Douglas Rienzo

Douglas Rienzo, Partner, Pensions & Benefits

Contact Information

  • tel: 416.862.5683
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Areas of Expertise

Bar Admission

Ontario, 1994

Education

  • University of Toronto, LL.B.
  • University of Toronto, B.Sc.

Office

Toronto

Language(s)

English

Biography

Douglas practises exclusively in the area of pensions and employee benefits, with a particular focus on pension surplus issues and family law issues related to pensions. He has done work for corporate sponsors of pension plans, boards of trustees, and large institutional pension funds, as well as for individual pension plan members. Douglas was a member of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario Legal Advisory Committee (Pensions), which provides confidential advice to the Superintendent of Financial Services for Ontario on the Superintendent’s responsibilities under Ontario’s Pension Benefits Act and Financial Services Commission of Ontario Act, 1997. His article “Trust Law and Access to Pension Surplus” was cited by the Supreme Court of Canada in Buschau v. Rogers Communications.

Notable Matters

  • Pension surplus withdrawals: Eaton’s, Control Data, United Dominion, Montreal Trust.
  • Established a defined contribution supplemental pension plan for a Toronto-based entertainment company.
  • Drafted change-of-control and retiring allowance agreements for the President and CEO of a major Canadian financial institution.
  • Advised a large public-sector pension fund on legal issues related to same-sex benefits.
  • Advised several clients in relation to their ability to cancel or amend post-retirement benefits.
  • Advised a major Canadian corporation regarding their pension fund, and issues related to replacing the individual trustees holding the fund’s assets with an institutional trustee.
  • Provided legal opinions to clients on pension plan governance and related conflict-of-interest issues.
  • Ongoing advice to clients on pension plan administration issues, including trust law and surplus issues, pension plan termination issues, family law issues and non-pension benefits.

Affiliations

  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Association of Canadian Pension Management
  • Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute
  • International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association (IPEBLA)

Industry Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in Canada 2010: Employee Benefits Law
  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2010: Pensions

Publications/Events/Education

  • Uses of Trusts in Pension and Employee Benefit Arrangements, Osgoode Hall Law School LL.M., June 2009 (Guest Lecture).
  • Pension and Benefit Entitlements Upon Marriage Breakdown: The Legal Guide, Osgoode Professional Development, March 2009 (Conference Chair).
  • Private Pensions, Public Responsibilities: The Law and Regulation of the Canadian Pension System, University of Toronto LL.B., February 2009 (Guest Lecture).
  • Trust Law and Pension Plans, Benefits Canada Online, June 2008.
  • Osler submission to the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions, October 2007 (with E. Howard).

Downloadable Profile

Douglas Rienzo

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