It’s an election year and, of course, I have a lot of opinions. But I’ll try to keep my political leanings as neutral as possible and simply lay out the facts. This issue will hit desks days before the federal election. However, as I write these words in mid-September, the main parties are just rolling […]
Group insurers are considering data more intelligently to develop products, services and plan designs that are optimal for plan sponsors, but also engage members by using their own personal health and transactional data to involve them in their own well-being. Speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Halifax Benefits Summit on Sept. 24, Chris Goguen, manager of pharmacy benefits strategy and partnership at […]
When it comes to health-care spending in Canada, there isn’t a lot of variance between provinces, according to Joe Farago, executive director of private payers and investment at Innovative Medicines Canada. In a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Halifax Benefits Summit on Sept. 24, he said prescription drugs’ percentage of the total health-care budget has been fairly consistent, at 15 […]
As membership in traditional defined benefit pension plans continues to decline, it’s becoming more common to see “contingent” plans — including target-benefit, shared-risk, multi-employer and jointly sponsored — which require members to take on at least some of the risk that benefits may or may not meet expectations. At the same time, the term “sustainability” is […]
At the risk of cementing my reputation as an unapologetic literary nerd (I opened my last editorial with a George Bernard Shaw quote), I’ve always drawn inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s seminal work, A Room of One’s Own. If you haven’t read the essay, it’s basically an argument for creating both a literal and figurative space […]
In the wise words of George Bernard Shaw, “the single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” When it comes to employer-provided benefits and pension plans, this phrase rings as true as it does in any other part of life. I believe that communication is the single most important and […]
Looking back over years of momentous corporate bankruptcies and their impact on defined benefit pension plan members, the current fervor around Sears Canada Inc. hardly seems to mark a new trend. Before Sears, and even before Stelco Inc., there was Nortel Networks Corp. In 2009, when the multinational telecommunications company filed for bankruptcy protection in […]
Today’s modern world is constantly shifting, piling more and more layers on for people attempting to juggle, and balance, the responsibilities of work and life. Since taking the reins as editor of this magazine 10 months ago, I’ve certainly felt the pressure. While finding a new managing editor to replace my former role and learning the […]
Though more than half of Canadian capital accumulation plan members feel financially prepared for retirement, there’s a distinct difference across generations. Given their proximity to retirement, it’s no surprise baby boomers (69 per cent) are the age cohort most likely to agree they feel prepared, compared to 59 per cent of generation X and 41 […]
Though I don’t consider myself particularly tech-savvy, I use my smartphone and laptop in every avenue of my life. I communicate via email, text, social media and FaceTime. I shop online with the click of a mouse. I arrange travel through my smartphone, whether ordering a car or booking and boarding a flight. I use […]