Discussion around implementing a national universal pharmacare strategy is growing louder ahead of next month’s federal election. In its 2019 budget, the federal government said it would work with partners to move forward on a national pharmacare program, including the creation of a new national drug agency and formulary, as well as a national strategy for […]
While one side highlights how plan sponsors can contribute to biosimilar sustainability, the other touts the benefits to patients and the health-care system. Durhane Wong-Rieger, president and chief executive officer, Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes The Institute for Optimizing Health Outcomes recently published a scorecard rating the biosimilar policy frameworks of European countries across seven […]
Mélanie Perreault knows firsthand how hard it can be for employees to juggle raising children while simultaneously building a career. The onsite daycare at L’Oréal Canada’s distribution centre in Saint-Laurent, Que. has been key to balancing these priorities for the beauty company’s director of management and development of human resources, operations, information technology, sourcing and […]
TD Bank is bringing employees together to mark Emancipation Day, the country’s first national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the British Empire. This spring, the federal government voted unanimously to officially recognize August 1 as a day to reflect on when the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire on Aug. 1, […]
Canada’s new employee stock option tax rules are raising a number of questions for employers, says David Crawford, a partner at Hugessen Consulting Inc. The new rules — part of the 2021 federal budget signed into law on June 29 — include an annual limit of $200,000 that will apply on stock option grants that […]
For the third time in a row, the federal government is delaying long-awaited changes to Canada’s drug pricing regime for a further six months. In an effort to give pharmaceutical companies more time to prepare for the impending changes, Health Minister Patty Hajdu announced Tuesday the regulations changing how the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board […]
While a recent dispute between the Canadian National Railway Co. and the surviving same-sex partner of a deceased plan member will likely inspire other plan sponsors to ensure pension benefits are correctly distributed, the amount of new claimants coming forward will likely be relatively small, says Jill Wagman, managing principal at Eckler Ltd. “It may […]
Nova Scotia is allowing residents to apply directly to their financial institution to access their retirement savings when facing financial challenges. Under amendments to provincial pension legislation effective July 1, a person may be approved to access part of a locked-in retirement account or life income fund if they expect less than $41,067 in income […]
The head of the country’s largest private sector union says Parliament should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and possibly put future increases into the hands of an independent commission. Unifor president Jerry Dias says an independent commission could be comprised of key stakeholders to research the effects of minimum wage policy […]
Employees affected by the coronavirus in British Columbia will qualify for up to three days of paid sick leave under proposed legislation that Premier John Horgan expects will plug holes in a federal plan and lay the groundwork for a permanent program. Horgan says the program will bridge the gap for workers between the time they first feel […]