Today, OMERS announced its net assets rose to $53.3 billion as of December 31, 2010, up from $47.8 billion the year before. The total rate of return in 2010 was 12.01 per cent, compared to 10.6 per cent in 2009. The Plan's growth in net assets for 2009 and 2010 combined was $9.9 billion.

The 400,000 members of one of Canada's largest pension funds now have an even better way to fund their retirement. Not only will OMERS members receive a top drawer pension, they can also add cash they've saved in their RRSPs into the mix.

OMERS has been touring the province to introduce Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) – the exclusive, members-only retirement savings and investment opportunity, which began January 1, 2011.

System functionality permitting OMERS members to arrange their contributions to an AVC account is live. This marks the final preparation for the historic start of AVCs on January 1, 2011.

OMERS announced that pensions will increase by 1.61% as of January 1, 2011. This increase reflects the change in the cost of living as reported by Statistics Canada in its Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI).