Inconsistency in public health care and private benefits coverage for vision care could be keeping many Canadians from getting their eyes checked regularly, according to Tracy Weng, an optometrist and clinical consultant at Specsavers Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Toronto Benefits Summit. About 60 per cent of Canadians have private insurance and, among that group, […]
With many Canadian employers likely to have employees go on leave related to cancer, one survey suggests they need guidance on how to support those plan members before, during and after their leave, according to Julie Holmes, senior advisor for disability management at Desjardins Insurance, during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Toronto Benefits Summit. The survey, by […]
In response to growing awareness and incidences of anxiety, Ontario-based Symcor Inc. is hosting a webinar this month to help employees recognize and manage the condition. “Based on surveys and reports, we can see anxiety is a very common condition,” says Rachel Wong, the company’s vice-president of total rewards and human resources technology. “[This webinar] […]
The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 30,500 women and 290 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025, with about 5,500 Canadians expected to die from the disease. For employers, the numbers show how often breast cancer intersects with the workplace and why clear, compassionate support is critical. At BDO Canada, support begins the moment […]
An article on an arbitrator’s confirmation of the long-term disability exception to Ontario’s mandatory retirement rule was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Ontario arbitrator confirms validity of LTD exception to mandatory retirement rule 2. Insurers […]
Canada’s life and health insurers paid out a record $143.3 billion in health and retirement benefits last year, up from $128 billion in 2023, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “At a time when our country is facing economic uncertainty and our health-care system is under strain, life and […]
An Ontario arbitrator has confirmed the validity of the long-term disability exception to the mandatory retirement rule. When Ontario eliminated mandatory retirement in 2006, the legislation provided an exception for insured employment benefit plans to maintain a cutoff based on age. “This was intended to avoid destabilizing existing insurance plans while still permitting parties to […]
An article announcing the finalists of the 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Who are the finalists of the 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards? 2. Employee’s termination following mental-health leave not discriminatory: […]
The Human Rights Tribunal of Alberta has ruled that termination of employment on the day an employee returns from a year-long mental-health leave doesn’t, in and of itself, support a discrimination complaint. “In this case, the employer had valid grounds for termination before the medical leave started, and the fact that the complainant’s case had […]
Gender differences in mental health manifest through biology, gender roles and cultural expectations, according to Carmen Bellows, registered psychologist and director of mental health solutions at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2025 Mental Health Summit. Taking all mental-health disorders into account, she said there are no gender differences in the […]