Home Sara Tatelman

Federal target-benefit bill denounced as ‘unconscionable betrayal’

Canada’s labour movement is organizing against a federal bill that would allow federally regulated employers to establish target-benefit pension plans and convert existing defined benefit pensions to the new approach. “By permitting the conversion of past-service DB pension benefits to TB plans, Bill C-27 invites employers and other plan sponsors to abandon their pension promises to employees and retirees, downloading […]

  • November 17, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:52

Ontario adopts PRPP regulations

Ontario has adopted regulations to make pooled retirement pension plans available to employees in the province, joining British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Nova Scotia and federally regulated workplaces. Read: PRPPs continue to languish as provinces vary in enthusiasm for new option PRPPs are especially useful in helping small- and medium-sized businesses offer retirement savings plans, said […]

  • November 14, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:41

Quebec move to boost pharmacy transparency could save plan sponsors money

Amendments to Quebec’s Bill 92 could reduce how much private insurers spend on dispensing fees by requiring pharmacists to detail which service corresponds to which fee on their receipts. “The situation in Quebec is different from the situation in the rest of the country,” says Jean-Guy Gauthier, vice-president of health and benefits at Aon Hewitt in Montreal. […]

  • November 11, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:40

A look at the investment implications of today’s U.S. election

Today’s U.S. presidential election, momentous as it might be, is just the latest reminder that institutional investors are always facing geopolitical risk. “Investing is not just about the financials and looking at the companies and the debts,” says Janet Rabovsky, a partner at Ellement Consulting Group in Toronto. “It is actually understanding, in this increasingly […]

  • November 8, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:22

Limiting blood sugar test strips cut costs without harming patient health: study

Reducing the number of blood glucose test strips for Type 2 diabetes patients not using insulin saved Ontario $24 million in one year without a negative impact on health outcomes, a new study from JAMA Internal Medicine has found. The test strips were Ontario’s public drug programs’ third-largest expense in 2007-08, costing $100 million. In August […]

  • November 7, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 11:00

Pension industry urged to look internationally for decumulation solutions

As defined contribution plans mature and members retire, the pension industry may want to look abroad for solutions to the decumulation dilemma, participants at an Association of Canadian Pension Management event in Toronto heard yesterday. “The theme that’s coming to the fore is, ‘What are plan members going to do?'” said Hugh Kerr, vice-president and associate […]

  • November 4, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:19

City of Toronto calculation error meant 11 staff earned more on LTD than when working

Over the past 15 years, 11 seasonal employees at the City of Toronto earned more on long-term disability leave than they did while working, assistant auditor Jane Ying said at an audit committee meeting on Friday. While payments were correctly calculated for full-time employees, 47 of 56 claims from seasonal staff between 2000 and 2015 […]

  • November 2, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 10:05

City of Toronto staff’s high claims on ED drugs raise fraud questions

The City of Toronto has four times the occurrence of claims for erectile dysfunction drugs than other employers with benefits plans provided by Manulife Financial, Toronto’s auditor general Beverly Romeo-Beehler said at an audit committee meeting on Friday. While the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis was the fourth most claimed drug among city employees, it was 31st […]

  • November 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:37

Porter Airlines celebrates 10th anniversary with employees

When Porter Airlines launched in 2006, it employed roughly 200 people. This month, as the airline celebrates its 10th birthday, at least 75 of those inaugural employees are still with the company in roles across the board, from operations and maintenance to flight crews and management, says spokesperson Brad Cicero. “We had two full crews who […]

  • November 1, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 08:56

Michael Garron Hospital wins mental-health award for holistic approach

Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto knows that to provide the best care to patients, it needs to take care of staff members as well. This focus led the organization to its win in the category of mental health at Benefits Canada‘s Workplace Benefits Awards on Oct. 20 in Toronto. Enter now: Submit a nomination to […]

  • October 31, 2016 September 13, 2019
  • 09:12