Home Archives July/August 2010

July/August 2010

Defined benefit pensions

The 2008 financial crisis jeopardized the funding ratio (i.e., the ratio of assets to liabilities) of most DB pension plans, forcing plan sponsors to inject…

Health benefits

In February, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty proposed to amend the Income Tax Act to permit a new vehicle for health and welfare benefits called…

Discussions on benefits cost trends quickly turn to big-ticket items such as prescription drug and disability coverage, as these typically make up the largest portion…

Not surprisingly, the topic of drug plan reform trumped the Solutions in Drug Plan Management held on June 3, 2010, at the Delta Meadowvale Resort…

Governance/legislation

Pension reform in Canada took an important step forward in June. The outcome of the finance ministers’ meeting in Charlottetown that month is a clear…

What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Paul Newman in the film Cool Hand Luke didn’t enjoy hearing this, and plan sponsors don’t enjoy…

Our industry is ripe for change. Take what’s been happening with drug reform. Alberta kicked off the action in April by introducing the Alberta Pharmaceutical…

Health/wellness

A person’s place of work has a notable influence on his or her mental health. As more and more employers are being held legally responsible…