The union representing full-time support workers at Ontario’s 24 public colleges has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes a new mental-health benefit, coverage for medical cannabis and an enhanced bereavement leave. The new mental-health benefit will be added in September 2023, providing plan members with up to $1,750 per year for mental-health services, including […]
A majority of plan sponsors (80 per cent) and plan members (77 per cent) described the quality of their health benefits plans as excellent or good, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. Employers with 500 or more employees (86 per cent) were more likely than those with fewer than 50 employees (72 per […]
A majority (88 per cent) of benefits plan sponsors are very (34 per cent) or somewhat (54 per cent) satisfied with their organization’s virtual health-care offerings, up from nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) in 2021, according to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. More than a quarter of plan sponsors (29 per cent) and plan […]
When workplace dental plans are designed to promote employees’ proactive oral health, it can reduce overall benefits plan expenditures, including the cost of medications. Forty per cent of adults are at high risk of poor oral health, including adults with special needs, people with type 2 diabetes, the elderly or frail and those with mental-health […]
The federal government is aiming to launch the first phase of its national dental-care program on Dec. 1. The program, which will provide dental care for uninsured households earning less than $90,000 annually, will initially provide coverage of up to $650 per year for children aged 12 and younger, according to a press release. The […]
The union representing employees at Glencore’s Raglan Mine in Nunavik, Que. has ratified an agreement that includes benefits gains and increases in paid disability leave. Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of the members of United Steelworkers Local 9449 voted in favour of the five-year agreement, which includes short-term disability coverage of 70 per cent of […]
Ontario’s school support staff are moving toward a strike vote starting Sept. 23 over extended benefits, short-term disability leave and wage increases, among other requests by the workers’ union the Canadian Union of Public Employees. In its initial proposal, the CUPE is asking the government to provide additional funds to cover the increasing costs of […]
An article on Canadian employers increasing salaries and offering remote work to attract talent was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Canadian employers increasing salaries, offering remote work to attract talent: survey 2. Expert panel: How national dental care could impact group benefits […]
There’s no question that Canadians value their private health benefits, even with pharmacare discussions back on the table. In a recent Abacus Data study, 78 per cent of respondents said they feel group benefits plans increase the availability and affordability of health services in Canada, as opposed to undermining universal health coverage. Furthermore, 92 per […]
While the 2022 federal budget proposed funding for national dental care, the plan, as currently understood, lacks universality, would disrupt existing public and private dental care and threatens single-tier health care. According to a recent article in the Harm Reduction Journal, thousands of Canadians needlessly suffer from largely preventable oral conditions, mostly tooth decay and […]