The future has arrived — it’s just not evenly distributed yet,” wrote science fiction author and futurist William Gibson. It’s a favourite quote for Chris Evdaimon, investment manager of private companies at the investment management firm Baillie Gifford. He likes it so much that, during his presentation at the 2021 Global Investment Conference, he used […]
The Royal Bank of Canada is focusing on mental health to engage and retain employees as the bank shifts to a hybrid work model. While the bank already began upgrading its mental-health benefits in 2018, the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need to continue supporting employee mental health, says Andrejka Massicotte, senior director of benefits and wellness […]
Canadian Forest Products Ltd.’s ongoing support for employees’ savings and retirement goals resulted in a win in the Financial wellness category at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. Launched in September 2020, Canfor’s three-year financial education program was initially offered to 1,100 salaried employees in Canfor’s defined benefit and defined contribution pension […]
Scotiabank’s focus on making essential pension information more accessible to plan members was recognized at Benefits Canada’s 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 14. The bank won in the Pension plan communications category for its streamlined approach to pension statements. In 2020, Scotiabank restructured its defined benefit pension plan statement into two versions — a simplified four-page […]
A Toronto-based software developer is offering additional workplace flexibility to employees, leading to increased productivity and growth. Marco Osso, vice-president of employee success at Tulip.io Inc., says the company launched a shortened work week in August, allowing employees to work four or 4.5 days depending on their personal schedules. Read: Employers prioritizing mental health, permanent hybrid […]
With the federal Liberal Party returning for a third term, the government’s fiscal policy will remain aligned with a social agenda that should, in theory, support continued economic growth and, in turn, create opportunities for institutional investors, says Roshan Thiru, head of Canadian fixed income at Manulife Investment Management Ltd. “The Liberal Party continue to […]
It’s 18 months this week since a global coronavirus pandemic was first declared and employers are applying many hard lessons learned as Canadian organizations and employees stare down further uncertainty wrought by the Delta variant, fourth wave and stagnant vaccination rates. As the country and world looks towards another tumultuous fall and winter, employers are […]
From the rise of cryptocurrency DogeCoin and non-fungible tokens to Reddit members beating hedge fund managers at their own game, 2021 has been an eventful year in the world of retail investing. And while institutional investors might not be betting big on Gamestop Corp. or Elon Musk’s latest cryptocurrency tweet, some have inched closer to […]
The College of Applied Arts and Technology’s DBplus pension plan is welcoming more members of Canada’s legal community through an affinity agreement between the pension and the Canadian Bar Insurance Association. According to a press release from the CAAT, employees from 42 smaller law firms joined the DBplus plan in the first six months of […]
As institutional investors seek portfolio diversification and the insurance industry seeks additional capacity amid global growth, investment strategies incorporating insurance-linked securities are providing a solution for both parties. Insurance-linked securities allow insurers to transfer some of their risk to investors. For example, in the case of catastrophe bonds, the issuer pays a coupon to an […]