Jennifer Paterson

Editorial: Challenges and opportunities amid an increasingly imbalanced generational divide

The keynote session at Benefits Canada’s 2024 Defined Contribution Investment Forum warned that the failure to plan for the ‘boomer bulge’ is affecting private and public pension policy. The presentation from Paul Kershaw, a policy professor at the University of British Columbia and founder of not-for-profit organization Generation Squeeze, got me thinking: if the influx […]

  • December 13, 2024 December 12, 2024
  • 08:59

Q&A with Marriott Hotels of Canada’s Candice Li

The hospitality company’s pension and benefits manager discusses gen Z in the workforce, student debt repayment programs and family vacations. Q: What new programs or initiatives are you looking to implement? A: We’re considering providing more flexibility and inclusive benefits in our health coverage, family support program and paid leave plans to better meet the […]

  • December 13, 2024 December 12, 2024
  • 08:53

Editorial: Prioritizing plan sponsor perspectives

The weather is shifting, with the wet November wind blowing away the crisp October sunshine. While this time of year is characterized by the change of temperature and spectacular outdoor colours, the one constant at Benefits Canada and the Canadian Investment Review is that it’s our busiest time of year for events. In October, we […]

  • November 15, 2024 November 13, 2024
  • 09:00

Editorial: Calling on government, employers to update inequitable benefits for working parents

As I write this, I’ve been back at my desk for three weeks following my second maternity leave. This time around, I took nearly eight months, which gave me a lot of time to think about Canada’s archaic employment insurance system and its impact on new parents. For many working parents in Canada, eight months […]

  • October 11, 2024 October 9, 2024
  • 09:00

How 5 employers are broadening the scope of mental-health support

Nearly four years after a global health crisis sparked an enduring spotlight on Canadians’ mental health, employees are increasingly making use of their workplace benefits while employers continue to push the boundaries in the programs and support they offer. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of Canadian benefits plan members used their mental-health benefits in the last […]

  • February 9, 2024 October 31, 2024
  • 08:59

Q&A with KPMG in Canada’s Denis Trottier

The organization’s chief mental-health officer discusses sharing lived experiences, a new employee and family assistance program and maintaining his own mountain biking trail. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: In a professional services firm, where the demands on people’s time are significant, it can be challenging to find the proper […]

  • February 9, 2024 February 8, 2024
  • 08:53

Editorial: Saying goodbye to another challenging year

Since this month’s editorial is my farewell (for just five months) as I prepare for the birth of my second child at the end of 2023, sitting down to write it prompted me to look back at my editorial three years ago when I was getting ready to become a parent for the first time. […]

  • December 15, 2023 December 14, 2023
  • 09:00

Q&A with Metrolinx’s Lisa Ritchie

The organization’s vice-president of talent acquisition and total rewards discusses promoting careers to equity-deserving communities, a new menopause policy and the stability of joining a defined benefit pension plan. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: One of the organization’s commitments to creating an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture is to […]

  • December 15, 2023 December 14, 2023
  • 08:54

Editorial: Workplaces continuing to evolve to support employee, employer struggles

There’s a lot going on in the world right now. Across the globe, geopolitical tensions are more elevated than they’ve been in decades, while the day-to-day lives of average people closer to home continue to be upended by the overarching threats of high inflation and interest rates, as well as the unrelenting cost-of-living crisis. The […]

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

Back to basics on decumulation

While the term decumulation may sound very technical and often leads to confusion among pension plan members, it’s actually quite simple — effectively, it’s the opposite of accumulation. These two terms make up the typical retirement savings journey — the accumulation phase is the working years when capital accumulation plan members put away their nest […]

  • November 17, 2023 November 16, 2023
  • 08:52