However long the social, political and economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic may last, humanity and its economic systems have weathered the storm exceptionally well, said David Frum, a political commentator and senior editor at The Atlantic, during the keynote address at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2021 Investment Innovation Conference. “We just put the entire world […]
Roughly a quarter (23 per cent) of Canadians working exclusively at physical workplaces said their working lives have worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. The survey — which was conducted between Nov. 9 and Nov. 22, 2021 and prior to the spread of the Omicron variant […]
The Senate gave quick approval Thursday to a new round of coronavirus pandemic aid after federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made a pre-holiday plea to rubber-stamp the help and promised that benefits would flow quickly to employers and employees in need. Bill C-2 would provide targeted aid to businesses that are ordered closed and to […]
Several Canadian financial institutions are delaying their return-to-office plans as concerns increase about the highly-transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant. Scotiabank is pausing a planned return to the workplace for head office employees, following the latest coronavirus pandemic guidance from the Ontario government. In an emailed statement to Benefits Canada, a spokesperson from the bank said timing […]
Almost all (94 per cent) small- to medium-sized Canadian employers offer a benefits plan, according to a new survey by Humi. The survey, which polled the organization’s employer clients, found slightly more than a third (42 per cent) of respondents said they’re paying for the full cost of benefits premiums. However, when it comes to […]
A story on the federal government’s economic and fiscal update took the top spot over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Federal government extending pandemic aid for employers, employees 2. Ontario recommending introduction of new portable benefits program 3. Toronto’s Juno College planning to move to 100% employee-ownership […]
With the shift to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, some leaders are concerned about what employees are actually doing, or not doing, during the workday. Howard Levitt, senior partner at Levitt Sheikh LLP Yes, time theft is a concern when it comes to remote work. A study by Aternity Inc. found overall productivity […]
As the coronavirus pandemic sent the global economy into a tailspin, many Canadians grew increasingly concerned about whether they’d amassed enough savings to weather the financial storm. “We’ve heard the narrative that Canadians are saving like they’ve never saved before,” says Elizabeth Mulholland, chief executive officer of Prosper Canada. “The reality is, when you look […]
Years before his late-career rebirth as nemesis to former U.S. President Donald Trump, Robert Muller coined a phrase that went down in history among cybersecurity experts. “I am convinced that there are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be,” said the then Federal Bureau of Investigation director […]
Angry mobs of anti-vaccination protestors holding up handmade signs with messages like “freedom not fear” have been popping up across the country and around the globe for months. Emotions continue to run high both on the streets and within organizations grappling with how to move forward amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But employers looking to […]