An article on how national dental-care and pharmacare programs will impact unionized employees 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 national dental-care, pharmacare programs will impact unionized employees 2. Survey finds 56% of Canadian workers reporting reduced productivity […]
A recent Quebec Superior Court decision has unleashed uncertainty over the liabilities of companies and their directors when a pension deficit appears in the context of a reorganization. The court authorized a group of defined benefit pension plan members to proceed with a $65 million class action against companies involved in a 2011 reorganization. The […]
The Canada Dental Care Plan will help make dental services more accessible for unionized employees who don’t currently have a dental program within their contract, says Sandeep Kakan, director of pension governance at Unifor. Kakan, who until recently was the union’s director of pension and benefits, says the new program has established a standard from which […]
With many Canadian defined benefit pension plans in a strong funded position, plan sponsors, particularly those with unionized workforces, are increasingly discussing the use of surplus funds, says Gavin Benjamin, a partner in the retirement and benefits solutions practice at Telus Health. The funded position of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan rose on […]
The union representing more than 1,600 faculty, librarians, archivists and post-doctoral researchers at York University has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains. The agreement includes an increase in coverage for eyeglasses from $850 to $935 every 24 months, as well as an increase for paramedical services from $3,000 to $3,200. In […]
An article on how the concept of merit, excellence and intelligence can thwart employers’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts 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. Concept of ‘MEI’ taking away from employers’ DEI efforts: expert 2. Employers […]
Over the past year, union negotiations have ramped up and wage settlements have reached new heights, mainly due to the fact that negotiations were set back by the coronavirus pandemic and the inflation that followed, says Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group. “Like night follows day, labour unrest and strike […]
A pair of law firms say an Alberta court has certified a class action alleging Uber Technologies Inc. has so much control over drivers and couriers in the province that it constitutes employment. McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP and Duboff Edwards Schachter Law Corp. say the ride-hailing giant has misclassified the employment status of Alberta drivers […]
An article detailing how Canada’s exemplary pension regulatory system is helping to safeguard plans from mismanagement was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Culture of compliance prevents mismanagement, conflict at Canadian pension funds: expert 2. OPB making key appointments […]
The union representing employees of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes multiple benefits gains, ending a two-week strike. The agreement includes increases in coverage for mental-health services for up to 90 per cent of the total cost of the prescribed plan of treatment, to a combined annual […]