Tom Milne is a senior communications consultant and creative director at Eckler Ltd.
These are the views of the author and not necessarily those of Benefits Canada.
Tom Milne is a senior communications consultant and creative director at Eckler Ltd.
These are the views of the author and not necessarily those of Benefits Canada.
It’s often said perception is reality and that’s definitely true when it comes to benefits plans. If employees can’t easily perceive the value in their benefits package then it’s up to the employer to make it clearer. That’s where branding comes in. A lot of people — even those in branding — struggle to define […]
How long is your attention span? Be honest and think back to the last time you received an email about your employee benefits and didn’t tune out just a little bit. Now think about your intended audience and where their heads are at these days. The reality is, most people now have an attention span […]
In a recent case, the Ontario Superior Court found an employee failed to mitigate damages when he refused a return-to-work offer from his employer, with whom he…
Many of the changes that were introduced to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act in January 2018 were short-lived, as the province’s new government elected in June…
With the legalization of recreational cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018, employers have been preparing to answer questions about whether their current benefits plans should provide…
In a recent decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found an employer didn’t constructively dismiss a long-service employee when it provided her with 18 months…
On Oct. 17, 2018, it will be legal to purchase and consume recreational cannabis in Canada. In a recent survey of Mercer’s employer clients and Canadian employees, we found…
Some organizations are unique. Their employees are genuinely excited to be at work and an undercurrent of energy and vitality permeates the air. They’ve transformed the…
While many Canadian organizations continue to search for solutions to rising health-care costs, most are falling short. That’s why they must investigate any opportunity to find…
Macroeconomic trends such as longer lives, a lack of access to pensions and retirement supports, a low-growth environment, and persistent lack of financial literacy and…
As many employees struggle with mental-health issues during these tumultuous times, internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy is one tool that may help them bounce back. Employers…
On average, one in three Canadians will be disabled for 90 days or more at least once before they reach age 65, according to the…
Plan sponsors are faced with competing offers by insurance carriers, group managing general agents and third-party administrators, as each group promotes their own unique, yet…
While the move to more defined contribution-style health benefits plans provides greater clarity and flexibility to plan sponsors, it would be natural to wonder whether or…
Over the past several months, much attention has been paid to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on financial markets and, subsequently, defined benefit pension plans’ financial conditions…
In January 2020, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries released final changes to the actuarial standards of practice for calculating commuted values, with the changes scheduled…
A retiree whose retirement savings are primarily in a registered savings plan, such as a life income fund or registered retirement income fund, already faces…
The holiday season is a time to reflect on the events of 2019 and how they may affect trends in the year to come. I…
As Canadians watch the U.S. reopen with life returning to normal in various stages, in addition to thoughts of attending sporting events, concerts and gathering…
As coronavirus cases rise across the country and some return-to-work plans become return-to-home plans, many employers are wondering how to help their employees adapt once again…
The coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive for all and sadly, devastating and difficult for many. In the pandemic’s early days, we saw a great deal…
The beginning of a new year is a great time for employers to reflect on their benefits plans and take steps to get in ahead of potential challenges.…
As the era of cap rate compression draws to a close, how can institutional investors maintain the outsized returns they’ve enjoyed for over a decade?…
For most Canadians, it’s been well over a year since most of the country went into its first lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. I…
The recent announcement that General Motors of Canada Co. purchased $1.8 billion of annuities for its salaried pension plan is creating a lot of excitement.…
Much has been written about how 2020 was unprecedented, challenging and exhausting — take your pick of adjectives. It was also a white-knuckle ride for…
Defined benefit pension plan sponsors who are interested in better pension risk management for their retirees have two main strategies to consider: They can either…
At the time of my last column in May, many pension plan sponsors were catching their breath after watching funding levels take a roller coaster…
It’s likely that investors seeking the potential higher returns and the lower downside risks of private equity in their diversified portfolios already know that, historically,…
We are now in Month 14 of the coronavirus pandemic. For institutional investors like pension plans, this pandemic and its consequences highlight the reality of…
Sir John Templeton once said, “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism and die on euphoria.” He was describing the…
Investment management is an unusual business in that it doesn’t typically offer customers their money back if they’re unsatisfied with the product or service. This…
US equities have dominated their global peers over the past decade. As of 30 June, the S&P 500 had returned 14.5 per cent per annum…
The novel coronavirus pandemic has been an enormous human tragedy and its ultimate impact on the global economy remains impossible to predict. For many companies,…
While decumulation is a critical aspect of retirement, in my opinion, it doesn’t attract enough attention. Decumulation is the process of drawing down a capital…
Why fee reviews are an important step for plan sponsors
How the benefit shrinks with age and what that means for retirement security
Sponsors need to understand their responsibilities to minimize potential litigation.
Mike Tyson’s one liner “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” comes to mind when I think of the predicament central…
Is Canada's underwhelming market performance Trudeau's fault?
Why value investing works for university foundations.
How a generation has shaped the new economy.
On the heels of the World Health Organization declaring the novel coronavirus a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, Canada’s federal government rolled out several…
In June, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Uber Technologies Inc. v Heller, dismissing an appeal of a decision by the Ontario…
The COVID-19 pandemic has created many complicated issues for employers. Prudent employers should ensure they’re aware of the resources that may be available during this…
Pension governance policies have been common for many years, at least since the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities published its initial guidelines on pension…
Employers that act as pension plan administrators have statutory fiduciary duties that are defined by the plan documents and by governing pension legislation. While those duties…
An important case around an employer’s ability to change its practice in granting consent benefits under a pension plan is winding its way through the courts. The…
While 2018 ushered in a number of significant changes to Ontario’s pension legislation, including a major revamping of the funding rules for defined benefit plans,…
United States 10-year bond yields have risen substantially from their lows of 0.50 per cent last summer, hitting 1.6 per cent by late February. Canadian…
Canada’s green bond market has been growing, but investors would benefit from digging a little deeper to ensure what they’re buying is in fact green…
When the coronavirus prompted a collapse in both economic activity and equity markets in March, it put an end to the longest bull market in…
There has been a lot of buzz about negative interest rates lately, as the idea that you would have to pay governments to borrow your…
More Canadian employers should consider target-benefit pension plans for their employees these days. The model is gaining steam. In mid-December, 2020, the Quebec legislator signed into…
It’s often said perception is reality and that’s definitely true when it comes to benefits plans. If employees can’t easily perceive the value in their…
How long is your attention span? Be honest and think back to the last time you received an email about your employee benefits and didn’t…
Any do-it-yourself handyman’s toolbox isn’t complete without a roll a flexible multi-purpose cloth adhesive that has unlimited uses — a.k.a. duct tape. It’s been used…
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, technology was blurring the lines between work and home life. An unhealthy attachment to our mobile phones made it easy…
In the midst of the most significant socio-economic and health crisis since WWII — and maybe even longer — virtually every aspect of modern society has been…
In employee benefits plans, maximums and caps on prescription drug dispensing fees are common cost management features. These features are designed to nudge plan members to…
Last year offered up one of most tempestuous investment environments in recent memory, and this year looks to be equally dynamic. It will be increasingly…
We won’t soon forget 2020. This tumultuous year was characterized by a global pandemic, lockdowns around the world, spiking unemployment levels and business failures. Increasing…
\Over the course of the last 15 years we have seen an increase in the number of frozen corporate defined benefit plans in Canada. Frozen…
Over the last few years we have seen numerous First Nations’ settlements with the government. The amounts of these settlements are typically large and can,…