Is There a Looming Pension Crisis in Canada? 
Tuesday May 27, 2014 - 9:00 - 10:45 EDT 

René Beaudry, Co-founder, Normandin Beaudry;   Jim Leech, President and CEO, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan;   Malcolm Hamilton, Senior Fellow; C.D. Howe Institute;   Hon. Wes Sheridian, PEI Provincial Treasurer, Minister of Finance, Energy and Municipal Affairs;   Moderator: Don Bisch, Director, Corporate Communications, Equitable Life of Canada
Low workplace pension coverage and RRSP savings rates are evidence to some that Canada is on the cusp of a retirement crisis. “A large number of Canadians – particularly middle-income earners in the workforce today – are at risk of seeing their living standards fall in the golden years,” read a recent editorial in The Globe and Mail. But is the risk overstated? Our expert panel will debate the severity of the problem and will suggest reforms to make the existing retirement system more robust.

Understanding and Applying the Health “Reformation”  
Tuesday May 27, 2014 - 11:15 - 12:15 EDT 

Lunch Speaker  
BOOMERS: The Future of Financial Services and Retirement  
Tuesday May 27,2014 - 1:00 - 2:00 EDT  

Brent Green, Author of « Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers: Perceptions, Principles, Practices, Predictions » and « Generation Reinvention: How Boomers Today Are Changing Business, Marketing, Aging and the Future »

Baby Boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, have changed every life stage they’ve occupied. As infants they propelled nascent industries such as Gerber’s prepared baby food and Johnson & Johnson’s Band-Aids. Then they dominated mainstream culture and media as teenagers and young adults, propelling The Beatles to international acclaim along with gas-saving vehicles from Toyota and Volkswagen. In middle age they inspired the term “yuppie” and pushed growth in housing, mutual funds, travel, fitness, personal computing, and luxury automobiles. To anticipate their significant impact on the financial services industry and what we today refer to as “retirement,” it’s beneficial that we understand the unique nature of Generation Reinvention, how Boomers are changing retirement, and how generational marketing insights can create competitive advantages in the marketplace. This will enable the pension and benefits industry to develop programs and services along with marketing initiatives of greatest value and relevance to Boomers. In this fast-paced multimedia presentation, featuring classic rock music, provocative videos and surprising research insights, author and social commentator Brent Green reveals the demographic, sociological, and cultural forces that are shaping a future fraught with risks and opportunities. Unprecedented success awaits those who crack the Boomer code, and Brent gives his audiences a profound emotional understanding of why and how.

The Alternative Solution  
Tuesday May 27, 2014 - 2:15 - 3:15 EDT  

Peter Muldowney, Senior Vice President, Institutional Strategy, Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group;   Colin Spinney, Treasurer, Dalhousie University
With fixed income deemed to offer too low returns and equities too volatile returns, can alternative solutions become the new traditional core portfolio holding of the future? If so, how do smaller plans and less investment experienced committee members get comfortable with these types of solutions?   The session will include an overview of a range of alternative solutions, such as infrastructure, real estate, timberland, synthetic solutions and will consider the merits and challenges of alternative solutions from a governance, implementation and ongoing monitoring perspective, including the personal experience of a plan sponsor. The session will also consider why some solutions may have been dismissed in the past, but will gain broader acceptance today due to a better fit with the needs of plan sponsors.

A New Approach in Underwriting High-Cost Drugs  
Tuesday May 27, 2014 - 2:15 - 3:15 EDT  

Jonathan Bohm, Consultant, Benefits, Normandin Beaudry;   Nicolas-Pierre Bergeron, Partner, Group Benefits, Normandin Beaudry
Private plans are now exposed to a new risk with unparalleled consequences that is threatening their sustainability: high cost drugs. A single drug claim can now exceed $500,000 per year for several years. Because more and more of these drugs are hitting the market and have been proven effective, their consumption is likely to increase dramatically over the next few years. During the session, various questions will be explored and a new underwriting approach will be presented.