benefits into employment insurance sickness benefits. For 11 years […]