While a national pharmacare program is likely to come with a tax hike, will that cost be balanced out by savings on prescription drugs and private drug spending? In a presentation to be delivered Friday to provincial and territorial premiers, former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page is expected to be straightforward about the costs of a cross-country, publicly […]
RBC Insurance is rolling out a free wellness program for its group benefits plan sponsors with health coverage. The digital program features health risk assessments, a newsfeed with content tailored to plan members, peer-to-peer recognition, personal and corporate challenges and progress-based incentives and rewards such as retail discounts. The program, which also syncs with wearable […]
Hourly workers at Compass Minerals International Inc.’s mine in Goderich, Ont. have voted in favour of a new collective agreement that allows them to maintain their previous pension and benefits. The vote, by members of Unifor Local 16-O, has put an end to a 12-week strike at the salt mine. The three-year deal also includes a 2.5 […]
Former federal budget watchdog Kevin Page will deliver a blunt message to premiers this week about the costs of a future national pharmacare program: if Canadians want one, taxes will have to go up. Page, who now heads a University of Ottawa think tank, will walk through the numbers Friday when he gives a presentation […]
Morneau Shepell Inc. is acquiring employee assistance program and wellness provider LifeWorks Corp. Ltd. for about $426 million. “This acquisition is aligned with Morneau Shepell’s global growth strategy as well as our focus on technology innovations to create added value for our clients and their employees,” said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer of Morneau Shepell, […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring two more Canadian companies as it rolls out its strategy for expanding its employee benefits and pension business in Canada. “We decided a few years ago that one of the key strategic initiatives for the entire company was to build a market-leading employee benefits and pension organization in Canada to complement […]
The Great-West Life Assurance Co. is covering continuous glucose monitoring devices for eligible plan members beginning Aug. 1, 2018. The devices include a reader, wearable sensors and a transmitter that sends measurements of glucose levels to a smart device every five minutes. Measuring by day and at night, the device helps avoid glucose spikes and drops […]
Benefits like employer-paid registered retirement savings plan contributions are among payroll components to be subject to British Columbia’s new employer health tax. The B.C. government will begin levying the new health tax in January 2019 as it moves to eliminate the province’s medical services plan premiums. In a news release, the government said the transition […]
Tiny habits have a huge role to play in the management of Type 2 diabetes, according to a researcher in the field. Diana Sherifali, an associate faculty member of McMaster University’s school of nursing, told the audience at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference that much of her work in combating Canada’s diabetes epidemic focuses […]
Ontario’s new Conservative government has announced changes to the province’s youth pharmacare program to make it second payer for Ontarians under age 25 who have coverage through private benefits plans. “Today, our government is announcing our intent to fix the OHIP+ program by focusing benefits on those who do not have existing prescription drug benefits,” […]