Latest news in Benefits Canada Archive

Quebec applies pension relief measures, extends credit on employer contributions to health services fund

Quebec is applying new pension relief measures and is also extending the credit on employer contributions to the health services fund. The pension relief measures,…

  • By: Staff
  • August 19, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 15:15
Value of assets in trusteed pension funds down 3.3% in Q1: Stats Can

Value of assets in trusteed pension funds down 3.3% in Q1: Stats Can

The value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds fell 3.3 per cent to $2.02 trillion in the first quarter of 2020, according to…

  • By: Staff
  • August 19, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 10:45
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How resilient were bond funds in the face of coronavirus?

Market turmoil caused by the coronavirus served as a real-life test for bond funds and their liquidity, according to a new paper from the Bank…

  • By: Staff
  • August 19, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 10:42

NL case involving employer duty to accommodate medical cannabis sent back to arbitration

The Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal has found a labour arbitrator failed to properly analyze an employer’s efforts to accommodate an employee taking medical…

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The green shoots of Canada’s green bond market

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…

Navacord Corp. acquiring PEI-based group benefits provider

Navacord Corp. is acquiring Cooke Capital, a group benefits plan provider based in Prince Edward Island, effective Aug. 13, 2020. The partnership aims to combine…

  • By: Staff
  • August 18, 2020 November 24, 2020
  • 15:20

Ontario Teachers’ invests in supply chain tech, announces CFO to retire

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is leading a US$50-million series C funding round for Calgary-based 3D robotics supply chain company Attabotics Inc. The pension fund is making…

  • By: Staff
  • August 18, 2020 January 20, 2021
  • 15:15
Best Buy helping staff work out from home with virtual fitness classes

Best Buy helping staff work out from home with virtual fitness classes

Best Buy Canada Ltd. has had a well-used on-site gym at its Burnaby, B.C. head office for a decade. But when employees started working from…

Is it time for employers to take a look at voluntary benefits?

Voluntary benefits are the ‘choose your own adventure’ of the insurance world. For readers who remember and enjoyed those novels, they felt empowered by their…

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Finance Minister Bill Morneau resigns, plans to run for head of OECD

The only finance minister to serve under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suddenly resigned Monday night, saying someone else should guide the country through a long…

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New research finds asset owners largely satisfied with pandemic performance

The vast majority of investors (82 per cent) are satisfied with how their portfolios performed in the first half of 2020, despite some weak results…

  • By: Les Marton
  • August 18, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 07:43
Manulife names new head of Canadian operations

Manulife names new head of Canadian operations

Manulife Financial Corp. is appointing Sarah Miller Wright as head of Canadian operations. Miller Wright’s role will be to continue Manulife Canada’s work to reimagine…

  • By: Staff
  • August 17, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:25
Guardian Capital acquiring majority interest in U.S. investment manager

Guardian Capital acquiring majority interest in U.S. investment manager

Guardian Capital Group Ltd. is acquiring a 70 per cent interest in U.S.-based investment management firm Agincourt Capital Management. The acquisition, which is expected to…

  • By: Staff
  • August 17, 2020 February 23, 2021
  • 15:00
IIAC calling for retirement savings, EI reform in federal budget

IIAC calling for retirement savings, EI reform in federal budget

The Investment Industry Association of Canada is calling on the federal government to make improvements to tax-assisted retirement savings programs, modernize the country’s employment insurance…

  • By: Staff
  • August 17, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 08:45
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Where did institutional equity investors turn in coronavirus crash?

During the coronavirus market crash, U.S. stocks with higher institutional ownership experienced worse performance, especially those held by active, short-term and domestic institutions, according to…

  • By: Staff
  • August 17, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 08:40
CPPIB sees 5.6% return for first fiscal quarter

CPPIB sees 5.6% return for first fiscal quarter

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board posted a 5.6 per cent net return for its first 2021 fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, 2020. The…

  • By: Staff
  • August 14, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15

Ontario court rules again for employees in CIBC overtime class action

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has issued additional reasons for judgment in a long-running unpaid overtime class action lawsuit against Canadian Imperial Bank of…

  • By: Staff
  • August 14, 2020 December 2, 2020
  • 15:15

Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre introduces DB pension amid pandemic

While many Canadians likely started the year worried about retirement savings as the markets were ravaged by the coronavirus fallout, some employers continued to introduce…

Nunavut government staff object to using vacation for self-isolation on return from holiday

Nunavut government staff object to using vacation for self-isolation on return from holiday

Members of the Nunavut Employees Union are taking issue with the requirement they use vacation time to self-isolate if they visit other provinces. The territorial…

NDP motion calls for transitioning CERB into guaranteed basic income

NDP motion calls for transitioning CERB into guaranteed basic income

A member of parliament from the New Democratic Party is introducing a motion to convert the Canada Emergency Response Benefit into a guaranteed livable basic…

  • By: Staff
  • August 14, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:10
Budget watchdog says wage subsidy program may cost less than predicted

Budget watchdog says wage subsidy program may cost less than predicted

Canada’s official fiscal watchdog says the federal wage subsidy program may cost $14 billion less than the government predicted. A new report by Parliamentary Budget…

Editorial: Company culture in the age of coronavirus

Editorial: Company culture in the age of coronavirus

Company culture is a common term, but what does it actually mean? Though it’s one of those non-tangible concepts that can be difficult to put…

Sprout acquiring Calgary-based predictive health-data analytics provider

Toronto-based digital well-being solutions provider Sprout is acquiring Calgary-based predictive health-data analytics company Vivametrica Ltd. Vivametrica analyzes, measures and predicts health risks, potential outcomes and…

  • By: Staff
  • August 14, 2020 November 24, 2020
  • 09:00
Head to head: What shape will global economic recovery take?

Head to head: What shape will global economic recovery take?

As the global economy slogs through one of the most dire situations in living memory, some predict it will bounce right back to its old…

How Corteva Agriscience Canada transformed its culture after a merger

Formed a year ago through a merger and a spin off, Corteva Agriscience Canada is using change as an opportunity to redefine what it means…