Latest news in Benefits Canada Archive

Semi-retirement working options helping employers navigate the ‘Great Labour Shift’

Many employers are welcoming retirees back to their workforces to counter what some are calling the ‘Great Labour Shift.’ As the coronavirus pandemic shifts the…

Q&A with AIMCo’s Krista Pell

The Alberta Investment Management Corp.’s chief human resources officer discusses the evolving employee life cycle, autonomous working and competitive weightlifting. Q: What top challenges do…

Coverage of the 2023 DC Plan Summit

At the 2023 Defined Contribution Plan Summit, which was hosted in Montebello, Que. on Feb. 21-23, delegates learned from employer case studies and expert thought…

Editorial: Can the industry move beyond the complexity of pensions?

What’s in a name? A pension by any other name would smell as sweet — or would it? I started writing this month’s Pension Feature…

Head to head: Will the government’s super-priority bill spell the end of DB pension plans?

The bill is a divisive one, with the pension industry concerned about the future of corporate-sponsored defined benefit pension plans and an association representing plan…

How Shopify is supporting employee well-being with additional paid time off

Just like professional athletes, employees have to balance high performance with periods of rest. To this end, Shopify Inc. introduced its Intermission program in 2018…

2023 Group Benefits Providers Report: Prioritizing partnerships, personalization and prevention

As technology advances and plan members’ needs become more diverse, the relationship between benefits plan sponsors and providers is adapting to fit these changes. Sarah…

Does the pension industry have a language problem?

Defined benefit. Defined contribution. Target benefit. Shared risk. Collective. Multi-employer. Pooled. Canada’s pension and retirement landscape is littered with lingo that can often be confusing…

Implementing a centralized trading platform at the BCI

In 2018, the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. adopted a centralized trading framework. The program, which brought together global derivatives and trading with almost $35…

How employers can manage employee productivity in a remote working environment

The coronavirus pandemic ushered in a new world of work when organizations in most sectors were forced to find ways to operate virtually. Three years…

Why you should hire a chief sustainability officer

When Richard Manley, chief sustainability officer at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, joined the organization as managing director and head of sustainable investing in…

Q&A with Schneider Electric’s Christopher Lewis

Schneider Electric’s senior compensation and benefits leader talks about adapting benefits to flex work, artificial intelligence and time spent gardening. Q: What top challenges do…

Editorial: How long will the echo pandemic last?

Three years ago this month, the world was grappling with the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Even then, with very little information available, people…

Head to head: Does ESG investing actually enhance returns?

The answer is complicated because environmental, social and governance investing is a relatively new risk, not all ESG factors are material for every industry and…

Why the OTIP brought on a pharmacist as a consultant for its disability claims team

The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan has added a lead pharmacy consultant to its group life and disability claims team to assist in managing both early…

How is rising inflation impacting retirement savings?

After reaching a near 40-year high over the past year, headline inflation started to cool in the final months of 2022 following a series of…

2023 Drug Plan Trends Report: How the repercussions of the pandemic are trickling down to drug plans

As the coronavirus pandemic enters its fourth year, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the health crisis has taken its toll on employee mental health. Scotiabank saw…

Innovation, diversification in real estate sector taking institutional investors across the finish line

Despite many institutional investors pressing pause on their real estate activities in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, those that keep calm and carry…

A look at China’s private pension pilot project

Traditionally, Chinese workers have relied on two pillars of income in retirement — the basic state pension and employer-sponsored plans open to employees in certain…

How remote, hybrid working arrangements are affecting musculoskeletal issues

During the coronavirus pandemic, most people were forced to work remotely and create makeshift offices in spaces that weren’t designed for that purpose. The result…

Q&A with Nasdaq’s Bronwyn Ott

The financial services company’s head of global well-being and benefits strategy talks hybrid working, diverse benefits and time outdoors with her dogs. Q: What top…

Editorial

Editorial: What’s next for improving workplace mental-health support?

Nearly three years have passed since the coronavirus pandemic became a household name. In some ways, March 11, 2020 — the day the World Health…

Head to head: Should employers increase mental-health coverage or expand the types of health-care professionals in their benefits plans?

Two Canadian employers explain why it’s important to implement a combination of higher coverage and a variety of practitioners under their plans. Elaine Cheung, director…

How 5 employers are ensuring mental health remains a priority

Even though the pandemic phase of the coronavirus crisis may be waning, two winners and three finalists in the 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards’ mental-health categories…