It’s not often that the issues relevant to benefits plans emerge as an area of focus in the political realm. But with votes up for grabs and politicians eager to find any way to harness them, it appears issues of drugs and dental care are moving up the political agenda. In the federal arena, the […]
At Benefits Canada’s Defined Contribution Plan Summit in Montreal in February, member engagement and communication were a clear focus of many of the presentations. Case studies presented at the conference provided a number of solutions. Larry Schmidt, director of human resources at U.S.-based Searles Valley Minerals Inc., noted his company used automatic enrolment and escalation […]
The issue of benefits changes at some Tim Hortons outlets in response to Ontario’s boost to the minimum wage to $14 per hour is a complex one. On the one hand, the level of outrage at a decision by some Tim Hortons locations to cut employee benefits wasn’t a surprise. The move by two locations […]
From brain fog to fatigue, cancer patients face a range of challenges when it comes to staying at or going back to work. And with a significant number of cancer diagnoses happening to people during their prime working years, employers do have a role in supporting employees in dealing with their conditions, a speaker at Benefits Canada‘s […]
While U.S. hedge fund investor and Sears Canada Inc. shareholder Eddie Lampert suggested in a blog post earlier this month that the shortfall in the company’s pension plan isn’t as bad as originally reported, a new report has found that’s not the case. A Feb. 18 report by FTI Consulting Inc., the monitor appointed in the Sears […]
As the new year gets underway, it’s a busy season for predictions about what’s ahead for 2018. When it comes to employer-sponsored drug plans, costs have been a rising concern in recent years. According to projections released by Aon Hewitt in December, costs for extended health-care plans will likely rise by six per cent in […]
With several reasons for both optimism and pessimism about the economy this year, the world appears to be in a state of “stable instability,” an institutional portfolio manager said at an event in Toronto on Wednesday. “I am happy. I’m worried. . . . But I’m nonetheless hopeful,” Blair Reid, an institutional portfolio manager at […]
With the pension woes at Sears Canada Inc. in the spotlight, the political parties have been busy touting their solutions to the defined benefit conundrum. This fall, parliamentarians from both the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party put forth private members’ bills aimed at boosting the priority of pension obligations during bankruptcy and restructuring […]
Panel of economists discuss uncertainty and Canada's prospects for 2018 at Defined Benefit Investment Forum.
From AMPs to SIPPs: Why plan sponsors have a lot on the regulatory plate in 2018.