Unions across the country are pushing for further measures to keep their members safe, whether they stock the frozen food section in a grocery store or care for critically-ill patients in an intensive care unit. Health-care workers Unifor had strong words for an Ontario government directive that allows employers to ask long-term care workers who’ve […]
More than a third (35 per cent) of Canadians said they expect to lose their job or the main source of self-employment income in the next four weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by Statistics Canada. The survey, which polled more than 4,600 Canadians in all 10 provinces in late March and early April, found […]
Even amid the global chaos created by the coronavirus pandemic, China is too big an economy for institutional investors to ignore. A recent report by Greenwich Associates found the two main drivers for China allocations among institutional investors are diversification (54 per cent) and potential for alpha (31 per cent). But just as markets in Europe […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. and fitness app Lift are partnering to add artificial intelligence-based fitness programs and live coaches to Morneau Shepell’s LifeWorks well-being platform. Through the platform, plan members will be able to access virtual fitness programs built for their personal goals using AI. They will also be able to receive live virtual coaching and can join live […]
Equitable Life Insurance Co. of Canada is offering premium relief for all of its traditional and myFlex group plans for health and dental benefits. Since many health practitioners have closed their offices due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, plan member use of dental benefits and some health benefits has declined. As a result, Equitable Life is applying […]
The world is awash in oil, there’s little demand for it and we’re running out of places to put it. That in a nutshell explains Monday’s strange and unprecedented action in the market for crude oil futures contracts, where traders essentially offered to pay someone else to deal with the oil they were due to […]
Canadian employers are taking varied approaches to leave, compensation and benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, conducted between April 1 and 3, found two in five employers said they’ve laid workers off temporarily. About a quarter (23 per cent) said they’ve encouraged workers to take annual leave, […]
About 4.7 million Canadians who don’t usually work from home did so during the week of March 22, according to a new survey by Statistics Canada. When also including those who usually work from home, its March labour force survey, which polled 4,600 people in 10 provinces, found 39 per cent of workers (or 6.8 […]
While the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on many asset classes, institutional investors in real estate face a unique set of challenges. Firstly, the shutdown of non-essential businesses has put many tenants in a position where they can’t afford rent, forcing their investor landlords to decide how to react. Institutional investors are […]
With providers of dental and paramedical services closed, many aspects of the benefits plans are seeing reduced use. But drug plan spending is continuing unabated — and experts say new concerns are coming up during the crisis. Plan sponsors that have implemented 90-day supplies as a cost-control measure may have to see if their plan can be adapted during […]