Blake Wolfe

More work to be done by pension plan sponsors on factoring climate into mortality, morbidity assumptions: CIA

While it’s common practice for pension plan sponsors to factor climate risk into investment strategies, there’s more work to be done on factoring climate change into mortality and morbidity assumptions, says Bernard Morency, past chair of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries’ public affairs council and co-chair of its climate change and sustainability steering committee. “As […]

  • January 31, 2023 February 1, 2023
  • 09:00

Vancity supporting employee well-being with enhanced mental-health coverage

Vancouver City Savings Credit Union is supporting employee well-being by increasing its coverage for mental-health benefits from $1,500 to $10,000, per employee and per dependant. The enhanced benefit, effective July 1, provides coverage for mental-health providers such as counsellors — including group counselling sessions — and psychologists. Vancity’s current mental-health offerings include a telemedicine portal […]

  • January 26, 2023 January 25, 2023
  • 09:00

Walmart enhancing benefits plan with fertility treatments, gender affirmation

Walmart Canada is enhancing its employee benefits plan with coverage for fertility treatments and gender affirmation. Nadia Cerisano, vice-president of total rewards and global mobility at Walmart, says the new benefits, which take effect Feb. 1, will help employees be their authentic selves in the workplace. Last fall, Walmart extended fertility benefits to its U.S. […]

  • January 17, 2023 January 16, 2023
  • 09:00

Communication of DEI initiatives important in remote, hybrid working arrangements: expert

Amid a shift to remote and hybrid working arrangements, communication is key to resolving the disconnect between managers and employees on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, says Meisha-Ann Martin, senior director of people analytics and research at Workhuman. “Since people aren’t in the office as often as before, they aren’t necessarily able to see [first-hand] […]

  • January 11, 2023 January 10, 2023
  • 09:00

My Take: Tackling decumulation today will lead to retirement-ready workers tomorrow

For some Canadians, the term pension may still conjure images of a secure stash of money guaranteed to ensure a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. I should know — until joining Benefits Canada in 2020, I counted myself among this group. Defined benefit pension plans — the epitome of the image described above — still exist, but […]

  • January 4, 2023 January 3, 2023
  • 09:00

A look at the latest legal issues around ESG investing

As the University Pension Plan increases its focus on climate change, its responsible investment policy considers environmental, social and governance factors as essential to sound long-term investing. “We’ve seen a lot of evidence from a variety of service providers — from investment banks to investment managers — that have demonstrated [the climate] is getting warmer […]

  • December 16, 2022 February 10, 2023
  • 08:57

Meridian supporting employee financial wellness with guaranteed wage

Meridian Credit Union Ltd. is supporting its employees’ financial wellness by guaranteeing wages of at least $23.15 per hour. The pay rate — which is the Ontario Living Wage Network’s minimum hourly pay recommendation for the Greater Toronto Area — takes effect this week and applies to employees across the province, says Jay-Ann Gilfoy, Meridian’s […]

  • November 29, 2022 November 29, 2022
  • 09:00

Western University marking Financial Literacy Month with webinars, DC pension plan consultations

Western University is marking Financial Literacy Month with a series of webinars and consultations addressing employees’ financial questions. The webinars cover topics such as retirement, estate planning, investments and the connection between health and wealth. While the university has covered the health-wealth connection in previous years, the topic is of perennial interest to employees and is […]

  • November 4, 2022 November 3, 2022
  • 09:00

Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan awarded for extensive mental-health strategy

The Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan’s extensive mental-health strategy led to a win in the Mental health program category for an employer with fewer than 1,000 employees at Benefits Canada‘s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. In 2021, the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan launched a campaign called It Takes a Village, which emphasizes the importance of […]

  • November 3, 2022 November 3, 2022
  • 09:00

TD Bank Group awarded for inclusive benefits program

The TD Bank Group’s inclusive benefits offerings resulted in a win in the Drug and benefits plan innovation category at Benefits Canada’s 2022 Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 18. In March, the bank enhanced coverage to include fertility and reproductive treatments and introduced new surrogacy and adoption benefits, with a $20,000 lifetime maximum for each benefit. “We heard […]

  • October 27, 2022 October 26, 2022
  • 09:00