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  bh IN BRIEF Rick is the co-founder of Floworks Training, as well as a Designer and Innovation Practice Leader at Juice Inc., based in Guelph, Ontario. Rick has been  an educator and trainer since 1985, working with Fortune 500 corporations and hundreds of smaller companies, designing and facilitating experiential training programs. Rick has developed the Innovation in […]

        Chris Bonnett, Editor, businesshealth           Ontario is big and likes to think big, with 39% of both Canada’s population and its Gross Domestic Product too. But at $14 billion, it also has the largest deficit relative to GDP of any province, and rapidly increasing net debt. Since […]

        Chris Bonnett, Editor, businesshealth           Canadians in four provinces and one territory face elections in October. While voting is an act of citizenship for individuals, many organizations seek to understand and sometimes influence issues that are important to them as well. But for most employers, health hardly […]

  bh IN BRIEF Mental health matters to employers because it is typically the most common diagnosis – either primary or secondary – among those on long term disability. Mental illnesses impact families as well, primarily because many are first diagnosed in youth and young adults. Families need more say in research agendas, policy, programs, […]

  bh IN BRIEF   Three provinces have embarked on significant changes to drug policy that affect private plan sponsors. As the provinces again act to control their costs, the pharmacy industry is likely to raise prices elsewhere to compensate. Many private plans are exposed, even though the Ontario government has offered partial protection. No […]

  Chris Bonnett Editor, businesshealth   bh IN BRIEF   Government drug plan cost-shifting to private plans has been an issue for years. Changes to the Ontario Drug Benefit Plans in 2006 changed a sleepy market into an us-and-them free-for-all. The government (“them”) effectively exercised its new authority and cut several hundred million dollars from […]

  bh IN BRIEF   The recession is top-of-mind, and has already cost hundreds of thousands of jobs across Canada, and no where more than in Ontario. This creates a challenge for those promoting healthy workplaces, because more immediate issues – jobs, cut-backs, cash flow, confidence – are taking precedence. The notion of “character” is […]

  bh IN BRIEF   Information in the 2008 sanofi-aventis Healthcare Survey suggests workplace wellness programs are on the wane. Fewer employees report having access, and fewer said they use them. There are several reasons why programs fail, but there are still solid reasons why comprehensive workplace health promotion is needed. The Survey notes a […]

  bh IN BRIEF   Despite Canada's strong economy, and shortages of skilled labour that put employees in the driver's seat, job quality has not changed. There are significant gaps between what people value, and what they experience in their current job. The biggest gaps are over pay, trustworthy senior management, job training, and having […]