If elected, the Conservative Party is promising it will encourage employers to add mental-health coverage to their benefits plans by offering a tax credit for 25 per cent of the cost of this additional coverage for the first three years. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party is promising Canadians increased access to free mental-health services through a new […]
The vast majority (94 per cent) of employers said they expect an increase in medical services in 2022 due to delayed care during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by Business Group on Health. The survey, which polled 136 large employers that cover more than eight million plan members, asked about changes they […]
A majority (88 per cent) of organizations across the globe believe their workers are more stressed now than they were two years ago, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Employers said a majority (92 per cent) of their overall employee population is now somewhat or very stressed. And […]
Concerns surrounding returning to the office and workplace coronavirus vaccination policies are negatively affecting Canadian workers’ mental health and well-being, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index. Although July’s mental-health score held steady at negative 10.1, the same as for June 2021, it was the 16th consecutive month in a row that the index revealed […]
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Julie Gaudry and her colleagues in the industry braced themselves for a surge in disability claims that never came to fruition. “We didn’t know what the prevalence of this virus would be . . . and how significantly it would make people ill,” said Gaudry, head of group […]
Contract negotiations between Napanee, Ont.-based Lennox and Addington Interval House and Unifor Local 414, the union representing the company’s employees, have reached an impasse over maintaining the workers’ wellness fund. LAIH, a shelter serving women and children fleeing domestic violence, and the union have been locked in a conciliation process since March 10, 2021. The current […]
Discussion around implementing a national universal pharmacare strategy is growing louder ahead of next month’s federal election. In its 2019 budget, the federal government said it would work with partners to move forward on a national pharmacare program, including the creation of a new national drug agency and formulary, as well as a national strategy for […]
Almost one in five (19 per cent) employees currently working from home said they’d consider quitting immediately if their employer demanded they return to the office full time, according to a new survey by the Angus Reid Institute. More than a third (39 per cent) said they’d head back to the office without much issue, […]
The past year and a half has been characterized by marked change. The move to remote work, industry layoffs and the desire for more robust support left plan sponsors and consultants rapidly altering the ways they work together. Certain trends, such as virtual care, mental-health support, changing retirement needs and industry consolidation have slowly been […]
For the past 15 years, Benefits Canada’s CAP Member Survey has taken the pulse of capital accumulation plan members’ retirement readiness, their knowledge, confidence and satisfaction in their employer-provided CAPs and how their financial wellness is affecting their physical and mental health. Tracking sentiments through the 2008/09 financial crisis, its subsequent recession and recovery and […]