Latest news in Benefits Canada News

Governance coalition publishes guidebook on environmental, social issues

Governance coalition publishes guidebook on environmental, social issues

The Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, an organization consisting of institutional investors, has released a guide for company boards seeking to oversee environmental and social…

  • By: Staff
  • May 30, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:00
HR, benefits lessons from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire

HR, benefits lessons from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire

Business continuity planning is integral to being ready to react in an emergency, but few companies find themselves having to deal with a situation on…

Surveys show pension concerns for both Canadian millennials, seniors

Surveys show pension concerns for both Canadian millennials, seniors

Almost a third (32 per cent) of Canadian millennials cited the lack of a pension plan as one of the concerns of working in the gig…

  • By: Staff
  • May 29, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:00
New contract for Iron Ore workers includes pension, health benefits increases

New contract for Iron Ore workers includes pension, health benefits increases

United Steelworkers union members in western Labrador have ratified a five-year collective agreement that includes increases to medical benefits, pensions and wages. More than 1,300…

  • By: Staff
  • May 29, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:30
Blue Pier launches customized, outsourced workplace pension

Blue Pier launches customized, outsourced workplace pension

Blue Pier is introducing a new customized, fully outsourced workplace pension plan to encourage all employers to offer retirement savings programs to their employees. The…

  • By: Staff
  • May 28, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:05
Starbucks to close 8,000 U.S. stores for diversity, inclusion training

Starbucks to close 8,000 U.S. stores for diversity, inclusion training

More than 8,000 Starbucks stories and offices across the United States will close on Tuesday afternoon to host education and training sessions for employees on race, bias,…

  • By: Staff
  • May 28, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:00
Leveraging teachable moments among tips for boosting wellness programs

Leveraging teachable moments among tips for boosting wellness programs

With permanent behavioural change so difficult to instil, how can employers ensure their wellness programs achieve their intended results? At Benefits Canada‘s Healthy Outcomes conference…

Unions continue effort to convert multi-employer pension to target-benefit plan

Unions continue effort to convert multi-employer pension to target-benefit plan

As lobbying efforts intensify to keep Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ employees in the public service pension, plans are moving ahead to convert a multi-union, multi-employer plan into a…

League launches online toolkit ahead of cannabis legalization

League launches online toolkit ahead of cannabis legalization

As the legalization of cannabis in Canada approaches, League Inc. has introduced a toolkit to help employers solidify their human resources policies. The free resource,…

Health costs to rise 11.8% in 2018, survey predicts

Health costs to rise 11.8% in 2018, survey predicts

Insurance companies expect health costs to rise by 11.8 per cent this year, according to an annual survey by Accompass Inc. The survey determines the anticipated year-over-year…

  • By: Staff
  • May 25, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:45
Should pension plans invest in the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion?

Should pension plans invest in the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion?

As the May 31 deadline approaches for Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. to abandon the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau is suggesting…

Ontario Liberals promise improved pension access, portability

Ontario Liberals promise improved pension access, portability

If re-elected, the Ontario Liberals are promising to expand access to workplace pension plans in the private sector, improve portability and create options for the self-employed…

  • By: Staff
  • May 25, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:50
Caisse, Teachers’ acquire Germany-based energy service provider

Caisse, Teachers’ acquire Germany-based energy service provider

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan are part of a consortium of investors acquiring global energy service…

  • By: Staff
  • May 25, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 09:08
Taxing health benefits would ‘dramatically’ raise health-care costs: CLHIA

Taxing health benefits would ‘dramatically’ raise health-care costs: CLHIA

While a new report shows that introducing a tax on employer-paid health benefits would add $3.8 billion to the federal government’s coffers in the 2018 tax year,…

  • By: Staff
  • May 24, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:00
Co-operators names new chief financial officer

Co-operators names new chief financial officer

The Co-operators Group Ltd. has appointed Karen Higgins as its executive vice-president and chief financial officer. Effective June 1, Higgins will take over the role…

  • By: Staff
  • May 24, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:44
Former CPPIB exec named Canada Infrastructure Bank CEO

Former CPPIB exec named Canada Infrastructure Bank CEO

The Canada Infrastructure Bank has found its inaugural chief executive officer in Pierre Lavallée, a former senior executive at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.…

  • By: Staff
  • May 24, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:30
Employee benefits at arts non-profits down over last decade: study

Employee benefits at arts non-profits down over last decade: study

Over the past 10 years, administrative staff at arts non-profits have seen a decline in their employee benefits, according to a report by the Cultural…

Employers, employees both play a role in battle against stress

Employers, employees both play a role in battle against stress

It’s a familiar scene for many workers: you’re sitting at your desk, your neck is tight, your stomach feels funny and you’re feeling the telltale…

Global investors turn to infrastructure, real estate as interest rates normalize: report

Global investors turn to infrastructure, real estate as interest rates normalize: report

Global institutional investors’ assets under management rose 7.3 per cent in 2017 to US$36.2 trillion, the largest increase in five years, according to the Official Monetary and…

  • By: Staff
  • May 23, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:00
Majority of Canadian employees feel employer has duty to keep them healthy

Majority of Canadian employees feel employer has duty to keep them healthy

Around 80 per cent of Canadian employees surveyed feel their employer has a responsibility to keep them mentally and physically healthy, according to findings from…

  • By: Staff
  • May 23, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:20
Have your say: Are public sector pensions really revenue generators for governments?

Have your say: Are public sector pensions really revenue generators for governments?

Public sector pension plans often come under criticism for what some observers suggest is the high costs paid by taxpayers to fund generous benefits. A…

  • By: Staff
  • May 22, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 15:00
Caisse ups stake in global renewable energy company

Caisse ups stake in global renewable energy company

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is increasing its stake in Chicago-based Invenergy to a 52.4 per cent ownership of the company. The company…

  • By: Staff
  • May 22, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 14:45
Conference coverage: Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum Vancouver

Conference coverage: Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum Vancouver

With pharmacare, drug pricing reforms and other changes on government agendas, plan sponsors face a shifting environment for their drug plans. What should they expect?…

  • By: Staff
  • May 22, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 14:00
Breaking down the cost drivers: Deep dive predicts 4.9% annual rise for drug plans

Breaking down the cost drivers: Deep dive predicts 4.9% annual rise for drug plans

Understanding private plans’ past cost drivers can help to predict future growth rates in drug spending, according to Brad Millson, principal for health access and…

Assessing the impact of government policies, reforms on private payers

Assessing the impact of government policies, reforms on private payers

With governments having announced a number of changes related to pharmaceutical policy, plan sponsors are facing a shifting environment for their drug plans. “There are…