The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec posted a return of 7.7 per cent in 2020, below its benchmark index of 9.2 per cent as the investment fund plans changes to its portfolio in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The investment fund’s performance was dragged down by real estate investments, which suffered during the pandemic. […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System’s portfolio lost 2.7 per cent, net of expenses, last year as the coronavirus pandemic hammered its investments. According to the pension fund, widespread lockdowns in investments that included retail properties and the transportation and entertainment sectors explained more than half of the shortfall to its benchmark for the year. […]
The federal government is adding extra weeks of income support for employees who are feeling ill or have to isolate, unemployed workers and parents at home with children due to the pandemic. The government plans to add 12 weeks of eligibility to the $500-per-week Canada Recovery Benefit and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit, raising the maximum number […]
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is hiring Dr. Tammy McKnight as its first chief medical officer. According to a press release, McKnight will develop and implement initiatives related to the health and well-being of the organization’s employees and customers, as well as advise on risk mitigation and make recommendations around complying with health guidelines around the world. Previously, […]
Alberta Health Services is enhancing its employee assistance program with new mental-health resources for members. The new offerings are the result of a partnership between EAP provider Homewood Health Inc. and headversity, a mental-health and resilience platform, according to a press release, which noted the program reaches 250,000 users in Western Canada. Read: Sun Life […]
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, […]
San Francisco-based business software maker Salesforce says it will let most of its employees work from home permanently after the coronavirus pandemic, for at least part of the week. Other major tech companies such as Facebook Inc., Shopify Inc., Twitter Inc. and Google have made similar announcements of plans to adopt flexible-working policies. This means employees will […]
Scotiabank is renewing its lease for up to 1.1 million square feet of space in two buildings, including the iconic Scotia Plaza, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, which is owned and operated by the Alberta Investment Management Corp. and KingSett Capital Inc. The bank has renewed 560,000 square feet of space in Scotia […]
A recent change to British Columbia employment law is making it easier for workers to claim compensation related to a coronavirus infection. Last August, B.C. added the coronavirus to its list of occupational illnesses, which means employees who contract the disease and make a claim don’t have to prove it occurred at their workplace if […]