Starbucks Canada is partnering with Morneau Shepell Ltd. to make LifeWorks available to all 24,000 Canadian employees and their family members. The digital wellness platform and app offers access to critical support services including uncapped, short-term 24/7 counselling sessions and financial advice. It also includes rewards and recognition, proactive advice and learning modules and assessment tools. […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System’s growth equity arm is leading a $66 million Series D funding round for American online learning company Skillshare Inc. With more than 12 million registered members and 8,000 teachers, the company offers online classes in different creative areas, such as graphic design and photography, through a community-based model. To […]
EQ Care is forming a partnership with RWAM Insurance Administrators Inc. with the aim of facilitating access to virtual health-care services. RWAM, a Canadian third-party administrator of group insurance benefits, offers services including medical consulting sessions, triage and medication prescribing. Read: EQ Care, myHSA enter agreement expanding access to telemedicine Virtual health-care services could be […]
The Canadian chapter of the Alternative Investment Management Association is forming its new 2020-22 executive committee. Belle Kaura, vice-president of legal and chief compliance officer at Third Eye Capital, will remain chair for a second term, joined by Rob Lemon, executive director of the prime services group at CIBC Capital Markets, as deputy chair, who was […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec had a challenging first half of 2020, posting a negative 2.3 per cent return. However, the pension fund remains in a strong financial position, according to president and chief executive officer Charles Emond, holding assets of more than $333 billion and with an 8.7 per cent annualized return over […]
British Columbia’s new health tax will cost the average worker nearly $3,000 a year in foregone wages, according to a new study released by the Fraser Institute. The health tax, which began gradually phasing out B.C.’s medical services plan premiums in January 2019, applies to employers with annual payrolls of $500,000 or more. In a […]
The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario is investing in an affordable housing fund to build apartments in Toronto and Vancouver. The IMCO is committing $60 million to the Kingsett Affordable Housing LP Fund, managed by Kingsett Capital Inc. The investment comes as vacancy rates in both cities continue to decline due to unaffordability and lack of […]
In its submission to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board’s draft guidelines, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is suggesting that the board consider disbursing excess revenues from pharmaceutical companies to employers rather than just to the provincial and territorial public payers. Currently, any excess revenues — determined by voluntary compliance undertaking or orders […]
With financial worries swirling through the minds of many employees as the economic impacts of the pandemic rage, some segments of employee populations may be feeling worse about their finances than others and it’s important for employers to be able to discern who’s struggling the most, according to a new report from U.S.-based think tank Financial […]
U.S. public pension funds can expect to see hurdles from the coronavirus crisis similar to those experienced in past recessions, according to a new report by Cerulli Associates. In the past two recessions, public plans saw a decrease in their funded statuses. “According to survey data gathered form the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, […]