While the federal government has pushed forward the initial target date of July 1 for legalizing recreational cannabis to Oct. 17, employers will still be busy trying to prepare for all of the issues they’ll have to deal with. Benefits Canada has been covering the issue since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party first committed to legalizing […]
When it instituted random drug testing last year, the Toronto Transit Commission was eager to ensure its employees knew what it expected of them. To get the message out, the transit authority mailed a handbook last year to the home of every employee and published it online so all workers would be fully aware of […]
More than half (52 per cent) of Canadian employers said they’re concerned or very concerned about the implications of legalized marijuana on the workplace, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada. A third (33 per cent) of respondents said they’re slightly concerned and 15 per cent said they aren’t concerned at all. Among those concerned, 57 per cent cited workplace […]
From pharmacare to analytics, plan sponsors heard about the big issues on the horizon for their benefits plans at Benefits Canada‘s Calgary Benefits Summit. Presenters at the May 29 event took the audience through a range of topics, including the implications of marijuana legalization and new developments in health-care delivery. And two years after the […]
Markers Financial Inc. is launching a group insurance product that covers medical cannabis on Aug. 15. The company, which is a division of Toronto-based Evergreen Pacific Insurance Corp., will initially roll out an insurance product for individuals, tailored to each person’s requirements without any caps or restrictions based on pre-existing conditions. Read: Reformulary Group to develop cannabis […]
There’s an almost even split among plan sponsors on whether to cover medical marijuana in their health benefits plans, according to the 2018 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Those for and against coverage were split evenly, with 34 per cent each, while the remaining 32 per cent said they didn’t know or were unsure. Among plan sponsors that […]
Cubic Health Inc. has introduced a risk management program aimed at helping plan sponsors with the many considerations for covering medical marijuana in their benefits plans. The program uses claims data from the past two or three years to provide evidence-based education that’s tailored to a plan sponsor’s industry and workforce. It also includes a tailored risk assessment for each benefits plan that […]
While a recent court ruling has given some relief to plan sponsors concerned about having an obligation cover medical marijuana under their benefits plans, they still face a number of questions with legalization of the recreational version of the drug coming fast. That was a key message from Loretta Bouwmeester, a partner at Mathews Dinsdale […]
As the legalization of cannabis in Canada approaches, League Inc. has introduced a toolkit to help employers solidify their human resources policies. The free resource, which is available on the company’s website, includes three components along with a webinar. “Basically, it includes a policy template,” says Lori Casselman, health advisor at League. “The template really […]
From drug pooling to medical marijuana, plan sponsors have a number of issues to keep track of when it comes to their benefits plans. At the Face to Face Drug Plan Management forum in Vancouver this month, a panel of experts tackled some of the hot topics the industry is thinking about. Pooling: One concern […]