Congratulations: You’re opening a branch or subsidiary office in Canada! Tapping into Canada’s market of 33 million citizens, not to mention its highly educated and motivated workforce, is a great idea. Now that you’re staffing up, you’re undoubtedly looking at a benefits coverage for your new Canadian employees. Before you jump in to the first… Continue reading Considering An Employee Benefits Plan For Your Canadian Staff? Here’s Where To Start
UPDATE: On July 1, 2018, the new Ontario Conservative government announced that OHIP+ will be revised so that for anyone under 25, claims first go to an employee benefits plan that they are covered under, followed by OHIP+. If you follow any major Canadian news outlets, you’ve probably heard about OHIP+ and maybe even… Continue reading How Will OHIP+ Impact Startups?
Insurance Business, the industry’s leading business resource, is presenting its second annual Insurance Business Awards. This year, it will once again shine the brightest light on the outstanding companies and individuals of 2017. Twenty organizational and individual awards are designed to ensure national recognition for both large and small organizations. Chris Gory, the President of Insurance… Continue reading IPFS President, Chris Gory, Finalist for Insurance Business Award
Most people don’t think about the worst-case scenario in life. In fact, our brains are actually wired with this defense mechanism in place so that we don’t allow those stressful overriding thoughts to commandeer our lives. We’ve long been of the mindset that we only start proactively taking care of our futures when we have… Continue reading Why Long-Term Disability Insurance is a Growing Trend
Employee Assistance Plans (EAPs) have been around since the 70s. But from the 70s to about the 90s they were strictly focused on addressing psychological issues. In the mid-90s, they branched out to include other components that have really extended them to become overall wellness programs. Today, EAPs support the overall health and wellness of… Continue reading Why Startups Are Choosing Employee Assistance Plans To Support Their Teams
There is a shortage of tech talent in Canada, especially in cities like Toronto. To address this, the Canadian government launched the global skills visa program to allow Canadian companies to bring in foreign workers within two weeks. Up until this program launched, it would take up to a year to bring a foreign worker… Continue reading Canada’s New Global Skills Visa Program: Important Note About Employee Health Insurance
I speak with a lot of U.S. based startups that have or are looking to set up shop in Canada, specifically Toronto. Different laws, healthcare systems, policies and even corporate cultures between Canada and the U.S. create a big learning curve for the founders of these startups. I’ve compiled a list of the most frequently… Continue reading What U.S. Based Startups Opening Canadian Offices Need to Know About Employee Benefits
It’s that time again – the latest figures on employee benefits coverage in Canada have been released. Every April, Benefits Canada releases data on the top employee benefits providers in Canada. Some years, there are interesting stories behind dramatic changes in the year-to-year figures. For example, in the 2016 results, Manulife saw a significant increase… Continue reading Canada’s Top 2016 Employee Benefits Companies
This is an article that I previously provided to The Globe and Mail: If you’re a small business with staffing concerns, you’re not alone: over 50 per cent of business owners are worried about attracting the right candidates, and retaining their key players once they find them. The latter can be especially difficult in the startup space,… Continue reading Most Employees Vastly Underestimate Their Total Compensation
This is an article that I previously provided to The Globe and Mail. Although we often read stories about successful Canadian startups – Shopify, Wattpad, Wealthsimple, and others – the reality is that many startups fail, and even those that succeed often experience a series of extreme highs and lows as they grow. With failure… Continue reading Why So Many Entrepreneurs Struggle With Mental Illness
