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2024 Global Investment Conference: Institutional investors finding opportunity in Japan’s equity market resurgence

Japan’s equity market is a growth jurisdiction once again, said Olga Bitel, partner and global strategist at William Blair, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2024 Global Investment Conference held in April. While this is very much early days for Japan, there are three opportunities on the horizon for its equity market: an expansion; substantial and […]

  • June 10, 2024 August 6, 2024
  • 07:52

Q&A with the Royal Bank of Canada’s Jamie Abbott

The RBC’s senior director of North American benefits and global well-being discusses building flexibility into the modern benefits plan, harnessing AI capabilities in the banking world and finding wellness in the great outdoors. Q: What top challenges do you face in your role? A: Employees are looking for meaningful support in both their professional and […]

  • May 10, 2024 May 9, 2024
  • 08:54

More private payers seeking to reduce costs turning to preferred pharmacy networks: expert

As more insurers turn to preferred pharmacy networks to decrease costs, their efforts are being met with some resistance by plan members who may be finding it difficult and inconvenient to switch pharmacy providers. In January, Manulife Financial Corp.’s move to a preferred pharmacy network with Loblaw Cos. Ltd.’s Shoppers Drug Mart was met with […]

  • May 1, 2024 May 1, 2024
  • 09:00

How the WSIB is supporting employee well-being with enhanced, unlimited mental-health coverage

While the coronavirus pandemic may be in the rearview mirror for most employers, the Ontario-based Workplace Safety and Insurance Board knows all too well that the shadow pandemic that emerged from the health crisis is still impacting employees in the workplace. At a time when some employers are considering cutting back on mental-health benefits, the […]

  • April 12, 2024 August 19, 2024
  • 08:58

Stakeholders forming coalition to minimize impact of pharmacare on employer-sponsored benefits plans

Several stakeholders from the benefits sector are partnering to form the Smart Health Benefits Coalition, an advocacy group that aims to strengthen the health-care system and address longstanding gaps in care. The federal government will release the framework for its pharmacare program on March 1 and the coalition — comprised of representatives from Gallagher, Benefits Alliance, GroupHEALTH, Hub International Ltd., […]

  • February 27, 2024 February 28, 2024
  • 09:00

UPP keeping plan members engaged, informed with new web portal

The University Pension Plan is launching a new web portal to prioritize plan member engagement throughout the year. “Transparency is an important value to our members,” says Joanna Lohrenz, the plan’s chief pension services officer, noting the website will provide members with account details and allow them to update their personal information, run a pension […]

  • February 26, 2024 February 23, 2024
  • 09:00

63% of U.S. employers with paid-time-off banks say most employees don’t take vacation due to workload: survey

While more than a third (38 per cent) of U.S. employers are offering employees a paid-time-off bank, up slightly from in 2017 (34 per cent), nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) say most workers don’t use it due to a heavy workload, according to a new survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. The […]

  • February 13, 2024 February 12, 2024
  • 09:00

29% of Canadian employees want to work remotely to save commuting costs, time: survey

More than a quarter (29 per cent) of Canadian employees say they want to reduce in-office work, with three-quarters (76 per cent) citing saving time and money from less frequent commuting as top reasons for doing so, according to a survey by Robert Half Canada Inc. The survey, which polled more than 1,300 hiring managers […]

  • February 2, 2024 February 2, 2024
  • 09:00

PIAC focusing on pension solvency uniformity, CAPSA risk management guidelines in 2024

The Pension Investment Association of Canada will concentrate its legislative advocacy efforts on funding reform in 2024, including for an overhaul of long-term, minimum funding regulations for federally regulated defined benefit pension plans, said David Lawson, the PIAC’s new chair. In an emailed statement to Benefits Canada, he said as DB plan sponsors continue to face […]

  • January 18, 2024 January 17, 2024
  • 09:00

2023 Investment Innovation Conference: Finding alpha through multi-asset credit construct amid market volatility

To find opportunity in times of volatility, institutional investors must consider their objectives and then expand their toolkit, said Saurabh Sud, a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Investment Innovation Conference in November. It’s been a challenging environment for most fixed-rate assets with surging yields and higher volatility.  As a […]

  • January 18, 2024 January 17, 2024
  • 07:53