LifeLabs Inc. is marking Mental Health Week by offering additional mental-health resources including telemedicine through its benefits program. “We’re hoping it will provide a lot of convenience for our employees, just to save time,” says Trin Pettingill, LifeLabs’ national director of total rewards, human resource operations and technology. “It’s something we’ve been looking at for […]
The union representing roughly 900 workers at Metro Inc. warehouses in Etobicoke, Ont. has ratified a new 4.5-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. Sandeep Kakan, director of pension and benefits at Unifor, says the agreement includes an increase in the defined benefit pension plan’s flat-rate benefit, retroactive to 2001, as well as […]
Sagamok Anishnawbek, a First Nations community in northeastern Ontario, is participating in a pilot benefits plan program that provides plan members with access to traditional Indigenous medicines and services. Located along the north shore between Sudbury, Ont. and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the community’s employee base includes fire department workers, school teachers, community planners and […]
Increased benefits and expanded mental-health coverage are among the highlights of a new collective agreement ratified by Oakville Transit workers who are also members of Unifor Local 1256. Under the agreement, which ends a two-week strike, the workers will see an increase in their vision care coverage, from $400 to $450 annually. It also includes […]
Lupus, a chronic but “invisible” autoimmune disease with no cure, is a life-altering diagnosis that impacts all areas of patients’ lives, including their work performance. But there’s plenty employers can do to support these employees and help them continue to thrive at work, said Leanne Mielczarek, executive director of Lupus Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 […]
The burden of musculoskeletal disease has had a significant impact on the lives of Canadians at home and at work, said Alison Dantas, chief executive officer at Canadian Chiropractic Association during Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Chronic Disease at Work event in February. According to the World Health Organization, musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of disability around […]
Musculoskeletal issues have a far-reaching impact on the mental, physical and emotional wellness of benefits plan members and their families — however, they also come at a cost to plan sponsors. According to Sun Life Assurance. Co.’s 2020 disability claims, 20 per cent were related to musculoskeletal health conditions and 30 per cent of these affected […]
Kristy Dickinson woke up on a recent Monday unable to move her body. The delay waiting for medication and a heating pad to kick in threw off her morning routine and a flare-up of gastrointestinal symptoms forced her to reschedule back-to-back work meetings. She wasn’t able to get her work done until later in the […]
While about a million Canadians live with psoriasis, one in three will go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, said Rachael Manion, executive director of the Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients and the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance, during a session supported by UCB Canada Inc. at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Chronic Disease at Work event in February. Psoriasis […]
Women who develop inflammatory arthritis or psoriasis often do so in the prime of their lives, leaving them with concerns related to their reproductive and sexual health. But they struggle to find support in their employer-sponsored benefits plans. “We know that diversity, equity and inclusion are a really big piece of [human resources] these days,” […]