Moderators: Jeremy Evanson, partner, administrative solutions practice; and Michelle Loder, partner, defined contribution solutions, at Morneau Shepell Ltd. Once the new Canada Pension Plan benefits take hold, the income replacement ratio will increase to 33 per cent from 25 per cent, said Loder. “Given this, and in light of the increased premiums that will also […]
Moderators: David Devine, regional vice-president, western region, group retirement services, wealth management; and Christine van Staden, vice-president of national accounts at Great-West Life Most plan sponsors agreed that defined contribution plans traditionally focus on those nearing retirement, said van Staden. “But everyone agreed there is a need to take a step back, rebalance the pendulum […]
Moderators: Mazen Shakeel, vice-president of market development for group retirement services; and Sharon Vanderwerff, regional vice-president, western region, group retirement services, at Sun Life Financial A growing number of people aren’t retiring until their late 60s or early 70s, in many cases because they don’t have the retirement income they need, said Shakeel. “If insufficient […]
Moderators: Sharon Seifried, national vice-president for corporate accounts, group retirement solutions; and Fraser Wiswell, assistant vice-president for group retirement solutions, at Manulife Financial With the decline of retiree benefits, rising drug costs and government funding constraints, plan members may not appreciate what their health-care costs will be in retirement, said Wiswell. “Plan members without benefits […]
Post-traumatic stress syndrome can affect anyone, whether a first responder who faces traumatic events on the job or someone who experiences an emotional shock such as a car crash, sudden death, divorce or a crime incident. A panel of experts at the recent Mental Health Summit in Vancouver shared suggestions for how employers can better […]
With research showing a strong link between personal finance, stress and mental and physical health, it’s time to make financial literacy part of wellness efforts, participants at last month’s Mental Health Summit in Vancouver heard. “When you look at most surveys that ask individuals what stresses them the most, personal finance — managing day-to-day money, […]
With mental illness affecting 20 per cent of the Canadian population, the impact on the workplace is significant given that it’s the No. 1 cause of disability and represents 70 per cent of the cost of disability claims. But statistics don’t necessarily present a true picture of the prevalence or impact of mental illness in […]
Armed with statistics and studies, Peter Gove, innovation leader for health management at Green Shield Canada, spoke at the recent Mental Health Summit in Vancouver about high rates of diagnosis of depression and prescribing of antidepressants. A study published in 2016 in the Journal of American Medical Association, for example, found less than 30 per […]
While there’s a lot of talk about how personalized medicine and biomarkers could improve treatment for people with a range of diseases, the technology isn’t yet ready for prime time, Dr. Raymond Lam, a researcher and professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, told last month’s Mental Health Summit in Vancouver. Diagnosis of […]
As concerns over retirement income adequacy mount, the role of plan members in making decisions about their pension investments is a growing concern. Some plan members want some level of control over their pension investments, while others would like to hand decision-making to someone else. But what do they mean and why do they feel […]