Similar to corporate governance, good retirement plan governance
is designed to ensure that the retirement plan is operating well
and paying the benefits it promised to its members. An important
part of operating well is fulfilling regulatory compliance
requirements, including making all prescribed filings on time.
Running the risk of penalties and regulatory complaints
Recently, Ontario's pension regulator, the Financial
Services Regulator Authority of Ontario (FSRA), began imposing
Summary Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) on registered
pension plans for late filings. According to FSRA's December
31, 2023,
Pensions Sector Overview and Activities Report,
Summary AMPs were applied to nine pension plans in amounts ranging
from $25,000 to $100,000—all for late filings. In most cases,
AMPs cannot be paid from the pension fund, meaning that they must
be directly paid by the sponsoring employer. Well-governed plans
may take some comfort in knowing that FSRA