Since an organization’s most valuable asset is its people, the coronavirus pandemic made it clear that having healthy, happy employees on the job isn’t just valuable, it’s essential to profitability, said Valerie Fernandez, organizational health senior advisor at Beneva, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 Mental Health Summit in November. In addition, she noted health isn’t an individual […]
The unmet medical needs across Canada are substantial, with the number of Canadians using cannabis for medical needs — close to 15 per cent of individuals over age 16 — one of the best barometers, said Dr. Steven Grover, professor of medicine at McGill University, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 Mental Health Summit in November. “For […]
The majority (80 per cent) of Canadian employers say they enhanced their total rewards programs in 2022 to better attract and retain employees, up from 63 per cent in 2020 and 2021, according to a new survey by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. The survey, which polled more than 450 employers, found 44 per cent […]
Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. is providing employees with coverage for egg freezing and expanding some fertility allowances, as well as introducing gender affirmation coverage. “This is something we’re really proud of because it’s part of our global diversity, equity and inclusion strategy,” says Ksenia Kamenskaya, director of people and culture at RBH. “We want […]
Employers planning to incentivize non-smoking employees should align these perks with a broader health and well-being strategy and ensure the rewards are significant enough to make behaviour change appealing for smokers, says Kim Siddall, vice-president of enterprise consulting for the West at People Corporation. Possible incentives include additional vacation time, increased credits in a health-care […]
The union representing roughly 300 employees at American Airlines in Toronto and Montreal has ratified a new two-year agreement that includes pension and benefits improvements. The agreement includes a 0.5 per cent increase to the matching formula for the defined contribution pension plan — from 5.5 per cent to six per cent — plus an […]
An article on the potential impacts of a pension super-priority bill was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Pension super-priority bill passes in House of Commons 2. Ontario municipality establishing six-week indoor mask requirement for city employees 3. CIBC supporting employee health with wellness […]
In Canada, the year-over-year cost increase for claims under a medical plan on a per-person basis is projected to reach seven per cent in 2023, according to a new report by Mercer. The report, which analyzed responses from more than 200 insurers across 56 countries, found the global year-over-year cost is expected to increase to […]
Canada has one of the highest incidence rates of inflammatory bowel disease in the world. “We don’t know why, but Canada is one of the hotspots,” said Dr Mark Silverberg, gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada and sponsored by Takeda Canada in November. IBD […]
The increasing use of high-cost medicines is the primary cost driver for all Canadian drug plans, according to a new report by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. It found drug costs for public plans rose by 5.3 per cent in 2019/20, with high-cost medicines accounting for 6.3 per cent of the increase. Among private […]