The Ontario government has announced a series of design and feature details for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP).

In a recent press conference, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Associate Minister of Finance Mitzie Hunter announced these details, which include how ORPP benefits will be structured and how plan comparability will be handled.

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Hunter says the new details, which have been shared with the Canada Revenue Agency, include:

  • a clearer definition of employment so that employers can determine which employees are eligible for the plan;
  • additional details on the comparability test so employers can determine whether they currently offer a comparable workplace pension;
  • the inclusion of a modern, robust survivor benefit so that even single employees can chose a beneficiary for their pension; and
  • details of the indexation of the benefit to ensure its sustainability in the long term.

“The plan is designed to ensure the ORPP benefits will be sustainable for the next 100 years,” says Hunter. “The goal is for every Ontarian to be part of the ORPP or a comparable workplace pension plan by 2020.”

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According to Wynne, there will be a bill in the spring session to discuss the framework for the ORPP’s design. “We want to ensure it is as streamlined as possible,” she says, adding that the ORPP is on track to be introduced on January 1, 2017.

This article was originally published on BenefitsCanada.com, a sister publication.