When Nikelle Inman started a new job coaching first-generation college students, she looked forward to meeting with them one-on-one to talk about how to surmount obstacles and find resources to succeed. Instead, she and her fellow success coaches at a community college in North Carolina spent a year mired in paperwork, tasked with reviewing applications […]
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is supporting employers with a new resource that focuses on the importance of early and proactive retirement planning. The resource covers several topics, such as how to build emergency funds while balancing short-term obligations with long-term goals, as well as developing sustainable retirement income strategies using personal savings, employer-sponsored retirement […]
The cumulative cost of mental illness is estimated to reach $2.5 trillion by 2041, according to a report by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation. The coronavirus pandemic led many to seek out help, which subsequently increased mental-health costs. “We saw people who were obviously quite isolated,” says Dr. Donna Ferguson, a clinical […]
An article on a series of court cases dealing with remote working arrangements in Quebec was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Quebec’s approach to remote workers’ rights holds lessons for other provinces: lawyer 2. How […]
When the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, companies across Canada scrambled to shift their employees to home setups. For the dozen or so staff at Edmonton-based technology company Punchcard Systems, the new reality meant figuring out new patterns of how to communicate as they would have at their downtown office. […]
In the five years since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus pandemic, Canadian benefits plan sponsors have adapted their offerings and continue to apply many of the lessons learned over the course of the health crisis. Chris Zelasko, president of Peak Benefit Solutions Inc. says while his plan sponsor clients initially focused on the […]
While the coronavirus pandemic is in the world’s rearview mirror, institutional investors are continuing to navigate a post-recovery period rife with uncertainty. Indeed, five years after the World Health Organization declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020, world markets are contending with a host of new challenges, including a raging Russia-Ukraine war, a budding tariff […]
Most Canadian benefits plan sponsors (89 per cent) and members (73 per cent) agree their workplace environment supports mental wellness, according to the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. On the converse, about a quarter (27 per cent) of plan members disagreed. Despite the mostly positive perspectives, a quarter is still a significant portion of the […]
Nova Scotia says the first phase of its long-promised universal mental health-care program will begin this spring, with therapy costs covered by the province for people with anxiety and mood disorders. Brian Comer, minister of mental health and addictions, made the announcement Wednesday, saying that soon Nova Scotians will be able to self-refer to a […]
Despite the turbulent environment shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, aggressive interest rate hikes and liquidity issues, institutional investors taking a long-term perspective can uncover strong opportunities in the real estate market. Speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Defined Benefit Investment Forum, Alexandra Katz, managing partner and head of institutional sales at Hazelview Investments, highlighted […]