The union representing employees at a Hitachi Construction Truck Manufacturing Ltd. plant in Guelph, Ont. has ratified an agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. Unifor Local 1917 Hitachi unit members voted 95 per cent in favour of the three-year collective agreement, which includes a $0.25 contribution increase to the defined benefit pension plan, from […]
Dillon Consulting Ltd. is supporting employees’ financial well-being through a student debt repayment program. The program allows employees to repay student debt by using employer contributions to the company’s deferred profit-sharing plan that match employee contributions to the group registered retirement savings plan, says Tanya Cross, a partner at Dillon Consulting. Read: Indigo to pilot Great-West […]
Contract food services and custodial workers at Canada’s colleges and universities have less access to pensions and paid leave than their in-house colleagues, according to a new report by the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The report, which analyzed employment data from publicly funded post-secondary institutions, found only 23 per cent of contract food services employers […]
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is adding gender affirmation coverage to its benefits program and enhancing existing offerings such as paid parental leave and fertility treatments. The gender affirmation benefit will cover specific gender transition surgeries and procedures not covered by provincial programs to an annual maximum of $10,000 and a lifetime maximum of $25,000, according to […]
CGI Group Inc. is marking Mental Health Awareness Month by raising money for mental-health causes through its employee recognition program. Through an internal platform called Applaud, employees can recognize colleagues who exemplify CGI’s six core values. For each employee recognized this month, CGI is donating $10 to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Read: CGI Group to […]
Half (50 per cent) of small- and medium-sized employers are having trouble coping with mental-health challenges after two years of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and group insurance provider Nexim Canada. It found two-thirds (66 per cent) of employers are close to burning out, citing […]
The union representing workers at three Ontario casinos has ratified a series of collective agreements that will provide improved pensions and health benefits for employees. Members of Unifor Local 444 at the Caesars Windsor ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes a one per cent enhancement to its defined contribution pension plan, as well as […]
With the federal government’s 2022 budget proposing to allow expenses related to fertility and surrogacy to be claimed by a wider range of individuals under the medical expense tax credit, will the move lead to increased coverage under workplace benefits plans? The government’s proposal would expand the definition of a patient to include the taxpayer, […]
Since the ‘Great Resignation’ began last year, new hires in the U.S. believe their onboarding process isn’t adequately covering many of the basics employees need to be successful, including their workplace benefits, according to a new survey by Eagle Hill Consulting. The survey, which polled nearly 800 U.S. employees, found the main areas of concern […]
A story on KPMG in Canada helping staff refresh and recharge by making every weekend a long weekend this summer took the top spot over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. KPMG is turning every weekend into a long weekend for employees this summer 2. University Pension Plan […]