The female hormonal system is a symphony, according to Kristy Prouse (pictured left), chief medical advisor for women’s health at Science&Humans. It’s “one of the most precisely coordinated biological systems in the human body,” she said, with four phases unfolding over four decades of a woman’s life and most of her working career. But failure […]
Closing the women’s health gap isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a “critical lever” towards addressing Canada’s flagging productivity, said Jennifer Foubert, head of group benefits, product and growth at Manulife Canada. Just over half (55 per cent) of the women’s health gap occurs during their working years. Despite this, 95 per cent […]
Financial stress is an ever-present concern for many employees — among women, it’s even more pronounced. A survey by the Financial Resilience Institute found almost two-thirds (72 per cent) of women said money worries cause them emotional stress, eight percentage points higher than men, while 71 per cent of Canadian women are stressed about not […]
Rising rates of chronic illness among younger people and women are changing the picture of chronic disease in Canada, according to Sun Life data. Forty-five per cent of Canadians now live with a chronic disease, said Alexandra Dalkie, the insurer’s director of ePharmacy, during Benefits Canada’s 2026 Chronic Disease at Work conference. While older Canadians […]
Mental and physical health care have long been treated as separate silos, but there’s a growing recognition in the benefits industry that an integrated, personalized care experience can improve health outcomes, manage chronic disease and reduce “ballooning health spend,” according to Matthew Chow (pictured right), chief mental health officer at Telus Health. “We’re moving employee […]
Democratic nations are facing a host of monumental challenges, including a shifting world order, the rapid spread of misinformation, an aging population and a rapidly warming world. Time is of the essence for Canada to mitigate the impacts of these mega trends, said Andrew Coyne, political journalist with the Globe and Mail, in the keynote […]
With target-date funds now a dominant investment vehicle in Canada’s defined contribution pension landscape, the glide path is the primary determinant of plan members’ outcomes in retirement, according to Farzan Qureshi (pictured left), director of institutional business development, client relationships for Sun Life Global Investments Inc., during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Defined Contribution Investment Forum. Glide […]
After a “Goldlilocks period” of low inflation and economic stability in the 2010s, the coming decades are expected to be marked by a higher cost of living and broader economic turbulence. Defined contribution plan members’ portfolios need to be “structured for this new reality,” said Nicole Lomax, vice-president, director and lead of institutional asset allocation […]
Inconsistency in public health care and private benefits coverage for vision care could be keeping many Canadians from getting their eyes checked regularly, according to Tracy Weng, an optometrist and clinical consultant at Specsavers Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Toronto Benefits Summit. About 60 per cent of Canadians have private insurance and, among that group, […]
With many Canadian employers likely to have employees go on leave related to cancer, one survey suggests they need guidance on how to support those plan members before, during and after their leave, according to Julie Holmes, senior advisor for disability management at Desjardins Insurance, during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Toronto Benefits Summit. The survey, by […]