In 2016, when Aon’s Calum Mackenzie departed the U.K. for Canada, he left behind a pension industry still reeling from the introduction, a year earlier, of an annual charge cap on defined contribution plan investment funds. But when Mackenzie, now the consultancy’s Canadian head of investment, recently caught up with a former colleague on the […]
Squeezed by onerous funding requirements and overarching fiduciary duties, defined benefit plan sponsors are increasingly willing to embrace alternative structures — such as multi-employer pension plans, jointly sponsored pension plans and pooled registered pension plans — to relieve some of the pressure. “Most employers simply shouldn’t be in the business of running a pension plan, […]
Though Trish McAuliffe didn’t know much about pension benefits at the time, they were at the heart of one of her earliest working memories. In the 1980s, McAuliffe was a new employee at General Motors of Canada Co., putting together automobile interiors, when she dutifully joined the picket line during an eruption of labour strife […]
With just about a month to go until the federal government’s long-awaited Canada Pension Plan enhancements kick in on Jan. 1, 2019, Scott Perkin is relaxed about the prospect. Although the changes have been billed as one of the biggest shakeups to the CPP since its introduction in the mid-1960s, Perkin, the director of pension […]
Rising survival rates are making cancer one of Canada’s fastest-growing chronic diseases. Dina Linardos, the nursing director at CAREpath Inc., explained to attendees at the Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference that cancer retains a certain image in public consciousness that has varied little over the last 30 or 40 years. “Most people don’t […]
A positive attitude is the key to a long and fulfilling life with chronic disease, according to a man who has spent almost four decades dealing with rheumatoid arthritis. “The mental approach you take to anything in life and the perspective you have is absolutely critical,” said Jeff Aarssen, who provided a patient’s perspective during […]
Employers and insurers could reduce their pharmaceutical spending by embracing medical cannabis, according to the chief medical officer for a licensed producer of the drug. Dr. Peter Blecher, a pain medicine specialist who works for Starseed Medicinal Inc., told attendees at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference that cannabis holds a great deal of promise […]
Tiny habits have a huge role to play in the management of Type 2 diabetes, according to a researcher in the field. Diana Sherifali, an associate faculty member of McMaster University’s school of nursing, told the audience at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference that much of her work in combating Canada’s diabetes epidemic focuses […]
Workplace accommodations and new targeted medications promise to transform the experience of migraine sufferers after decades of neglect, a speaker told participants at a recent event. Dr. Christine Lay, head of the neurology division at Women’s College Hospital, told an audience at Benefits Canada’s Chronic Disease at Work conference that the condition has largely flown under […]
Ken Eady understands the challenges a defined benefit pension plan can present for plan sponsors, particularly when they find themselves in financial difficulty. “Healthy companies aren’t always too crazy about the liability, so it can become a heavy weight to carry when there is trouble maintaining financial status. That’s why they seem to generally be […]