Blake Wolfe

2021 BPS coverage: Accident prevention may reduce benefits costs, absenteeism

With auto-related accidents contributing to absenteeism and lost workplace productivity, accident prevention is a key component of corporate wellness, said Fernand Vartanian, general counsel and head of corporate development at Onlia Holding Inc., during Benefits Canada’s 2021 Benefits & Pension Summit. Traditionally, corporate wellness programs have focused on areas such as mental health, stress management and physical well-being. […]

  • June 1, 2021 June 2, 2021
  • 09:00

Employers planning for post-pandemic future focusing on employee well-being, virtual health care

Employers are applying several lessons from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to their benefits offerings, particularly the importance of employee well-being and access to virtual health care, says Marie-Josée Le Blanc, a partner and innovation leader at Mercer Canada. “Before the pandemic, there were two types of organizations: those that were doing more to support well-being […]

  • May 31, 2021 May 31, 2021
  • 15:00

Pension sponsors have fiduciary responsibility to consider climate change: webinar

Canada’s pension plan sponsors have a fiduciary responsibility to consider climate change in their financial decisions, according to Randy Bauslaugh, counsel for pensions and benefits and executive compensation at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, during a webinar hosted by the Canada Climate Law Initiative and the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute. “The failure of plan administrators and […]

  • May 28, 2021 May 27, 2021
  • 09:10

2021 BPS coverage: Drug, disability claims stabilizing but pandemic’s impact lingers

While the rates of drug and disability claims are returning to their pre-pandemic levels, employers are still contending with the impact of the coronavirus crisis on their benefits plans. Following the declaration of the pandemic in March 2020, there was a subsequent surge in drug claims attributed to medication stockpiling, said Frédéric Leblanc, strategic advisor […]

  • May 25, 2021 May 24, 2021
  • 09:05

Lafarge’s wellness program laying foundation for improved employee well-being

Lafarge Eastern Canada’s new employee wellness program is highlighting the importance of mental and physical health amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “It was always my intention to promote wellness through my communications, but when the pandemic happened, it was really the time to focus on this,” says Jessica Assaf, manager of corporate communications for Lafarge […]

  • May 21, 2021 May 26, 2021
  • 09:15

UAPP withdrawing $2.7BN public equities portfolio from AIMCo

The Universities Academic Pension Plan is withdrawing control of its $2.7-billlion public equities portfolio from the Alberta Investment Management Corp. The withdrawal comes following ongoing discussions at the UAPP about the AIMCo’s public equities strategy and the investment manager’s volatility trading program that was wound down in 2020, says Geoffrey Hale, chair of the UAPP’s […]

  • May 18, 2021 May 18, 2021
  • 09:00

How Algonquin College is stepping up its absence management program

When Algonquin College decided to streamline its absence management process in 2019, it was important to partner with a provider that would go beyond merely adjudicating files and deliver a touchpoint for employees. The school quickly found that partner in Morneau Shepell Ltd., which was already providing ad-hoc absence management services to Algonquin, says Jessica […]

  • May 14, 2021 May 14, 2021
  • 08:58

Pharmacare should include high-cost treatment strategy, flexibility for plan sponsors: consultant

While a national pharmacare program is yet to be revealed by the federal government, any future plan should contain provisions for all costly treatments and not just rare diseases, says Jennifer Schmidt, a principal at Mercer Canada. Read: Federal budget highlights national childcare system, extension of pandemic subsidies This week’s federal budget announcement contained only […]

  • April 22, 2021 April 23, 2021
  • 09:00

Institutional investors looking to Asia as economies start to bounce back from pandemic

Rising incomes and technological change in the emerging economies present considerable investment opportunities for investors with longer-term horizons. Investments in emerging markets weren’t spared the impacts of the global coronavirus pandemic. But the ongoing crisis has had uneven effects, with economies and sectors reporting widely-varying results while revealing important lessons for investors in 2021 and […]

  • April 16, 2021 April 28, 2021
  • 08:56

The pros and cons of opting for a 60/40 balanced portfolio strategy

While the typical balanced fund is becoming a rarity among pension plans, a segment of plan sponsors continue to utilize these funds — albeit with added diversification. Traditionally, such funds have invested 60 per cent in equities and 40 per cent in bonds. But with investment options for pension plans expanding over the last 20 […]

  • April 16, 2021 April 28, 2021
  • 08:53