As a nation widely known for its commitment to universal healthcare, Canada has reached a major milestone by finally including dental care as part of its federally funded public healthcare system.  According to reports, the 2023 budget will deliver a “transformative investment” to provide dental care to Canadians with $13 billion over five years and… Continue reading Announcing The New Dental Care Plan: Providing Coverage For Uninsured Canadians

ChatGPT took the world by storm in only a few months, and since then, it has spurred an arms race with the titans of tech to see who can get to the market fastest.   Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for a while, but when businesses saw the everyday power of ChatGPT, everyone came to… Continue reading Will AI And Employee Benefit Plans Be A Perfect Marriage?

The provincial dental associations plan every year to create a suggested dental fee guide on what they recommend dentists charge for regular work – and this year’s fee guide adjustment is looking to be the highest increase in years. Ontario – 8.5% Quebec – 9.8% Manitoba – 5.25% PEI – 5.77% Saskatchewan – 5.62% Alberta… Continue reading Dental Fee Guides Are Increasing – Again

After a two-year review of the Canadian EI program, the Federal Governments’ key findings were that “the increasing number of Canadians who work in non-traditional jobs don’t qualify for EI,” and there are far too many gaps in the program to cover everyone adequately. Throughout all this, they couldn’t process the surge in claims quick… Continue reading How Maximum Insurable Earnings Through EI Will Impact Short-Term Disability

Hospitals are reeling, and the system that runs them is seemingly circling the drain. Long-standing issues of not enough nurses, not enough beds, and shortages in supplies and equipment were amplified over the past two years and exposed the unfortunate underbelly of the public healthcare system. As a result, burnt-out and exhausted nurses have walked… Continue reading Is Ontario Healthcare On Life Support?

Employment Insurance (EI) is a lifeline for those who need a leg up in hard times. It serves are myriad of purposes. It can keep people above the poverty line in lean times like during a job loss or disability. On a macro level, it can also help the economy, and, by extension, the job… Continue reading What Do The Federal Government’s EI Reforms Mean For You?

Half a decade ago, a cloud of concern loomed over the employee benefits sector as a group of self-proclaimed “disrupters” threatened to transform the space. They planned to revolutionize the provision of employee benefits through the means of improved technology. Despite the initial apprehension, however, little has since changed. While the last couple of years… Continue reading Benefits Advisors Remain Relevant In Spite Of So-Called “Disruptors”

It’s finally summertime! While many are excited for the increasingly warmer weather coming our way, the benefits industry is excited for the annual report covering the top employee benefits providers from the previous year. Here are a few important takeaways from 2021’s report to note. The merger of SSQ and La Capitale made headline news… Continue reading Canada’s Top 20 Employee Benefits Providers – 2021

The news release issued last March announcing the Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence agreement came along with the parties’ plan to prioritize improving the Canadian healthcare system. Among the detailed initiatives, the federal government shared its goal to create a national dental care program for low-income Canadians and pledged to continue progress towards a national pharmacare program. At… Continue reading Why A National Healthcare Program Won’t Be A Game Changer for Startups

In March 2020, when the pandemic swept the globe seemingly overnight and stay-at-home orders were implemented, we were all faced with real economic uncertainties. What would work from home entail? Would it reduce our productivity? Would we be constantly disrupted by our family members? How would we balance our work and personal lives? Would it… Continue reading Return To Work Policies Remain Dicey: What Does It Mean For Workers?