COVID-19 cases are dropping and vaccine counts are rising. The economy is reopening and we can expect to be back at the office soon. But the new normal won’t be the old normal. While this might be obvious to many, some leaders don’t understand, thinking the way forward is to simply bring everyone back into […]
Overview Agenda Speakers Activities Post Event Coverage PDF Presentations DC Plan Summit October 6, 2021 | Virtual event Featured speakers Keynote speaker Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, director of financial security research, the National Institute on Ageing, Ryerson University Bonnie-Jeanne is the director of financial security research at the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), Ryerson University (Toronto). She is […]
The aggregate funded ratio for Canadian defined benefit pension plans in the S&P/TSX composite index increased from 94.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 to 95.6 per cent in the second quarter, according to a new report from Aon. It also found pension assets rose by four per cent during the same period. The […]
If there was a Hall of Fame for catastrophic years, 2020 would be a certainty for admission, with Canada among many nations around the globe struggling through a sickening cycle of coronavirus pandemic waves, interrupted only by economic and societal lockdowns. But take a look at the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s […]
When Mercer Canada recently partnered with a vendor on an employee well-being initiative, the human resources team noticed the images included in the materials reflected a stereotypical idea of the traditional family — a heterosexual couple with two children, all Caucasian. “It wasn’t reflective of our population,” says Julie Duchesne, Mercer’s health business leader in […]
The University Pension Plan has appointed Brian Minns as its first managing director of responsible investing. Prior to joining the UPP, Minns spent 10 years working for Addenda Capital Inc, culminating a three-year tenure as its vice-president of sustainable investing. In that role, he was responsible for impact investing and the implementation of environmental, social and […]
Employers are applying several lessons from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to their benefits offerings, particularly the importance of employee well-being and access to virtual health care, says Marie-Josée Le Blanc, a partner and innovation leader at Mercer Canada. “Before the pandemic, there were two types of organizations: those that were doing more to support well-being […]
As employers begin rebuilding the workplace once the coronavirus pandemic recedes, their group benefits plan will be their best tool — and ally — to help employees regain their health and wellness footing, said Jennifer Katzsch, regional vice-president of Western Canada at Desjardins Insurance during Benefits Canada‘s 2021 Benefits & Pension Summit. As with past crises, […]
It all started with a mechanical bull and too much tequila. Mike McClenahan wasn’t initially sold on virtual physiotherapy when he first met with Phzio, a telerehabilitation provider, back in 2018. But after a client’s Christmas party at a country and western bar that involved too much liquid courage, the then-managing partner of Benefits by […]
While solvency funding relief helped Canada’s pension funds withstand the turbulence of 2020, a long-term vision with an eye to a more robust funding framework would offer better support, according to pensions experts. Responding to the crisis, the federal government launched a consultation last fall on measures to alleviate pension solvency funding requirements for defined […]