British Columbia's next round of pension standards changes takes effect on October 30, 2026, and this one is operational enough that plan sponsors should not treat it as background legislation. BCFSA's April advisory says the amendments coming into force on October 30 are the provisions that generally require changes to pension plan documents. Other parts of Bill 33 have already been in force since April 30. The changes touch several different parts of pension administration. Defined contribution plans can use automatic enrolment and automatic escalation of member contributions, subject to notice and opt out requirements. The legislation also changes the options available to a surviving spouse when a member dies before retirement, expands the ways locked in money can be transferred and extends the statutory discharge available when a plan purchases certain annuities. None of those changes is particularly dramatic when read on its own.
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