It has been a confusing week for employers following tax guidance from the Canada Revenue Agency aimed at helping them interpret their tax obligations around employee discounts. While initial reports suggested the government would be taxing employee discounts, a spokesperson for National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said Wednesday afternoon the government was pulling back the new language pending further […]
Canadian digital benefits platform League Inc. is adding a number of insurance partners in order to expand its benefits offering in Canada and the United States. The new carriers include RBC Insurance Services Inc., AETNA Inc., Humana Inc., Cigna, United HealthCare Services Inc. and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. “We’re not trying to rebuild everything,” says Andrew Dubowec, vice-president of […]
For those who aren’t accountants, it’s likely quite difficult to determine who’s right in the ongoing debate between the Ontario government and the province’s auditor general over how to treat public pension plan surpluses in the annual budget. So what’s the debate actually about? Considering the surpluses in the Ontario Teachers’ and Ontario Public Service […]
After having a chance to digest the parliamentary budget officer’s report projecting that a universal pharmacare program could represent $4.2 billion in savings for Canada, some believe it’s time to end the debate and take action. Elizabeth Kwan, a senior researcher at the Canadian Labour Congress, certainly believes so. “We need an all-out, all-Canadian effort to put […]
North America is leading the way in the adoption of factor allocations by institutional investors, according to Invesco Ltd.’s annual global factor investing study. Predominantly driven by public sector pension plans and insurers, institutional investors in North America have increased their allocations to factor strategies to 19 per cent this year. That compares to 16 […]
A universal pharmacare program could represent savings of $4.2 billion, according to a new report published by the parliamentary budget officer. The report, which followed a request by the House of Commons’ standing committee on health, estimated the level of savings that would result from a national program covering drugs included on Quebec’s public formulary. Of […]
With the world in flux amid rising concerns about hurricanes, flooding and wildfires, how will institutional investors rise to the challenges climate change presents? And what opportunities exist along the way? Understanding physical risk Climate change affects every industry worldwide, says Sanjay Wagle, managing director at the Lightsmith Group, an investment firm focused on environmental, […]
A move by several banks to set up shop in Ireland recently could be the first sign of some of the economic opportunities Britain’s exit from the European Union will bring to the island, an economist suggests. For Britain’s financial services sector, Brexit will mean an end to the ability to do business in any country in […]
Pension plans have developed an appetite for real assets in recent years, but what does the term actually include? In response to demands from asset managers for more information about real assets, the S&P Dow Jones Indices created a benchmark index for the area in 2015, said Jodie Gunzberg, the organization’s managing director of product management. “We […]
With some Canadians still reluctant to talk about mental-health issues, should employers include internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy as a way to facilitate access to psychological services? For employees already nervous about admitting their mental-health challenges in a workplace setting, accessing cognitive behavioural therapy online could provide a degree of anonymity that would help them make […]