Benefits Canada keeps pace with trends and developments in the pension and benefits industry, but it’s our readers who steer us in the right direction.

When I was first appointed to lead the Benefits Canada team, my boss, Paul Williams, vice-president of business and professional publishing, met with me to discuss the landscape of the pension and benefits market. After methodically explaining the nuances of this market, Paul concluded the meeting by saying, “Be proud to know that our readers—the market we serve—truly help Canadians.”

That’s a message I’ve never forgotten. For more than 31 years, Benefits Canada has provided insight and perspective on pension and benefits issues. Over this time, the way you access information, how often you access it and the type of information you need has changed, so we’ve changed, too.

Today, information is delivered to you monthly through the magazine, daily through the website and face to face through the numerous events we conduct across Canada. There are 14,000 of you registered on our website, and more than 13,000 visit our site each month. Another 8,000 subscribe to our daily email newsletter.

Close to 1,000 of you attend our industry events, which are held across the country. Over the course of the last year, we’ve also posted four webcasts of our events, which an additional 800 of you have accessed online.

As your needs change, so do our priorities. You told us that you want dedicated venues for information on workplace health and alternative investments. Last fall, Benefits Canada launched Working Well, a publication focused on workplace health. And earlier this year, we launched Innovate, a biannual publication focused on alternative investments, with an emphasis on implementing these investments in your portfolios.

During my first year with Benefits Canada, many of you have commented to me personally on how important Benefits Canada is to you in helping you do your jobs better. I thank you for that. But I also want to thank you for telling us what you need. It’s these conversations that enable us to provide perspectives on the issues that matter to you the most.

Our role, as we see it, is simple: to provide you with relevant and timely information, and to continue to serve your ever-changing needs. It’s our pleasure.

Garth Thomas is the executive publisher of BENEFITS CANADA. garth.thomas@rci.rogers.com

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© Copyright 2008 Rogers Publishing Ltd. This article first appeared in the September 2008 edition of BENEFITS CANADA magazine.