An employer must accommodate an employee with any kind of health concern—whether physical or mental—up to the point of undue hardship. “The right to accommodate is a human right,” said Michael Lynk, an associate professor and associate dean of The University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Law, speaking Thursday at The Canadian Institute’s forum on […]
As employees begin to turn more and more to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for mental distress claims, employers need to know how to deal with the Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) review and appeal processes. Speaking at Heenan Blaikie’s 2011 Labour & Employment Seminar Managing Claims and […]
“The reality of workplace stress is with all of us—at all times,” said Rhonda Shirreff, a labour and employment lawyer with Heenan Blaikie, speaking today at the firm’s 2011 Labour & Employment Seminar Managing Claims and Controlling Costs with the WSIB. Stress is evident as employers place more demands on employees at work—and at home, […]
Why should institutional investors invest in the infrastructure space? Most pension plans need to match liabilities, and infrastructure investment is a way to do this, providing “real return protection,” said Janet Rabovsky, senior investment consultant with Towers Watson, speaking earlier this week at the Infrastructure Symposium 2011 in Toronto. “Given the level of bonds, many […]
When it comes to the workplace and motherhood, we’ve come a long way, baby. A woman’s job is now protected when she’s on maternity leave, guaranteeing her the same position (or a comparable one) when she returns. And a combination of maternity and parental benefits are payable to the mother for a maximum of 50 […]
Fifty years ago, one in two Canadians died from heart disease or stroke. “Twenty years from now, there’s no reason it can’t be one in 10,” said David Sculthorpe, CEO of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario, addressing the Economic Club of Canada yesterday in Toronto. “Heart disease is largely a lifestyle disease,” he […]
Accommodating employees at work who have physical disabilities that challenge them daily may be an obvious step, but employers need to remember that employees with episodic disabilities (both physical and mental) need to be accommodated, too. And it’s not difficult to do. An episodic disability is marked by unpredictable periods and degrees of wellness, explained […]
David Rosenberg, chief economist and strategist with Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc., spoke passionately at the recent Foundation, Endowment & Not For Profit Investment Summit in Toronto about his views on the U.S. economy and investing in a deflationary environment. Rosenberg said that the message coming from the U.S. in this post-credit bubble bust is […]
2010 was a good year for the Canadian economy. “Canada was one of the first G7 nations to climb out of the recession,” said Mark Fieldhouse, principal, investment consulting practice, with Mercer, speaking today at Mercer’s 2011 Fearless Forecast at The Toronto Board of Trade. And 2011 will look a lot like 2010, he explained. […]
The Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute (CPBI) celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, a fact that Kevin Press, assistant vice-president, Canadian marketing, with Sun Life Financial in Toronto, is proud of. “Any organization that reaches that kind of an anniversary clearly has an awful lot of support.” That support comes in the form of its […]