The union representing 70 employees at Northern Transformer in Vaughan, Ont. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement introduces a group registered retirement savings plan and a deferred profit-sharing plan in which the company will provide a matching contribution of three per cent of regular earnings, capped at […]
While nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of Canadian human resources leaders say employee mental health is an important challenge to manage this year, 48 per cent say their employer’s benefits program doesn’t provide access to a mental-health professional, according to a new survey conducted by Environics Research for Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. Sylvain Beauséjour, vice-president […]
Increased flexibility, enhanced digitization and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion are among the trends shaping 3M Canada’s benefits plan in 2023, says Jacqueline McLennan, a benefits specialist at the company. In particular, 3M’s wellness program offers employees the flexibility to support their personal health and well-being. “We don’t have it narrowed down to only use […]
The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan has added a lead pharmacy consultant to its group life and disability claims team to assist in managing both early intervention and ongoing disability claims. The role, which was introduced in June 2021, creates a collaborative relationship between the pharmacist and the disability management team, providing further support for plan […]
During the coronavirus pandemic, most people were forced to work remotely and create makeshift offices in spaces that weren’t designed for that purpose. The result is a serious impact on musculoskeletal issues. Dr. Ayla Azad, interim chief executive officer of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, says remote and hybrid work are having a major effect on […]
Ontario-based pension plan sponsors can help reduce the number of missing plan members by examining their communications strategies and maintaining best practices in record keeping and data management, says Caroline Blouin, executive vice-president of pensions at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. “As an employer, there is an opportunity to provide some education and […]
It’s important for employers to maintain workplace benefits during a challenging economic environment in order to provide stability for employees, says Avinash Maniram, group and health-care consultant at PBI Actuarial Consultants Ltd. “During challenging economic times, employees and their families are already facing a lot of uncertainty with [the] rising costs of bills and everything […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association will now be working with participating insurers to collaborate on joint investigations into suspected benefits fraud schemes. This initiative builds on last year’s launch of a CLHIA-supported program that uses advanced artificial intelligence to identify fraudulent activity across a vast industry pool of claims data. “We’ve been working […]
The union representing 750 mining workers at Mosaic Potash Esterhazy Ltd. in Esterhazy, Sask. has ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement includes a .25 per cent increase in employer contributions to the company’s defined contribution pension plan, while members of the defined benefit pension plan will receive a monthly increase […]
Enbridge Inc. is making steady progress on workforce representation goals that it established after signing the BlackNorth Initiative pledge in 2020. Since then, the energy company has increased workforce representation of specific ethnic and racial groups to 23 per cent, towards a goal of 28 per cent by 2025. It’s also aiming to increase board […]