Watch season two trailer
The Pension Blueprint podcast is back for a second season with 12 all-new episodes, featuring an exciting lineup of internal and external experts as guests. Throughout season two, we’ll explore how Canadians are living longer and what that means for every generation at each step of their retirement journey.
We’ll also be sharing insights on how OMERS approaches investment performance with a long-term mindset to ensure that members’ pensions are safe, secure and sustainable – now and in the future.
Episode 1: Investing in your pension future
In the first episode of season two, we take a look at the positive impact Canadian investments have on returns as a part of the broader OMERS investment portfolio. We also cover the strategic advantages of diversification and long-term thinking to deliver on our pension promise to members.
Host: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS
Guest: Blake Hutcheson, President and CEO, OMERS
Episode 2: Preparing for your 100-year life
What does the prospect of living to be 100 years old mean for your health, lifestyle, family and finances? To address the reality of Canadians living longer, we examine new social and economic approaches to aging, retirement and what it means to live well.
Host: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS
Guest: Dr. James Aw, Chief Medical Officer, OMERS
Episode 3: Mental health, PTSI and your pension
Get a special close-up look at the lives and experiences of Ontario’s first responders in this episode. A panel discussion covers the importance of mental health, the challenges of post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) and what’s being done to support this community of OMERS members.
Host: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS
Guests: Jon Reid, President, Toronto Police Association; Connie Dejak, President and CEO, Runnymede Healthcare Centre; Mark Baxter, President, Police Association of Ontario
Episode 4: Your pension future starts now
The world is changing and so is what retirement means – for everyone. Dive into what’s unique about the Gen Z experience, including how increased longevity and the future of work may influence lifestyle and career paths – plus get some tips on how members of any age can make the most of their pension.
Host: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS
Guest: Simon Chan, Founder and CEO, Adapt with Intent
Episode 5: Where do my pension contributions go?
Not everyone who contributes to a defined benefit pension plan fully understands how their contributions are invested to pay their pensions for the long term. We spoke with two in-house experts about our approach to investing and the financial stability of the OMERS Fund, which delivers about 70% of all pension payments.
Host: Jackie DeSouza, Vice-President, Pension Communications and Engagement, OMERS
Guests: Prabha Ram, Managing Director, Global Equities, OMERS Capital Markets; Eric Haley, Senior Managing Director and Head of Private Equity Buyout, OMERS
Episode 6: CPP and your retirement security
In this episode, you’ll find out what research from the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) reveals about how Canadians feel about retirement. We also provide helpful information about the crucial decision of when to start collecting CPP payments – and how the right timing can tangibly boost your financial security when you’re older.
Host: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS
Guest: Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Director of Financial Security Research, National Institute on Ageing
Episode 7: Improving retirement for women
Despite many strides forward to advance equality in Canada, the gender pension gap still remains a stark challenge for women by the time they reach retirement age. Hear from women in senior leadership roles at OMERS as they share their perspective, including how we can address this issue and what OMERS is doing to find practical solutions.
Host: Jackie DeSouza, Vice-President, Pension Communications and Engagement, OMERS
Guests: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS; Nancy Nazer, Chief Human Resources Officer, OMERS
Episode 8: Your pension in mid-life
In this episode, we tackle the dilemmas that many members face when it comes to planning for retirement in mid-life. It’s no easy task when there are so many other financial pressures vying for our attention – but being proactive about your pension now can help you and your loved ones tomorrow.
Host: Jackie DeSouza, Vice-President, Pension Communications and Engagement, OMERS
Guest: Martin Diokno, Manager, Pension Education and Relationship Management, OMERS
Episode 9: Questions from our members
Get accurate answers from an OMERS pension educator to some of the top questions we receive from members across Ontario. We also invited two members – one working, one retired – to share some of their firsthand experiences and reflect on why it matters to be intentional about your future when planning for retirement.
Host: Jackie DeSouza, Vice-President, Pension Communications and Engagement, OMERS
Guests: Alessandra Casciato, Lead, Pension Education and Relationship Management, OMERS; Bill Winegard, Pre-Retirement Seminar Program Manager, MROO; Lisa Lovery, Director, Rapid Transit and Transit-Oriented Development, Region of Durham
Episode 10: It’s never too late to start
This roundup of tips on saving for retirement later in life is a great primer for Gen Xers. We cover how to get your retirement journey back on track after a major life event, along with solid guidance on government retirement income sources and personal retirement savings vehicles like RRSPs and TFSAs.
Host: Jackie DeSouza, Vice-President, Pension Communications and Engagement, OMERS
Guest: Rubina Ahmed-Haq, Journalist and Personal Finance Expert
Episode 11: When is the right time to retire?
Discover the new opportunities and challenges facing older Canadians as they consider when to retire. In this episode, our guests help us tackle the topic by sharing what their lives look like now that their main careers are behind them, including how they have reimagined their retirement and made the next chapter something to look forward to.
Host: Celine Chiovitti, Chief Pension Officer, OMERS
Guests: Satish Rai, Senior Advisor, OMERS; Joanne Sutton, Seminar Facilitator, MROO
Episode 12: An economist’s outlook on retirement
There’s no crystal ball for what the future holds, but OMERS top economist does have some data-driven predictions about emerging trends across the pension landscape. He offers insights on what retirement might look like in 10, 20 or even 50 years from now – and why there’s plenty of room for optimism for what’s on the horizon in retirement.
Host: Jackie DeSouza, Vice-President, Pension Communications and Engagement, OMERS
Guest: Robert Lavigne, Senior Managing Director, Economic Research, OMERS
Catch up on season one
Members of the OMERS Plan are encouraged to review all of the resources available to them to understand their benefits and seek independent professional advice to assist with their retirement planning. The summary information, content and material provided at each link on this page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not address every scenario. It is also not intended to be (or substitute for) individual financial, legal or medical advice. Further, external speakers have been invited to provide their own viewpoints and do not reflect OMERS views.
OMERS members also have access to a number of additional resources if they want to dive deeper into any of the OMERS Plan-related topics introduced by the podcasts. You can refer to the Member Handbook or check out the various topic-specific pages on OMERS.com for more detailed information. You can also contact our Member Experience team.