Mandy Kwasnica and her husband’s lifelong dream to add children to their family has come true. The couple recently brought two children — Anya, 9, and Artem, 11 — to Canada after adopting them from the Ukraine (the new family of four is pictured above). “The second day we saw them, [Anya] had cards for […]
Shopify Inc. was awarded for its digital-first employee health and wellness strategy at Benefits Canada‘s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The technology company won the award in the Coronavirus and Benefits category for an employer with more than 5,000 employees. Although the organization already had a few remote workers, it swiftly transitioned all of its employees […]
While more than half (58 per cent) of Canadian employers provide top-up pay for maternity leave benefits, just 33 per cent offer top-ups for parental leave benefits, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, conducted among 207 Canadian employers, found 53 per cent provide income replacement of 95 per cent to 100 per […]
A majority (75 per cent) of U.S. organizations said the coronavirus pandemic has influenced how they approach absence management as a whole, according to a survey by Hub International Ltd. The survey, which polled more than 500 small- and mid-sized employers, found about 40 per cent of respondents acknowledged their time-off policies need to be […]
Amid the ongoing federal election campaign, the Liberal Party is promising to table legislation that would allow employers to request proof of a coronavirus vaccination without fear of a legal challenge. While few details were provided, the legislation would pertain to vaccination requirements for employees and customers, according to a press release. Read: Where do […]
The union president for the Canadian Border Services Agency employees is “relieved” after reaching a new tentative agreement that includes retirement benefits and new paid leave programs. Under the four-year agreement, which dates back to 2018, the Treasury Board has committed to working toward the introduction of early retirement benefits for the border employees, along […]
As any new parent can attest to, those early hours, days and weeks with a new baby are beyond challenging. In the fourth trimester (a common term for a baby’s first three months in the outside world), this brand new little human you’re tasked with keeping alive will give you vague clues about what they […]
The vast majority (95 per cent) of Canadian working mothers said they didn’t receive any formal support from their employer during their maternity leave transition, according to a new report by advocacy group Moms at Work. The survey, which polled more than 1,000 Canadian women who took maternity leave in the last 10 years, found […]
Confusion as to what constitutes family status discrimination in Canada continues to vex employers. “The Supreme Court of Canada had an opportunity to create a uniform test across the country in 2019 but chose not to hear the case,” says Gary Clarke, the Calgary and Vancouver-based national co-head of Stikeman Elliott LLP’s employment and labour group. […]
Mandy Kwasnica and her husband so desperately wanted to adopt they were ready to sink all of their money (and then some) into making their dream a reality. “Adoption is very, very expensive, but we knew in our hearts that this was the right move we were making,” recalls the manager of mortgage sales support at […]