Canadian retirees with defined benefit (DB) pensions are far less likely than other retirees to collect the government’s Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), shows a study on the economic impact of DB pension plans.

The study, conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and released Tuesday, confirms that an estimated 10 to 15% of DB beneficiaries collect the GIS, compared with 45-50% of other Canadian retirees.

DB pensions reduce the annual pay out of GIS, a supplementary government benefit provided to low-income seniors, by approximately $2 – $3 billion a year.

The study also finds that defined benefit recipients contribute $14 – $16 billion annually to government coffers across Canada through income, sales and property taxes.

The study was commissioned by a group of Canada’s leading DB pension plans: Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), OPSEU Pension Trust (OPTrust) and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP).

DB pension plans are retirement vehicles under which the plan sponsor, typically a large employer, commits to a specified, predictable monthly benefit on retirement based on the employee’s earnings, years of service and age. Both the member and the employer contribute, with the vast majority of pensions paid coming from investment returns on these contributions.

An analysis by the four plans that commissioned the study found that as much as 80 cents of every pension dollar comes from investment returns.

The study concluded that DB pension benefits had the greatest impact on small towns, with DB pensions forming on average 9% of the total earnings in those communities versus 6% for large metropolitan areas.

The impact of DB pensions was especially strong in Ontario, translating into $27 billion in expenditures on consumables and durables, shelter, recreation, and services; and generating $6 billion in taxes.

The analysis was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group and commissioned by a group of Canada’s leading DB pension plans, including Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) and OPSEU Pension Trust (OPTrust).