Making mental health stick: Strategy, leadership activation and sustainable infrastructure

What does it take to move from mental-health awareness to sustained organizational impact?  This session will share how Purolator built and operationalized an enterprise-wide mental-health strategy grounded in leadership activation, skill sustainability and internal infrastructure. It will provide insight into three integrated pillars of Purolator’s approach: manager training, continuous learning and mental-health first aid. In addition, this session will share measurable outcomes, evaluation insights and practical lessons learned, as well as actionable ideas for strengthening manager capability, extending the life of training investments and embedding mental health into the fabric of an organization.

Speaker:

Ashley Wood-Suszko, senior manager, health and well-being, project lead, Purolator Inc.

Better sleep, better mind: Understanding the link between sleep and mental health

It’s important to understand why sleep and mental health go hand in hand and how group benefits plans can support both to optimize employee well-being and performance. This session will explore common mental-health challenges and highlight practical approaches employers can use to better support sleep and well-being.

Speaker:

Carmen Bellows, registered psychologist, director, mental health, Sun Life Health

When the climate shows up at work: Understanding and addressing eco-anxiety

With eco‑anxiety becoming a growing workplace mental‑health issue, this session will demystify the concept and share new insights from recent research conducted by Laval University, in partnership with Beneva. It will define eco‑anxiety, explore how it shows up at work, especially among younger employees and offer early, realistic actions that organizations can take. The session will translate key research findings into simple, actionable recommendations and highlight practical tools and resources to support employers and their teams.

Speakers:

Simon Coulombe, professor, research chair, Laval University

Mikaella Hofmann Azerad, workplace health and psychological advisor, Beneva

Wellness break

As we take a brief pause from the conference program, we’ll be joined by boutique fitness instructor and yoga teacher Jasmine Musa, who will lead us through some desk-based stretching and yoga. Afterwards, we encourage you to use this time to get up from your seat and move around, practice breathwork or grab a snack and a refreshment.

Care by design: A smarter mental-health framework for plan sponsors

The strategic design of mental-health benefits can shape care pathways, improve employee outcomes and better manage long-term costs. This session will introduce a practical framework for evaluating mental-health coverage, beyond simply adding services, with a focus on how the breadth, depth and frequency of care can be intentionally structured to better support workforce needs.

Speaker:

William Houtart, director, business development, Maple

Supporting continued employment for individuals living with mental-health challenges

This session will explore the key factors that enable employees living with mental-health challenges to remain engaged and productive in the workplace. Drawing on insights from Desjardins Insurance’s ongoing research with the Douglas Institute, it will identify workplace factors that support continued employment and examine evidence-based strategies to foster psychological safety and retention through organizational policies and practices. It will also highlight practical interventions and resources that promote well-being and reduce stigma in the workplace.

Speakers:

Charmaine Alexander, plan sponsor service advisor, Desjardins Insurance

Stéphanie Ipavec-Levasseur, director, product development, group insurance, Desjardins Insurance