Pension Plan Governance, Administration and Regulatory Compliance

We assist clients of all sizes to comply with their fiduciary obligations relating to day-to-day plan administration and regulatory compliance. We also advise on plan governance, oversight and decision-making.

We advise on service provider agreements with trustees, insurers and third-party administrators. We also routinely assist clients to resolve income tax and minimum standards compliance matters.

Our lawyers are experts in pension plan governance, advising some of Canada’s leading employers in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors on the design and implementation of best-in-class pension governance programs to ensure that fiduciary obligations are met. We routinely conduct comprehensive audits of clients’ pension governance arrangements including governance structure, policies and personnel to ensure compliance with applicable law and consistency with industry best practice. In addition, we frequently deliver fiduciary training to members of boards and committees whose responsibilities include the oversight of pension plan administration and investment functions.

Our lawyers advise large Canadian financial institutions, plan sponsors with several billion dollars in pension assets, and a billion-dollar pension fund in the not-for-profit sector, among others. We also routinely advise on small and medium-sized pension plans and scale our advice to suit our client’s corporate structure, needs and budget.

Our lawyers regularly participate in regulatory and industry advisory committees.