Fifty years ago, one in two Canadians died from heart disease or stroke. “Twenty years from now, there’s no reason it can’t be one in 10,” said David Sculthorpe, CEO of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario, addressing the Economic Club of Canada yesterday in Toronto. “Heart disease is largely a lifestyle disease,” he […]
Accommodating employees at work who have physical disabilities that challenge them daily may be an obvious step, but employers need to remember that employees with episodic disabilities (both physical and mental) need to be accommodated, too. And it’s not difficult to do. An episodic disability is marked by unpredictable periods and degrees of wellness, explained […]
David Rosenberg, chief economist and strategist with Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc., spoke passionately at the recent Foundation, Endowment & Not For Profit Investment Summit in Toronto about his views on the U.S. economy and investing in a deflationary environment. Rosenberg said that the message coming from the U.S. in this post-credit bubble bust is […]
2010 was a good year for the Canadian economy. “Canada was one of the first G7 nations to climb out of the recession,” said Mark Fieldhouse, principal, investment consulting practice, with Mercer, speaking today at Mercer’s 2011 Fearless Forecast at The Toronto Board of Trade. And 2011 will look a lot like 2010, he explained. […]
The Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute (CPBI) celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, a fact that Kevin Press, assistant vice-president, Canadian marketing, with Sun Life Financial in Toronto, is proud of. “Any organization that reaches that kind of an anniversary clearly has an awful lot of support.” That support comes in the form of its […]
Why is there a focus on generic drug reform? asked Barbara Martinez, a principal with Mercer, speaking on December 1 during a Mercer webinar entitled “Drug Reform—What’s Next?” According to IMS Health, 54.3% of prescriptions in 2009 were filled with a generic. And, while these may be lower cost than the name brand, generics in […]
Employers must rethink their healthcare priorities for the 21st century, focusing on prevention programs that will reduce the cost associated with critical illnesses, according to speakers at the Toronto Chapter of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists 2010 keynote session in Toronto on November 18 Cancer is the third highest cause for long-term […]
Good communication can be an indicator of financial performance and a driver of the employee experience. For example, companies that communicate effectively have a 19.4% higher market premium and are 20% more likely to report lower turnover rates, said David McCullagh, national practice leader, communications, with Buck Consultants in Toronto. But what is effective communication? […]
It is an employer’s duty to provide a psychologically safe workplace, said Dr. Martin Shain, director and founder of the Neighbour at Work Centre, speaking at the Shepell•fgi Day of Discovery in Toronto on November 5. In law, how we treat mental injury is a relatively new concept, he said. Mental injury is “significant harm […]
When it comes to total attendance and disability management, health and work come full circle. While many employers understand the impact that work has on health, they may need to refocus on the impact employee health has on work. “Our biggest asset is human capital and most important with human capital is health,” said Jean-Marc […]