Dear Subscriber,
Have any of you ever found me at a loss for words? I know, stop laughing, but I feel like I am dry today. I contribute a lot of content to; newsletters, articles, podcasts, interviews, blogs and several magazines but today am at a loss where to start...
Pandemic...same old, same old, please become an endemic sooner than later.
Mainstay...same old, same old, never been busier with clients and prospects that need our help.
Events...book them, delay them, reschedule, online? offline? in person? are we ready? should we wait?
I'll end with a statment.
I miss seeing all of you at the CGIB events, and the speaking gigs I'm lucky enough to do across the country. I especially miss all the "back row" talks we have before and after (sometimes during - sorry) presentations. CGIB members across the country are some of the best people, not just in the biz, but period.
Keep doing what you're doing. Keep putting clients first, taking steps forward and getting out of your comfort zone. This is where the great things happen...
Dave |
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OUR EVENTS
CGIB COFFEE CHATS
Coffee chats are like a virtual breakfast. Log in, ask questions, share problems, seek solutions and talk about what's on your mind. Best done from a computer, with a camera and a microphone. No CE credits, but also no cost, just show up.
Tuesday January 18th @ 2pm (EST) Thursday February 3rd @2pm (EST) Tuesday February 15th @ 2pm (EST) Thursday March 3rd @2pm (EST) ____________________________________________________________
BREAKFAST MEETINGS CGIB no longer runs the breakfast meetings, but supports the initiative of the volunteers that do.
Please find the details for your closest location below. Ajax, Cambridge, London, Markham, Oakville, St Catherines, Toronto, Vancouver Island, Windsor or the Virtual National Meeting
Virtual meetings through Zoom may be utilized until COVID19 passes. Please contact the event champions to be added to their lists, and receive more info.
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LOOKING FOR PEOPLE
Share your info and we'll post it here. ____________________________________________________________ Upcoming CGIB Events:
Toronto - March 2nd (awaiting word if we can proceed)
Due to the short planning time and the possibility of cancellation or further postponement, we are going to hold another Building and Using a Plan Administration CheckList workshop with the possibility of an employment lawyer joining us to share their perspective.
Hold the date, and watch for details HERE.
Calgary - Tuesday March 29th - POSTPONED to fall 2022? Vancouver - Thursday March 31st - POSTPONED to fall 2022? |
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GET ON SLACK
The CGIB SLACK channel is a great place to pose questions, share info and learn a ton from your fellow members. The info and discussions that are posted there are unlike anywhere in the industry. Sadly, about 15% of CGIB members are still missing out on all the info being shared. Others have not taken a look at all the documents, videos and information available in MEMBERS ONLY to make their life easier.
NOTE TO ALL SLACK USERS: We now have 40+ channels in Slack to handle different topics. Please take a moment to add these channels to your menu. To do so, just click on the + next to Channels on the top left. Browse the channels and then click JOIN to add each of them. By doing so you won’t be missing some really great info. |
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SUGGESTED READING
We think the information contained below is of great value and encourage you to read the articles and check out the events that interest you. In most cases, these articles and events are not run by CGIB, so please contact the organizers for more information. We take no responsibility for the websites, events, organizations or their content. |
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TELEHEALTH MISTRUSTED GLOBALLY Globally, people are still reluctant to trust telehealth or virtual care services, says a report from cybersecurity company Kaspersky. Specifically, 74 per cent of providers have experienced cases where patients have refused a video call with medical staff. Data privacy concerns (52 per cent) are the top reason, followed by a general lack of trust towards telehealth (33 per cent), an unwillingness to appear on video (32 per cent), and the lack of the correct equipment (30 per cent). More than four in five (91 per cent of) medical organizations have implemented telehealth capabilities and 44 per cent started to use them after the pandemic. And 42 per cent of organizations say that most of their patients are more interested in remote than in-person sessions because of their convenience. The most common service provided by organizations is synchronous telehealth (51 per cent), such as real-time communication with patients, including video call or chat.
EMPLOYEES GETTING CHOICE ON WORKPLACE Nearly half (48 per cent) of senior managers in Canada give employees the ability to choose when they work, says a Robert Half survey. And nearly one-third (31 per cent) say they don’t mind if their workers put in fewer than 40 hours a week, as long as the job gets done. However, almost two-thirds of workers say they need at least eight hours a day to get their job done. |
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There’s a better cause right around the corner. It might not work. You’ll never be able to keep all the promises. It can’t last forever. We’re all going to die. It’s not perfect. Someone might steal your idea. There will be critics. You’re not ready. Someone else is going to do it. It’s not that important. It might not work.
On the other hand…
Now is better than later, and perfect is an illusion.
Act as if. Simply begin. Make things better by making better things. You can always improve it later.
My Take on Seths Post
Put another way... (in the great words of a great American Philosopher - Larry the Cable Guy) Git-R-Done!
You can make a huge difference in the lives of your clients, in our industry, and in the world in general, just do it (Nike had it right).
- Make a cold call today, not tomorrow.
- Update your website, not rebuild it, just make one thing better
- Write that article you've been meaning to get out
- Call clients to check on them, not because they have a problem, but because they don't
- Donate blood (if you are healthy and lucky enough to be able to do so)
- Try out some new tech, update your LinkedIn profile, take a course...
You never know if you'll succeed if you don't try. There are few benefits to a letter unsent, a marketing plan not acted on, the back-up system you were going to get to etc. etc. Get out and TRY. Make it Happen. |
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EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
ONLINE CE CREDITS
Looking for benefits dedicated online CE courses? Want to provide your admin and support staff with basic knowledge? Want to dig into something more detailed for your benefits/insurance business? Business Career College (BCC) has an extensive catalogue of online CE courses with a number of group benefits specific courses covering topics ranging from contractual concerns, plan designs, and underwriting requirements, to product specifics and integration with government benefits. Courses consist of narrated videos with short, online quizzes. The full catalogue includes over 60 courses, podcasts, and videos covering topics from the world of insurance, investments, financial planning, taxation, and ethics with a focus on technical content and real-world application. Courses are accredited for the maximum categories of credits and can include provincial Life and A&S credits, FP Canada, Advocis, and more! Use code CGIB on registration for your first three months free! ____________________________________________________________
The BC Insurance Council now offers online continuing education (CE) courses that are available for registration through Insurance Council’s online portal. Once courses are registered through the online portal, they can be accessed through the newly launched Learning Management System (LMS) with CE certificates ready for immediate download upon course completion.
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Information Session on a Proposed Framework for a Potential Pan-Canadian Formulary
Event Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022 Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET
Zoom Webinar (Free — Registration Required)
Join Dr. Alexandra King and Mr. Allen Lefebvre, Co-Chairs of the Pan-Canadian Formulary Advisory Panel, to discuss recommendations for the development of a framework for a potential pan-Canadian prescription drug list, or formulary. Heather Logan, Executive Strategy Lead for CADTH, will be moderating the discussion. The Advisory Panel, composed of the two co-chairs and 12 members recruited from across Canada bringing together a range of expertise and experience and representing diversity across gender, culture, and race, was established by CADTH at the request of Health Canada. The Advisory Panel has been meeting since the late summer and has developed an initial set of recommendations for feedback.
The information session will focus on: - principles for developing a potential pan-Canadian formulary framework
- creation of a proposed sample list of commonly prescribed drugs (and selected related products) as a test case based on a subset of therapeutic areas that could be included on a potential pan-Canadian formulary
- the proposed criteria and processes to expand the proposed sample list to other therapeutic areas, as well as guide how new products could be added, and a list be maintained over time.
To participate, please register (there is no cost). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the webinar. The webinar will be recorded and will be made publicly available for those unable to attend the live session. A discussion paper summarizing the Advisory Panel’s interim recommendations and proposed process will be posted on the CADTH website before the information session. The online consultation will be open for feedback from January 11, 2022 to February 25, 2022. For any questions about this event, please send your request by email to requests@cadth.ca. ____________________________________________________________
As the landscape in all aspects of employment law has rapidly shifted and is expected to continue to do so, in order to keep you and your organization In the Know, the Williams HR Law team is conducting a complimentary 2021 HR Law Year in Review & Trends to Watch in 2022 webinar on January 20, 2021, from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm.
Topics that will be covered in this Year in Review webinar will include: · The implications of Ontario’s new Bill 27, including the prohibition on non-competition clauses and the requirement for employers to create “right to disconnect” policies · Recent caselaw regarding the enforceability of vaccination policies · COVID-19 related human rights accommodation issues, including accommodation related to vaccination mandates · Key developments related to workplace investigations, including new caselaw on effective investigations and new workplace harassment legislation · The latest shifts in the law on the enforceability of termination clauses in employment agreements · Important 2021 decisions addressing when employee conduct amounts to just cause for dismissal The webinar will conclude with a live Q/A session with members of our legal team.
Please keep an eye out for our annual Year in Review newsletter, which will be released in mid-January and serves as a companion piece to the webinar topics. In the meantime, please visit our In the Knowblog and COVID-19 Resource Centre, which are frequently updated with the latest HR law developments that employers need to know.
Looking forward to seeing you on January 20th. Don’t forget to save the date! ____________________________________________________________ PACE OF CHANGE EXAMINED The pace of change in the world of employee benefits will be examined in the CPBI Saskatchewan ‘Glaciers on the Move’ session. Ken Fraser, president of Fraser Group, will share his observations on the resilience of employee benefits in the face of recessions and pandemics and on the vulnerabilities that may undermine the value of benefit plans in the future. It takes place February 24.
____________________________________________________________ CHANGING LANDSCAPE EXAMINED ‘The Changing Risk Landscape: Trending Solutions for Plan Sponsors’ is the focus of a Benefits Breakfast Club session. The presenters will explore several chronic diseases and discuss their impact on patients and on benefit plans, plus what insurers, advisors, and plan sponsors can do to proactively work with patients to detect these conditions early and manage them for optimal health outcomes. It takes place March 24.
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Need help? Have questions? Looking for something?
Reach out to CGIB - Dave Patriarche - dave@cgib.ca - 905-886-9203 |
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