Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System

What Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System does

OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) is one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans, jointly sponsored and governed by members and participating employers under the OMERS Act, 2006 and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA). Established in 1962 and headquartered in Toronto, it serves 664,243 active, deferred, and retired Ontario municipal employees — including police, firefighters, paramedics, and non-full-time workers — across 999+ employer organizations. Members accrue benefits under a 2% × credited service × best-five earnings formula, with employer-matched contributions set at rates between 9.0% and 15.8% (scheduled to shift to 8.6%–16.7% effective January 1, 2027) and inflation protection, supplemented since 2023 by a Shared Risk Indexing mechanism for post-2022 accruals.

The plan's operations are built around four wholly owned investment subsidiaries — OMERS Infrastructure, OMERS Private Equity, OMERS Ventures, and Oxford Properties — that deploy capital across global public equities, fixed income, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, and venture, supported by a proprietary Climate Taxonomy and a Sustainable Investing Framework (established 2019). Members interact with the plan via the myOMERS online portal and the Pension Education & Relationship Management team, while employers administer enrollment through the e-access portal. C$145.2 billion in net assets (Dec 31, 2025) is managed from offices in Toronto, London, New York, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Singapore, and Sydney, with a 3.70% real / 5.70% nominal discount rate and 99% smoothed funded status.

The business model is funded: equal member and employer contributions combined with investment returns on a globally diversified portfolio. Forward returns are anchored by a Board-approved strategic asset mix revised in August 2023. The governance structure separates the Administration Corporation (investments) from the Sponsors Corporation (benefits and contribution rates), with equal member-employer representation. Revenue-equivalent inflows (contributions plus 6% net investment return in 2025) drive asset growth, while the maturing demographic curve and Shared Risk Indexing mechanism position the plan to manage long-term sustainability as the active-to-retired ratio approaches 1:1 in the 2040s.

Name

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System

Legal name

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System

Website

https://omers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

OMERS is one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans, jointly sponsored under the OMERS Act, 2006, serving 664,243 active, deferred, and retired Ontario municipal employees across 999+ employers with C$145.2 billion in net assets invested globally via four wholly owned subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Pension Funds (52511)

akta.pro primary industry

Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Defined benefit pension
• Pension plan administration
• Institutional asset management
• Retirement income solutions
• Public pension fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OMERS operates a jointly sponsored defined benefit pension plan providing predictable lifetime retirement income for Ontario municipal employees, funded by equal member and employer contributions and a globally diversified investment portfolio spanning public equities, fixed income, private equity, infrastructure, and real estate. The plan is administered by the OMERS Administration Corporation and governed jointly with the OMERS Sponsors Corporation, with member self-service delivered through the myOMERS online portal.

Product overview

Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) operates as a single, unified defined benefit pension plan for Ontario municipal employees, supported by four investment subsidiaries (OMERS Infrastructure, OMERS Private Equity, OMERS Ventures, and Oxford Properties) that manage the fund's global investment portfolio. The primary OMERS Primary Pension Plan provides lifetime retirement income, supplemented by optional AVCs and a Supplemental Plan for first responders. Members access their accounts through the myOMERS online portal, which offers retirement planning tools and pension estimates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OMERS Infrastructure: Global infrastructure investment platform managing investments in utilities, transportation, energy, and digital infrastructure
• OMERS Private Equity
• OMERS Ventures
• Oxford Properties Group
• OMERS Primary Pension Plan
• OMERS Finance Trust
• The Pension Blueprint

Quantifiable outcome

• 6% net investment return in 2025, with net assets growing to $145.2 billion from $138.2 billion
• +5 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• Investor Leadership Network (ILN)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS is a founding ILN Partner. ILN is a network of leading institutional investors collaborating on sustainable investing initiatives, climate change, and inclusive finance. OMERS has contributed to ILN publications including the Inclusive Finance Playbook, Climate Change Physical Risk Toolkit, and Net Zero Investor Playbook.
• The Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS actively promotes good governance practices including through endorsement of CCGG's Stewardship Principles. CCGG is a coalition of institutional investors engaged in corporate governance and shareholder engagement in Canada.
• Climate Action 100+moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS joined Climate Action 100+ in 2023, an investor initiative engaging with companies on climate change. The initiative aims to ensure the world's largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.
• Climate Engagement CanadamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS is a founding partner of Climate Engagement Canada, a joint initiative between Canada's leading investors and the UN PRI to drive dialogue with Canadian companies on climate action and disclosure.
• The 30 Percent ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS has committed to The 30 Percent Club — an initiative focused on increasing gender diversity on corporate boards and in senior management.
• The Prince's Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS is a founding member of A4S, which focuses on mobilizing action by accounting professionals to integrate sustainability into capital markets.
• National Institute on Ageing (NIA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS sponsored research by the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), a think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, producing the 'Healthy Outcomes' report examining the impact of adequate, stable, and secure retirement income on Canadians' ability to age well.
• Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS commissioned CANCEA to conduct economic and social value analysis research, including studies in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2025 quantifying OMERS' contribution to Ontario's economy (GDP, employment) and social value (retiree well-being, life satisfaction).
• Pollara Strategic InsightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMERS engaged Pollara Strategic Insights to conduct the 'Retire Ready' survey in 2024, gathering insights from retired and non-retired Ontarians about retirement planning views and behaviors to inform member education and resources.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments): Manages pension assets for Canada's federal public sector, military, and RCMP with comparable defined-benefit pension management mandate. Directly comparable peer in Canadian public-sector pension investing.
• Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo): Alberta's institutional investment manager for pension, endowment, and government funds with comparable scale and diversified global mandate. Direct peer in Canadian institutional asset management.
• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments): One of Canada's largest pension fund managers investing globally on behalf of the Canada Pension Plan. Directly comparable to OMERS in scale, asset mix, and Canadian public-sector pension mandate, and is co-investor with OMERS in assets like ABP and NSE.
• Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ): Quebec's largest pension fund manager with comparable global diversified mandate, infrastructure exposure (including Plenary Americas), and similar scale to OMERS. Direct peer in Canadian public-sector pension asset management.
• Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO): Ontario-based institutional asset manager serving broader public-sector clients with comparable investment approach. Direct peer in Ontario institutional investment management.
• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP): Ontario healthcare sector defined-benefit pension plan with similar governance structure, scale, and investment approach. Directly comparable as a fellow Ontario-based multi-employer DB plan.
• British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI): Manages pension assets for British Columbia's public sector with comparable institutional asset management mandate and similar diversified portfolio approach. Comparable Canadian provincial pension peer.
• Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (OTPP): Manages the pension fund for Ontario's teachers with a comparable defined-benefit model, similar scale, and direct co-investment relationships with OMERS in Canadian private markets. Most comparable Ontario-based peer.

Regional players

• Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS): UK's largest private pension scheme for universities with comparable defined-benefit structure and global investment approach. Comparable as a peer DB pension but focused on UK academic sector.
• AustralianSuper: Australia's largest superannuation fund with comparable scale, diversified portfolio, and infrastructure exposure. Comparable as a peer large-scale pension investor but focused on Australian members.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/omersupdates
• Facebookfacebook.com/OMERSpensionplan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/omers
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareomers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System