Fluor Canada Ltd.’s dynamic approach to absence management scored the company a win at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. The multinational engineering and construction company won in the Absence management program category for policies such as flexible work options, general leaves of absence, family-friendly resources and paid time off, including 26 Fridays off per […]
The Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench has held the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority liable for more than $1.2 million in long-term disability benefits owed to a former employee whose benefits were cut off when he was fired and became permanently disabled during the notice period. “This case illustrates the massive risk that an employer takes […]
Eight in 10 (80 per cent) small- and medium-sized employers in Eastern Canada say they don’t provide employee benefits, according to a new survey for Medavie Blue Cross by Abacus Data. The survey, which polled SMEs and SME workers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, found a third (35 per cent) of SMEs that don’t […]
A majority of plan sponsors (80 per cent) and plan members (77 per cent) described the quality of their health benefits plans as excellent or good, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. Employers with 500 or more employees (86 per cent) were more likely than those with fewer than 50 employees (72 per […]
Canadian life and health insurers processed nearly $600 million in claims related to mental health in 2021, up 45 per cent since 2020 and 75 per cent since 2019, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “2021 was a year of recovery and insurers have been proud partners helping employers […]
The union representing employees at Glencore’s Raglan Mine in Nunavik, Que. has ratified an agreement that includes benefits gains and increases in paid disability leave. Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of the members of United Steelworkers Local 9449 voted in favour of the five-year agreement, which includes short-term disability coverage of 70 per cent of […]
After living through a prolonged global pandemic, Canadian benefits plan sponsors are facing a professional environment that’s almost unrecognizable to pre-2020 years. The coronavirus pandemic affected employees at a personal level and is also being felt by employers and their workplace benefits plans, said Jason Kennedy, general manager of virtual pharmacy for TELUS Health, during […]
AGA Benefit Solutions is acquiring Vancouver-based Aptus Benefits Inc., a group benefits and retirement consultancy with expertise in collectively bargained plans and executive disability programs. Private equity firm Novacap will finance the acquisition, which is expected to expand AGA Benefit Solutions’ reach into Western Canada, according to a press release. Read: AGA Benefit Solutions acquiring J&D Benefits […]
According to conservative estimates, 100,000 Canadians may suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with an estimated prevalence of about one in every 200 to 500 individuals, said Dr. Bobby Heydari, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Calgary, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Patients’ mean […]
An article on a ruling against the Blue Cross Life Insurance Co. of Canada and how it could affect long-term disability premiums was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Ruling against Blue Cross Life Insurance could affect LTD premiums: lawyer 2. Brown and […]