Although a national pharmacare strategy seems elusive, the Ontario government is making a fairly aggressive investment in that area by spending $465 million to boost its provincial drug coverage by covering residents under age 25 and from 65 onwards. The program, known as OHIP+, begins Jan. 1, 2018. Children and youth under age 25 will by automatically eligible […]
Laugh and the world laughs with you, right? OK, maybe not the world, but what about the workplace? Research has shown humour helps relieve the negative effects of stress, such as tension and anxiety, that can and do surface in the workplace. Other studies show humour can help spur creativity. But work is serious business, […]
ArcelorMittal Dofasco, ESIT Advanced Solutions Inc. and Toronto-Dominion Bank are among the companies named as top employers for Canadians over 40. The 2018 list, part of Canada’s Top 100 Employers project run by Mediacorp Canada Inc., looked at what employers are doing to respond to an aging workforce with more people working later in their careers and […]
Great-West Life Assurance Co. has partnered with digital health-care provider Dialogue to offer its virtual health-care platform as part of its group benefits plans. The platform, which can be accessed through a mobile app or website, is open to employers in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. The insurer says the impetus for the pilot was the need […]
While Allstate Insurance Co. of Canada provides several financial education and information sessions to employees throughout the year, it’s focusing on the importance of financial literacy this November to align its offerings with Canada’s Financial Literacy Month. “Financial wellness is actually a key component of our healthy workplace strategy at Allstate,” says Adrianne Sullivan-Campeau, the organization’s vice-president of human resources. Read: Just […]
Plan sponsors may have the best intentions of keeping members engaged with their pension or benefits communications, but it’s easy to miss the mark. Here are three common communications mistakes and tips to help avoid them. 1. Choosing the wrong media (or just one): Plan sponsors will often say, “Our members aren’t on social media,” or, […]
More than 80 per cent of Canadian employees would be interested in an employer-provided financial education program, according to a new survey by the Canadian Payroll Association. The survey, published during Financial Literacy Month, indicates that Canadians are dealing with increased financial stress, and that 50 per cent feel it affects their on-the-job performance. “Financial stress […]
Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of Canadian employers feel they have a responsibility to help their employees with their financial wellness, according to a new survey by the Conference Board of Canada. However, just one-fifth of employer respondents have a formal comprehensive financial wellness strategy in place, while an additional 37 per cent provide several programs that aren’t […]
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 trust in financial markets are creating a significant retirement savings gap between what people require in retirement and what they’ve actually saved. This is a global issue. But in Canada alone, […]
The Canadian government will discontinue the Canada savings bond and Canada premium bonds program on Nov. 1, 2017. While existing bonds will continue as usual until they mature or the purchaser redeems them, the option of buying them through a payroll savings program will now be off the table. The program reached peak popularity in the 1980s, but […]