Employer Monthly - August Issue
This month we are happy to feature our first-ever OMERS mid-year investment update. OMERS has responded to requests from sponsors and stakeholders for additional communication with respect to our 2021 results. As part of our demonstrated commitment to increasing trust and transparency, we will begin this monthly update with the mid-year investment update, which you’ll find below. This issue also includes a reminder to complete the attestation process, important e-access dates and the most recent COVID-19 information. You can also provide feedback through the Employer Satisfaction Survey and find dates for upcoming webinars.
Jackie DeSouza
Interim Vice President, Employer & Stakeholder Relations
OMERS provides investment update for first six months of 2021
OMERS earned an investment return, net of expenses of 8.8% or $9.2 billion for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2021, while net assets increased to $114 billion.
“Our results during the first six months of 2021 were driven by strong returns across our asset classes and by the commitment of our global teams,” said Blake Hutcheson, OMERS President and CEO. “Our Board and senior leadership thank and commend those teams for their dedication. Over the twelve months ended June 30, 2021, the Plan earned a net investment return of 18.2%.”
Furthermore, OMERS maintained the highest credit rating available from two agencies, and the second highest rating from two others.
Learn more about OMERS mid-year performance. Full-year investment results and a detailed annual update will be shared in early 2022.
New learning opportunities coming this fall
As an OMERS employer, your Plan administration skills and knowledge are critical, which is why we’re always looking for new opportunities to improve your training options and learning materials.
We're excited to announce that a new and convenient tool for optimizing your Plan administration experience will be launching this fall. This new learning platform will soon become your one-stop-shop for OMERS training resources and materials, including webinars, tip sheets, calculators and more. The new learning platform will also have live and pre-recorded training courses to join at your own pace.
You’ll be able to enter the new learning platform through e-access, making it even easier to manage daily OMERS administration tasks.
Stay tuned for more information coming soon. In the meantime, help us choose which character you'd like to see most as the face of our new learning platform.
You can also learn more about the new learning platform and e-access by signing up for a workshop:
Wednesday, September 8 – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Monday, September 13 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, September 16 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Discover more workshop dates and times by visiting our e-access Information Portal.
Action required: The annual attestation process
The annual attestation process is underway, and we need your help to ensure that the attestation is complete by August 31, 2021. The attestation document and confirmation of registered e-access users has been sent to your organization's senior management official. Please complete these documents as soon as possible and contact Employer Services if you have any questions.
If you have already completed the process, thank you!
New e-access is almost complete
We will be updating the Request for an OMERS Plan benefit (e-Form 143) to include pre-retirement death and disability reporting options beginning Friday, August 27.
Additionally, the Request for a pension estimate (e-Form 190) will be available beginning Friday, September 10. We strongly encourage you to direct members to use myOMERS to request a pension estimate.
Adding these features to the new system is one of the final pieces remaining before the new e-access system is complete. Afterwards, we will remove legacy system functionality effective October 2021.
Updated information on paid infectious disease emergency leaves
In June, we shared information on how the Ontario government amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to provide up to three days of paid infectious disease emergency leave (paid IDEL) to qualified employees who are absent from work due to a COVID-19 related illness, quarantine, vaccination or caregiving responsibility. You can find the up-to date FAQs on the COVID-19: Information for Employers page for more details.
Learn from our Education & Training team
Sign up for our general administration webinars to learn more about important topics and get answers to your questions.
Upcoming webinars (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.):
Offering Voluntary Enrolment –
Disability Administration Part 1: Disability Leave Period (e-Form 165) – Tuesday, September 7
Discover more topics and dates on our Administration Webinars page.
Take the Employer Satisfaction Survey
Your feedback matters, and hearing it is vital to improving our services. Tell us about a recent interaction you've had with OMERS or share suggestions on working better together.
We’re here to help. Contact Employer Services:
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: +1 416.350.6750
Toll-free: +1 833.884.0389
Email: employerservices@omers.com
Thank you for helping us administer the Plan and deliver a wonderful experience to our members.