Benefits Canada Archive – Benefits Canada.com https://www.benefitscanada.com Canada's most influential pension and benefits publication for decision-makers Thu, 02 May 2024 20:20:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8 Editorial: Turning challenge into opportunity https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/editorial-turning-challenge-into-opportunity/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 13:00:09 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=153996 As I write this column, I’m reflecting on the spectrum of weather I’ve witnessed this past winter. From my office window in southwestern Ontario, I looked out onto snowy rooftops for maybe a week over the last several months. That’s contrasted with a recent trip to Nova Scotia, where a series of winter storms brought […]

The post Editorial: Turning challenge into opportunity appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> Head to Head: Is it time to change the terminology around ESG? https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/head-to-head-is-it-time-to-change-the-terminology-around-esg/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:59:40 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=153998 An academic says environmental, social and governance terminology should evolve alongside understanding of the concept, while a consultant favours a focus on substance over form. Amir Akbari, assistant professor of finance, McMaster University As our understanding of sustainable development evolves, so, too, should our characterization of responsible investment. For instance, consider the United Nation’s Kunming-Montreal Global […]

The post Head to Head: Is it time to change the terminology around ESG? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> How the WSIB is supporting employee well-being with enhanced, unlimited mental-health coverage https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/how-the-wsib-is-supporting-employee-well-being-with-enhanced-unlimited-mental-health-coverage/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:58:11 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154146 While the coronavirus pandemic may be in the rearview mirror for most employers, the Ontario-based Workplace Safety and Insurance Board knows all too well that the shadow pandemic that emerged from the health crisis is still impacting employees in the workplace. At a time when some employers are considering cutting back on mental-health benefits, the […]

The post How the WSIB is supporting employee well-being with enhanced, unlimited mental-health coverage appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> 2024 Group Benefits Providers Report: Leveraging AI to streamline benefits https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/2024-group-benefits-providers-report-leveraging-ai-to-streamline-benefits/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:57:54 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154136 While there’s multiple opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence in the employee benefits space — including making the claims process more efficient and personalizing the plan member experience — one of the biggest advantages of the technology is the ability to streamline administrative tasks, allowing employees to focus on more value-added work in addition […]

The post 2024 Group Benefits Providers Report: Leveraging AI to streamline benefits appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> How will growing anti-ESG sentiment in the U.S. impact Canadian institutional investors? https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/how-will-growing-anti-esg-sentiment-in-the-u-s-impact-canadian-institutional-investors/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:56:50 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154012 A growing wave of opposition to environmental, social and governance factors has turned life in the sustainable finance industry into something of a roller coaster over the last couple of years. But a little turbulence is to be expected, says Alyson Slater, managing director of sustainable investment at Manulife Investment Management, encouraging institutional investors to […]

The post How will growing anti-ESG sentiment in the U.S. impact Canadian institutional investors? appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> How CAAT is supporting its ESG aspirations through responsible investments, team-building https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/how-the-caat-is-supporting-its-esg-aspirations-through-responsible-investments-team-building/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:55:57 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154076 As an institutional investor, Asif Haque knows the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan has a responsibility to meet the rising challenge of climate change through responsible capital deployment. “[We] have a gigantic role to play in using our ownership and influence to engage with companies on their transition to a low-carbon future,” […]

The post How CAAT is supporting its ESG aspirations through responsible investments, team-building appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> How climate change is impacting benefits, employee health https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/how-climate-change-is-impacting-benefits-employee-health/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:54:02 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154121 During Canada’s unprecedented 2023 wildfire season, 6,500 individual fires burned more than 18.4 million hectares of land — and wildland firefighters bore the brunt of it all. “The working conditions are extremely dangerous and they’re getting more dangerous as fires become larger and more intense, and, in many cases, are going through communities,” says Bert […]

The post How climate change is impacting benefits, employee health appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> Back to basics on investment glide paths https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/back-to-basics-on-investment-glide-paths/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:53:46 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154085 Simply put, a glide path is a calculation designed to support an employee’s desired retirement timeline through investments in a target-date fund. When an employee first joins a defined contribution pension plan with a target-date fund, they’re exposed to capital appreciation assets that offer the most attractive risk-adjusted returns in the wealth accumulation phase, typically […]

The post Back to basics on investment glide paths appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> Q&A with BMO Financial Group’s Vanessa Lewerentz https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/qa-with-bmo-financial-groups-vanessa-lewerentz/ Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:52:30 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=154154 The organization’s chief inclusion officer discusses building an inclusive learning roadmap, the adoption of AI in the HR space and finding ways to nourish her soul amid life’s daily demands. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: Harmonizing company objectives with internal and external expectations — which are influenced by cultural […]

The post Q&A with BMO Financial Group’s Vanessa Lewerentz appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]> Editorial: The more things change https://www.benefitscanada.com/archives_/benefits-canada-archive/editorial-the-more-things-change-2/ Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:00:01 +0000 https://www.benefitscanada.com/?p=151398 Well hello there! We may have met during one of Benefits Canada’s and the Canadian Investment Review’s many events throughout the year, but if we haven’t, I’m usually helming our daily online news coverage from behind the scenes, while contributing to the monthly print magazine. You’ll be seeing me in this space for the next few […]

The post Editorial: The more things change appeared first on Benefits Canada.com.

]]>