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 […]
A large majority (80 per cent) of Canadian employers feel it’s extremely (36 per cent) or somewhat challenging (44 per cent) to provide benefits in today’s economic climate, according to the 2024 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey. However, three-quarters (77 per cent) of plan sponsors indicated their health benefits plan was extremely or very important to […]
The unions representing more than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency employees have ratified a four-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains. The agreement with, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union, includes a pensionable $2,500 one-time, lump-sum payment for all employees upon the date of signing. For members […]
There has seen a “huge increase” in mental-health practitioner claims following the coronavirus pandemic, said Sylvana Leclerc, organizational health consultant for integrated health solutions at Sun Life Financial Inc., during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Vancouver Benefits Summit in May. Citing findings from the insurer’s annual Health by Design report, she said in 2022, […]
Nearly half (47 per cent) of Canadians say they’ve been injured in a way that impedes or has impeded them from being fully functional at work, at home or at play, according to a new survey by Ipsos on behalf of the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association. The survey, which polled 1,000 Canadian workers aged 18 and […]
The use of obesity medications among Canadian employer-sponsored benefits plan members has grown substantially, with claims increasing 42 per cent in 2023 and roughly 92 per cent since 2020, according to a new report by Manulife Financial Corp. The report, based on aggregate claims data, found more women are using obesity drugs than men (79 […]
The union representing more than 460 employees at Nestlé in Toronto has ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes pension and benefits gains, ending a strike that began on May 5. The agreement includes a $1 increase each year in the defined benefit pension plan for non-skilled trades and $2 each year for skilled trades. […]
CAA Club Group’s award-winning health and wellness strategy is showing employees, as well as potential candidates, that the organization is focused on supporting the holistic well-being needs of its workforce. Last year, the organization’s extensive employee well-being program led it to win Benefits Canada’s 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards in the Health/wellness program category for employers […]
This Mental Health Week and beyond, employers can support employee mental health using digital toolkits, mental-health coaching and by providing adequate coverage, says Marie-Chantal Côtè, senior vice-president of group benefits at Sun Life Financial Inc. Mental-health practitioner claims more than doubled between 2019 and 2023, according to a recent report by Sun Life that examined claims […]
While the coronavirus pandemic may be in the rearview mirror for most employers, the Ontario-based Workplace Safety and Insurance Board knows all too well that the shadow pandemic that emerged from the health crisis is still impacting employees in the workplace. At a time when some employers are considering cutting back on mental-health benefits, the […]