Latest news in Health benefits

Lussier Dale Parizeau to acquire Quebec-based benefits advisor

Lussier Dale Parizeau to acquire Quebec-based benefits advisor

Quebec-based insurance broker Lussier Dale Parizeau Inc. is acquiring employee benefits advisor Trinome Conseils. Following the acquisition, Lussier Dale Parizeau will have nearly 800 employees…

  • By: Staff
  • August 8, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:30
Great-West Life adds three to executive team

Great-West Life adds three to executive team

Great-West Life Assurance Co. has made three appointments to its executive team. Karrina Dusablon has joined the company as vice-president of national accounts for its plan…

  • By: Staff
  • August 8, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:00
Hub International acquires two Canadian benefits firms

Hub International acquires two Canadian benefits firms

Hub International Ltd. is acquiring Ontario-based Benefit Broker Services Inc. Benefit Broker Services, which is located in Wallaceburg, Ont., is a provider of services related…

  • By: Staff
  • August 7, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:00
A look at international risk pooling

A look at international risk pooling

With SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc.’s partnership with Allianz Global Benefits last month, the Canadian insurer is looking to provide its employer clients with the…

Take a psychological perspective when helping employees manage chronic pain

Take a psychological perspective when helping employees manage chronic pain

One in every five Canadian suffers from some form of chronic pain, a condition that often — though not always —starts with an injury or illness…

  • July 31, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 17:00
Reimbursing benefits key unresolved issue for Veterans Affairs, says report card

Reimbursing benefits key unresolved issue for Veterans Affairs, says report card

Reimbursing benefits, accessing dental plans and designating death benefit beneficiaries are among the most important unresolved issues from a decade of recommendations by Veterans Affairs…

  • By: Staff
  • July 31, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:25
Top 10 news stories of July 2018

Top 10 news stories of July 2018

There was a lot of news to share from the pension, investment, benefits and human resources industries this month. Here are the 10 most popular…

  • By: Staff
  • July 31, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:00
Manulife, Shoppers Drug Mart launch medical marijuana partnership

Manulife, Shoppers Drug Mart launch medical marijuana partnership

Manulife Financial Corp. is launching a medical marijuana program in partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. this fall. The program, which will be available for participating…

  • By: Staff
  • July 31, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:26
Lack of benefits biggest challenge of gig economy: survey

Lack of benefits biggest challenge of gig economy: survey

A lack of benefits, including medical, dental and disability, is the biggest challenge of working in the gig economy, according to a new survey by BMO Wealth Management.…

  • By: Staff
  • July 30, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:04
New contracts for casino workers include pension improvements

New contracts for casino workers include pension improvements

Unifor members employed by three Ontario casinos have voted to ratify new three-year contracts that include improvements to their pension plans. Unifor members from Local 1090…

  • By: Staff
  • July 27, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:00
Delta Air Lines workers maintain DB pension in new contract

Delta Air Lines workers maintain DB pension in new contract

Delta Air Lines Inc. employees in Canada, represented by the United Steelworkers union, have ratified a new five-year contract, which includes maintaining their defined benefit plan…

  • By: Staff
  • July 26, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:30

What is the plan sponsor’s role in mitigating the opioid crisis?

There were almost 4,000 opioid-related deaths in Canada in 2017, according to Health Canada statistics released in June. Meanwhile, in the United States, a new…

Aurora Cannabis to cover medical marijuana for employees

Aurora Cannabis to cover medical marijuana for employees

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is rolling out a new employee benefits plan that includes coverage of medical marijuana. The plan, which will be administered by Sun…

  • By: Staff
  • July 23, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:56
Proposed PMPRB changes could limit Canada’s access to new drugs: report

Proposed PMPRB changes could limit Canada’s access to new drugs: report

While the federal government’s proposed amendments to Canada’s patented medicines regulations are aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs, they risk limiting patient access to new, innovative…

  • By: Staff
  • July 20, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:20
Feds encouraging Canadians to weigh in on national pharmacare

Feds encouraging Canadians to weigh in on national pharmacare

With an eye toward dismantling the barriers many Canadians face in accessing prescription drugs, the federal government is launching an online consultation process on national pharmacare. The…

  • By: Staff
  • July 20, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:07
SSQ partners with Allianz Global Benefits, Arthur Gallagher buys Winnipeg firm

SSQ partners with Allianz Global Benefits, Arthur Gallagher buys Winnipeg firm

SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc. is partnering with Allianz Global Benefits to grow its group insurance business across Canada. “This type of collaboration is a first…

  • By: Staff
  • July 19, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:20
Should employers share potential tax burden for pharmacare?

Should employers share potential tax burden for pharmacare?

While a national pharmacare program is likely to come with a tax hike, will that cost be balanced out by savings on prescription drugs and private…

RBC Insurance introduces online wellness program for plan sponsors

RBC Insurance introduces online wellness program for plan sponsors

RBC Insurance is rolling out a free wellness program for its group benefits plan sponsors with health coverage. The digital program features health risk assessments,…

  • By: Staff
  • July 17, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:58
Pension, benefits maintained as Ontario mine workers ratify collective agreement

Pension, benefits maintained as Ontario mine workers ratify collective agreement

Hourly workers at Compass Minerals International Inc.’s mine in Goderich, Ont. have voted in favour of a new collective agreement that allows them to maintain…

  • By: Staff
  • July 17, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 08:00
Tax hike inevitable if Canada wants national pharmacare, former PBO warns

Tax hike inevitable if Canada wants national pharmacare, former PBO warns

Former federal budget watchdog Kevin Page will deliver a blunt message to premiers this week about the costs of a future national pharmacare program: if…

Morneau Shepell to acquire EAP, wellness provider LifeWorks

Morneau Shepell to acquire EAP, wellness provider LifeWorks

Morneau Shepell Inc. is acquiring employee assistance program and wellness provider LifeWorks Corp. Ltd. for about $426 million. “This acquisition is aligned with Morneau Shepell’s global…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:07
Hub International acquires two more Canadian benefits, pension companies

Hub International acquires two more Canadian benefits, pension companies

Hub International Ltd. is acquiring two more Canadian companies as it rolls out its strategy for expanding its employee benefits and pension business in Canada. “We…

Great-West Life to cover glucose monitoring devices for diabetes patients

Great-West Life to cover glucose monitoring devices for diabetes patients

The Great-West Life Assurance Co. is covering continuous glucose monitoring devices for eligible plan members beginning Aug. 1, 2018. The devices include a reader, wearable sensors…

  • By: Staff
  • July 5, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:56
Employer-paid benefits to be subject to new B.C. health tax

Employer-paid benefits to be subject to new B.C. health tax

Benefits like employer-paid registered retirement savings plan contributions are among payroll components to be subject to British Columbia’s new employer health tax. The B.C. government…

  • By: Staff
  • July 5, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:14
The workplace effects of cancer as a chronic illness

The workplace effects of cancer as a chronic illness

Rising survival rates are making cancer one of Canada’s fastest-growing chronic diseases. Dina Linardos, the nursing director at CAREpath Inc., explained to attendees at the…