Green Shield Holdings Inc. is acquiring Inkblot Technologies, a virtual mental-health platform that uses artificial intelligence-assisted technology, network effects and advanced analytics to match patients with counsellors. “Building on our previous . . . digital-health investments and partnerships, the acquisition of Inkblot fits with our strategic objective of increasing access for our clients to leading health services […]
Canadian pension plans saw their funding positions improve on both a solvency and accounting basis in January 2021 compared to December 2020, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest monthly pension report. Generally, the plans’ assets remained stable. But the values of plan liabilities and fixed-income assets fell even as bond yields, especially for long-term and real […]
Employees were increasingly using digital mental-health-care options for years, but the coronavirus pandemic shifted the trend into high gear. Since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic almost one year ago on March 11, 2020, providing some health-care virtually instead of in-person has become the norm. By the end of March 2020, […]
Newfoundland and Labrador residents can now unlock benefits held in locked-in retirement savings arrangements for reasons of financial hardship or non-residency in Canada. The changes are in effect as of March 1 and only affect locked-in retirement savings arrangements such as locked-in retirement accounts, life income funds and locked-in retirement income funds, according to a press […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest mental-health index reveals Canadians’ health and well-being remains relatively unchanged since December’s low of negative 11.8, leading many employees to prioritize their mental and physical health as the coronavirus pandemic persists. Canadians’ mental-health score for January 2021 is negative 11.7, indicating a continued decline in mental health compared to early on […]
In early 2020, many employees had no idea a great wave was on its way. While reports of a novel coronavirus spread around the globe, Canadians were still going about their days as usual — rolling out of bed, getting dressed and hitting the road for yet another humdrum day at the office. By mid-March, […]
For almost a year now, federal and provincial pension regulators have been busily trying to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Regulators have never been more proactive than during COVID-19,” says Mitch Frazer, a pensions and employment law partner at Torys LLP. “They deserve full credit for refusing to live in a bubble and […]
The financial well-being of Canadians has declined over the last year, according to a new survey by Morneau Shepell Ltd. It rated Canadians’ overall financial health as of January 2021 at -2.8, indicating a decline from the previous year. Women reported a lower score (-5.1) than men (-0.6), with male respondents reporting improvement in some […]
As Quebec updates its occupational health and safety legislation, Morneau Shepell is calling for the province to ensure the update stays true to the fundamental principles on which the regime was conceived, while keeping it competitive with other provinces. The company recently released a report on Bill 59, the act to modernize the legislation, and […]
Employee mental health and workplace productivity is worsening as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest mental-health index. “While most of the population has adjusted to new work environments and physical distancing, ongoing economic uncertainties and anxieties related to work and personal life continue to plague Canadians,” said Stephen Liptrap, president […]