More than half (54 per cent) of Canadian employers said they’re planning to invest more in digital health solutions in the next five years, according to a new survey by Mercer Marsh Benefits, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. The survey, which polled 100 employers and 1,000 employees in Canada, also found 42 per cent of employees […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring Edmonton-based employee benefits and retirement consulting firm Benefex Consulting Inc. Benefex specializes in group insurance programs, retirement, wellness solutions and special risk coverage. It serves clients in British Columbia, Yukon, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Read: Hub names Canadian benefits leadership team, areas of service “We are excited to add another […]
The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is highlighting new retirement savings options and access to cheaper drugs in its priorities for the Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador provincial budgets. In its submission to Newfoundland’s finance minister, the CLHIA called for the government to make pooled registered pension plans available in the province. Citing Statistics Canada data that […]
SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc. and la Capitale Insurance and Financial Services are combining their operations. The two companies have similar sized and complementary operations, with SSQ Insurance handling group insurance and la Capitale dealing with property and casualty insurance, noted a press release. The combined company’s assets under management are expected to exceed $20 […]
Medavie Blue Cross has appointed Hélène Lavictoire as its Ontario government executive lead. Lavictoire is joining Medavie from Telus Health, where she was a product director and general manager. She also managed a group of public sector programs, including the Ontario drug benefit program. Read: Medavie Blue Cross appoints VP of product, disability management Previously, […]
On Dec. 12, the 2019 Vancouver Mental Health Summit showcased ideas on how to approach mental health in the workplace, including how to remove the stigma of mental illness and what plan sponsors can do to facilitate positive return-to-work transitions. Considering how mental-health support, accommodation is changing Sixty per cent of working Canadians have experienced […]
People don’t often make the association between nutrition and long-term mood, as well as how diet can impact the brain’s function and its structure, according to Charmaine Alexander, senior advisor on Desjardins Insurance’s disability management team. “We know that between the rise of mental illness in our current lifestyle, just as with obesity, maybe what we’re […]
More than three-quarters (76 per cent) of Canadians said the support offered by their employer around mental health is critical to how they view their workplace, according to a new survey by Morneau Shepell Ltd. Speaking at Morneau Shepell’s annual mental-health summit in Toronto on Wednesday, Paula Allen, the organization’s senior vice-president of research, analytics and […]
Over the past three years, 1,525 employers from across Canada have taken part in MindsMatter, CivicAction’s free online workplace mental-health assessment. “MindsMatter has helped neutralize the excuses for employers to take action,” said Sevaun Palvetzian, chief executive officer of CivicAction. “We’ve created an on-ramp and accelerated more supportive workplace culture and practices across Canada.” But […]
Employers should be closely examining the underlying drivers of cost growth in their drug plans, according to a new report by Innovative Medicines Canada. “Typically, [plan sponsors] get their report at the end of the year, they’ll see a cost for their drug plan and they don’t know what’s driving it,” says Joe Farago, the […]