Canada’s life and health insurers paid out a record $128 billion in health and retirement benefits last year, up from $114 billion in 2022, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “The benefits that life and health insurers provide through workplace plans and individual policies contributed significantly to Canadians’ health […]
Eight in 10 generation Z employees say employers have a responsibility to support the psychological (83 per cent) and physical (81 per cent) well-being of workers, according to a new survey by Top Employers Institute. The survey, which polled more than 2,300 global employers and more than 1,700 gen Z employees, found 82 per cent […]
The Canada Dental Care Plan will help make dental services more accessible for unionized employees who don’t currently have a dental program within their contract, says Sandeep Kakan, director of pension governance at Unifor. Kakan, who until recently was the union’s director of pension and benefits, says the new program has established a standard from which […]
Victoria-based technology company Redbrick is marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by educating employees on issues impacting Indigenous Canadians. Earlier in September, the company hosted a learning session around present and future initiatives to advance truth and reconciliation measures. Employees are also taking part in a local powwow today, providing them with an opportunity […]
Canadians with an employer-provided benefits plan are 20 per cent more likely to seek care when needed and 25 per cent more likely to report better health than those without health benefits, according to a new survey by Blue Cross of Canada. The survey, which polled more than 2,100 working adults, found those with employee […]
The 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey highlighted the perfect storm plan sponsors are facing: trying to strike the right balance between competitive benefits and plan sustainability. It’s something that resonates with the benefits leads of three major Canadian employers, who said during Benefits Canada’s report launch event that benefits utilization and meeting the needs of a […]
Benefits plan sponsors’ efforts to reduce stigma around mental-health challenges and encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work are bearing fruit, said benefits and wellness experts during Benefits Canada’s launch event for the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. The survey found three-quarters of plan members and 87 per cent of plan sponsors agreed […]
A third (33 per cent) of North American workers say they’re financially worse off than a year ago and have financial issues that are negatively impacting their lives, according to a new survey by WTW. The global survey, which polled 45,000 employees working for medium- and large-sized private sector organizations in 29 countries and territories, […]
Canadian benefits plan sponsors are increasingly seeking to balance providing competitive benefits against plan sustainability issues, said expert panellists during the launch event for the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey last week. Andrea Belvedere (pictured right), assistant vice-president of health benefits and solutions at Sun Life, said plan sponsors are starting to ask more questions […]
Canadian health benefits plan members are increasingly feeling financially strained, according to the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey — a finding that experts say should be a call to action to employers to include more financial wellness supports in benefits plans. Personal finances has remained plan members’ top stressor for the past two years, with […]