Strong gains by stocks helped improve pension health in 2025: Mercer
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/01/2026 (270 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
TORONTO – A new report says the health of Canadian defined-benefit pension plans improved in 2025, helped by strong gains in equities and modest returns on fixed-income investments.
The report by pension consulting firm Mercer says the median solvency ratio, which measures the adequacy of a plan’s assets to cover its promised benefits, was 132 per cent as of Dec. 31, up seven percentage points for the year including a gain of three percentage points in the fourth quarter.
Mercer also says 68 per cent of plans in its database had a solvency ratio above 120 per cent, which was an increase from 55 per cent of plans at the start of the year.
The proportion of plans in Mercer’s database with a solvency ratio above 100 per cent also rose to 92 per cent in 2025 from 88 per cent.
The report says the improvement came even as the Canadian economy experienced a turbulent year with trade disruptions and geopolitical risks.
Brad Duce, a Mercer principal in Toronto, says the overall financial health of DB pension plans continues to be generally secure from a solvency perspective for Canadian workers and retirees.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2026.
Advertisement Advertise With Us