Traditionally, defined contribution pension funds have not made significant use of venture capital, although over the long-term these assets have tended to perform well. A study by the British Business Bank and Oliver Wyman explored whether there is room for venture capital and growth equity within the U.K.’s DC schemes. It found that the average […]
Montreal-based virtual health-care services platform Dialogue Technologies Inc. is launching the second phase of its stress management and well-being program. Available to Canadian employers, the program aims to ensure plan members have access to doctors, nurses, medical specialists, psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers. These specialists “[work] together as a team to offer a personalized treatment plan and […]
Employers, health-care professionals and people living with obesity disagree on how the disease develops, how to manage it and who’s responsible for treatment, according to a new study by Obesity Canada. The study, which was published in the journal Clinical Obesity this month, surveyed 150 employers, 395 physicians and 2,000 individuals living with obesity. More than […]
The massive uptick in private equity investing is changing how companies raise capital. The private equity industry has grown by 500 per cent since 2000, according to research by Willis Towers Watson’s Thinking Ahead Institute. It found the increased interest from institutional investors is leading growing companies to seek fresh capital from the private markets rather […]
Canadian employers plan to hold the line on budgeted pay raises in 2020, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. It found employers are expecting no changes to their salary budgets in 2020, with salary increases projected to hold steady for technical and business support employees (2.7 per cent), as well as for workers in production […]
Medavie Blue Cross is launching a digital health platform that helps plan members access resources to manage their health when and where they need it. Available through a mobile app and online through the insurer’s plan member services site, Connected Care has accessible virtual opportunities that connect directly to Canadian doctors through a partnership with virtual care provider Maple. […]
Does the rise in passive investment strategies have consequences for financial stability? The shift to passive from active appears to be amplifying some risks to financial stability and mitigating others, according to a paper co-written by Kenechukwu Anadu, a senior financial markets specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and Mathias Kruttli, Patrick McCabe, […]
Great-West Life Assurance Co. is launching a collaborative health-care program that draws on clinicians, psychologists, psychiatrists and other experts to help group benefits plan members get the right diagnosis, and provide them with an action plan and guidance through the mental-health system. The Best Doctors’ mental health navigator services from Teladoc Health Inc. is available […]
Unionized employees at Dearborn Ford in Kamloops, B.C. are receiving a pension boost and wage increases in a new three-year contract, which they voted to ratify earlier this week. The agreement, which applies to 43 workers represented by Unifor Local 10-B, includes a 0.25 per cent increase to employer contributions in the defined contribution pension plan, a 2.5 […]
Hub International Ltd. is acquiring PDF Financial Group Inc., a Toronto-based brokerage that offers employee benefits, human resources and related financial advice consulting, as well as outsourcing services. Peter Demangos, the brokerage’s founder and president, will join Hub International Ontario Ltd. The deal is the latest in Hub’s ongoing strategy to acquire smaller Canadian employee benefits consulting […]