The growing adoption of prohibitions against demanding sick notes to substantiate short-term absences, related to the health of employees or their immediate families, is among the emerging trends that are challenging employers in 2026. In November, British Columbia joined Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador in imposing […]
An article on Ontario’s proposed changes to preferred pharmacy network agreements 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. How Ontario’s proposed changes to preferred pharmacy networks could reshape drug plan costs 2. How predictability in the […]
As new pay transparency legislation comes into effect in British Columbia and Ontario, it’s important for small- and medium-sized employers to ensure they’re complying with provincial, territorial and federal regulations, says Mohamed Basma, general manager for small business services at ADP Canada. “This is pressing now more than ever as remote work is so much […]
While they aren’t legally binding, Quebec’s workplace artificial intelligence guidelines offer a roadmap for how existing privacy law will be interpreted and where legal expectations are headed, said Arianne Bouchard, partner and national co-lead of Dentons Canada LLP’s employment and labour group, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada. “The guidance marks a turning point. […]
While there are multiple opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence in the employee benefits space — including making the claims process more efficient and personalizing the plan member experience — one of the biggest advantages of the technology is the ability to streamline administrative tasks, allowing employees to focus on more value-added work in […]
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions’ proposed cybersecurity incident reporting standard could unintentionally lead to duplication and increased risk if it doesn’t reflect differences in technology and risks faced by federally regulated financial institutions and federally regulated pension plans, according to the Association of Canadian Pension Management. While financial institutions’ systems are critical to the functioning of […]
National Hockey League coach Mike Babcock thought he was just trying to get to know his players better, but experts say he may have crossed a line that’s sometimes hard to see. After joining the Columbus Blue Jackets, Babcock was called out this week for allegedly asking some players to show family photos off their phones, raising questions […]
While ChatGPT is helping benefits communications become more efficient, detailed and reliable, the risks may outweigh the rewards when it comes to full automation, says Tom Milne, a principal at Normandin Beaudry. The possibilities for generative artificial intelligence in the benefits space are infinite, he says, noting the algorithms are helping expedite the research and […]
Like other large employers, Ontario Power Generation Inc. has a diverse workforce that embodies the broader Canadian population across multiple demographics. The Crown corporation uses a variety of methods and measurements for gathering diversity, equity and inclusion data, including engagement surveys and focus groups to establish mental-health indicators by analyzing benefits usage, says Tanya Hickey, […]
Artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT are becoming critical in helping human resources leaders balance the necessary administration in recruitment processes, says Andrea Bartlett, vice-president of people at HR consultancy Humi. “What’s exciting to me is AI [is] another tool in the HR professionals’ tool belt that can enable them to offset the administrative tasks to […]