Latest news in Disability management

Flexible return-to-work policies crucial for cancer survivors

Flexible return-to-work policies crucial for cancer survivors

By the year 2031, 2.2 million Canadians will be living with cancer, with 40 per cent between the ages of 20 and 65 — the…

Fidelity Canada touts preventative, life-sustaining benefits plans

Fidelity Canada touts preventative, life-sustaining benefits plans

When it comes to benefits plan management, each case is individual, said Diana Godfrey, senior vice-president of human resources and corporate at Fidelity Canada, during…

Ignoring psychosocial oncology can be costly for organizations

Ignoring psychosocial oncology can be costly for organizations

When a person experiences a cancer diagnosis and undergoes treatment, it can be one of the most distressing experiences they can go through, so it’s…

Webinar: Coronavirus: What do employers need to know?

Webinar: Coronavirus: What do employers need to know?

With the coronavirus pandemic rapidly evolving, the global employment landscape is facing unprecedented challenges. Looking at short-term disability programs, benefits plans, human resources policies and…

Sounding Board: When is coronavirus considered work-related?

Sounding Board: When is coronavirus considered work-related?

With the World Health Organization declaring the novel coronavirus a pandemic, Canadian employers should prepare for the worst and plan how to respond to various…

How are insurers working with plan sponsors amid coronavirus pandemic?

How are insurers working with plan sponsors amid coronavirus pandemic?

The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association has been conducting weekly calls with its members since mid-January to discuss issues around the ongoing coronavirus crisis,…

Morneau Shepell selling benefits consulting business to Hub

Morneau Shepell Ltd. is selling its benefits consulting business to Hub International Ltd. The benefits component of Morneau Shepell’s consulting business, which represents about three…

  • By: Staff
  • March 2, 2020 November 23, 2020
  • 09:55

Arbitrability of LTD claims in Ontario’s hospital sector heading to Supreme Court

The issue of whether long-term disability claims are arbitrable or matters for the court, which has plagued Ontario’s hospital sector for over a quarter of…

Sun Life facing proposed LTD benefits class-action lawsuit

A former federal government employee is launching a proposed $10-million class action lawsuit against Sun Life over how the insurer calculated cost-of-living increases on long-term disability benefits…

Insurers advised to change LTD practices affecting small employers

An Ontario group benefits advisor is calling on Canadian insurers to change a long-term disability practice that adversely affects employees at small companies. Dave Patriarche,…

Editorial: Hands off my massage benefits!

Since my last two editorials have targeted issues around pension plan design and retirement readiness, I’m balancing things out this month by turning my attention…

How can plan sponsors work out the kinks in paramedical coverage?

Historically, Epcor Utilities Inc. provided employees with $1,000 in annual coverage for each paramedical service, ranging from massage therapists, physiotherapists and chiropractors to speech therapists,…

How should Canadian employers be responding to the coronavirus?

How should Canadian employers be responding to the coronavirus?

With three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Canada, 40 potential cases under investigation and the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public…

Conference coverage: 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit

Conference coverage: 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit

On Dec. 12, the 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit showcased ideas on how to approach mental health in the workplace, including how to remove the…

Considering how mental-health support, accommodation is changing

Considering how mental-health support, accommodation is changing

Sixty per cent of working Canadians have experienced a mental-health issue, an increase from 52 per cent in 2017, according to Sun Life’s 2019 barometer survey.…

A look at ROI benefits of employee mental-health programs

A look at ROI benefits of employee mental-health programs

Workplace mental-health programs can demonstrate a huge return on investment for an organization’s bottom line, as well as reducing absenteeism and presenteeism, said Nir Yahav,…

Stigma, coverage barriers preventing proper treatment of migraine

Stigma, coverage barriers preventing proper treatment of migraine

While 2.7 million Canadians suffer from migraine, the condition can be subdivided based on its frequency, said Dr. Esma Dilli, neurologist and clinical assistant professor…

What tools can employers use to address employees’ sleep concerns?

What tools can employers use to address employees’ sleep concerns?

While insomnia is a disorder, it’s just as commonly a symptom, which most people and physicians don’t grasp, said Dr. Atul Khullar, medical director at…

Training, integration and results crucial for company mental-health initiatives

Training, integration and results crucial for company mental-health initiatives

Mental health isn’t fight club — it can be talked about, said Sean Raible, principal consultant at Game Plan Total Rewards, during Benefits Canada’s 2019…

CAMH releases workplace mental-health guide

CAMH releases workplace mental-health guide

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has released a guide advising companies on how they can support employees facing mental-health challenges. The guide, which…

Employees at Ontario steelmaker gain benefits improvements with new contract

Employees at Ontario steelmaker gain benefits improvements with new contract

Employees at steelmaker Ivaco Rolling Mills Ltd. in L’Orignal. Ont. have ratified new collective agreements that include improvements to their wages and benefits. About 400…

  • By: Staff
  • January 14, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15
Morneau Shepell to test meditation headband in employee wellness programs

Morneau Shepell to test meditation headband in employee wellness programs

Morneau Shepell Ltd. is teaming up with Interaxon Inc. to test meditation-aid technology for use in workplace well-being programs. Interaxon makes the Muse meditation headband, a research-grade electroencephalography…

  • By: Staff
  • January 13, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
Mat leave returnees no longer facing reset of LTD pre-existing clause

Mat leave returnees no longer facing reset of LTD pre-existing clause

Major Canadian insurers are no longer resetting the long-term disability pre-existing condition clause for women whose benefits coverage lapsed during their maternity leave when they return…

Conference coverage: 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit

Conference coverage: 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit

On Nov. 29, the 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit featured sessions on how employers can approach mental health in the workplace, including removing the stigma and…

Treatment access, innovation integral to supporting employee mental health

Treatment access, innovation integral to supporting employee mental health

Mental-health symptomology — such as difficulty concentrating, feelings of isolation and lack of motivation — is incredibly impactful in the workplace and makes it difficult…