A red flag goes up for Dan Mead whenever an orthotics customer comes into his clinic asking about getting free shoes. “Clearly, we do see the issue, because patients do come in to our office, just speaking anecdotally . . . and you can tell what they’re looking for,” says Mead, a certified prosthetist and […]
The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal’s recent ruling that it’s unconstitutional for plan sponsors to discontinue benefits for employees after the age of 65 represents a fundamental shift for employers, according to one labour and employment lawyer. “Previously, the Human Rights Tribunal would not enforce any discrimination issues if employers were to cut off benefits at […]
Alongside its financial impact, extreme weather takes a toll on absenteeism, mental health and disability claims, according to a new study by the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo. The research, funded by Manulife Financial Corp. and Intact Financial Corp., looked at homeowners in Burlington, Ont., after a storm in August 2014 left […]
Walmart Inc. is introducing an education benefit for its employees in the United States and Puerto Rico, allowing workers to pursue degrees in business and supply chain management. “We’ve been very deliberate about our investment in our associates over the past few years,” wrote Erica Jones, senior manager of corporate communications, in an email to […]
However, CUPE has reservations about suggested changes.
As part of a comprehensive plan review, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System is looking at a number of changes, including to indexing provisions. While a plan executive is offering a more nuanced version of the issue, the Canadian Union of Public Employees union is sounding the alarm about possible changes. Read: Boosted by public equities, […]
Cubic Health Inc. has introduced a risk management program aimed at helping plan sponsors with the many considerations for covering medical marijuana in their benefits plans. The program uses claims data from the past two or three years to provide evidence-based education that’s tailored to a plan sponsor’s industry and workforce. It also includes a tailored risk assessment for each benefits plan that […]
As lobbying efforts intensify to keep Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ employees in the public service pension, plans are moving ahead to convert a multi-union, multi-employer plan into a target-benefit arrangement. Collective agreements ratified in September 2015 between the United Steelworkers union and CNL state that employees hired before that date would stay in the public plan until September 2018, […]
As the legalization of cannabis in Canada approaches, League Inc. has introduced a toolkit to help employers solidify their human resources policies. The free resource, which is available on the company’s website, includes three components along with a webinar. “Basically, it includes a policy template,” says Lori Casselman, health advisor at League. “The template really […]
It’s a familiar scene for many workers: you’re sitting at your desk, your neck is tight, your stomach feels funny and you’re feeling the telltale signs of stress. How do you combat it? The Canadian Mental Health Association has come up with some strategies through its workplace mental-health program, Not Myself Today. Many of its […]