Living to 100? Myth or Reality...

Improving mortality has and will have a significant effect on the affordability and adequacy of income through retirement to many population segments. Assia Billig from OSFBSIF Canada will discuss the historical trends in Canadian mortality and mortality projections for Canadian social security programs.

Robert Tellier from Manulife will provide an overview on the Pooled Retirement Pension Plan landscape as we know it now (with the opportunities and challenges that Quebec is facing with the newly introduced VRSP) and what we can expect in the next few years in Ontario and the other provinces.

The second segment of the session will consist of a summary of the current state and future of Pension Plans from a member of each of the 3 consulting houses along with a panel discussion. Denis Dupont, from Morneau Shepell, will speak to the current status of Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution plans Jason Malone from AON will speak to the future of Defined Contribution plans Cory Skinner from Mercer will speak to the future if Defined Benefit plans.

Assia Billig Actuary, Office of the Chief Actuary, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada
Assia Billig is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. She has completed her undergraduate studies in Moscow State University and has PhD in Mathematics from University of Alberta. Ms. Billig joined the Office of the Chief Actuary within the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) in 2008 as an actuary. Previously, she worked for over a decade years in private pension consulting in Morneau Shepell and Mercer. Within the OCA, Ms. Billig is involved in the preparation of statutory actuarial reports on the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security Program, as well as of the various national and international actuarial studies. Since 2009, she actively participates in activities of the Technical Commission on Statistical, Actuarial and Financial Studies of the International Social Security Association. She published several papers on social security issues, and presented at international events, including 16th and 17th International Conferences of Social Security Actuaries and Statisticians. Ms. Billig is serving as a volunteer for the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA). Most recently she was a member of the CIA Task Force on Retirement Age, and a member of the Pension Experience Subcommittee of CIA Research Committee responsible for developing Canadian Pensioners’ Mortality tables.

Robert Tellier – Manulife, Regional Vice President –Group Retirement Solutions and Group Benefits- Eastern Canada
With more than 25 years of experience in the investment and pension services industry, Robert brings extensive knowledge to Manulife. As RVP, Robert is focused on providing sound leadership to the team, delivering services in business development and customer relationships. Robert has experience with pension regulators, National product innovations and participates in many industry associations. Robert attained a Bachelor from Montreal’s Concordia University. Robert also sits on the Board of Directors for the Montreal Visual Arts Centre.

Denis Dupont, CFA, FCIA – Morneau Shepell
Denis has a BA and a Masters degree from the University of Ottawa and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. He is also a Certified Financial Analyst. Denis is a recognized speaker on subjects related to pension plans and employee benefits and a contributing author to selected industry publications such as Benefits Canada and the Pension Forum.

Cory Skinner – FSA, FCIA, Principle - Mercer
Cory holds a Bachelor of Mathematics degree in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario, and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Jason Malone, FSA, FCIA, Associate Partner – Aon Hewitt
Currently based in Aon Hewitt’s Montreal office, Jason is an Associate Partner in our Retirement practice. Jason has extensive experience in the funding, investing, design and pricing of both defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans. He currently represents the Canadian Institute of Actuaries on the Pension and Benefits committee of the International Association of Actuaries (IAA).