Yearly Archives: 2017

Will modernizing the Patented Medicines Regulations in Canada lead to savings?

a collection of prescription pills

The Patented Medicines Regulations, those rules that govern the pricing of pharmaceuticals in Canada, are about to change. Many would suggest that it’s about time. There have been no substantive changes in over 20 years and Canada pays some of the highest drug prices when compared to countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). […]

Government of Saskatchewan imposes PST on insurance premiums effective August 1, 2017

Eye chart

The Government of Saskatchewan will impose a 6% PST on all insurance premiums with an effective date on or after August 1, 2017. The original effective date for the application of the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) was July 1, 2017, but was extended to August 1, 2017, to provide additional time for implementation. The PST of […]

OHIP+ is good news for Ontario-based businesses arriving January 1, 2018

children running and skipping outside

Given the rising cost of specialty prescription drugs and increased use of paramedicals, Ontario businesses who sponsor an employee benefit plan are finally receiving some good news. With the April 27, 2017, announcement by Ontario’s Ministry of Finance, introducing free prescription drug coverage (OHIP+) for everyone aged 24 and under, a plan sponsor’s bottom line […]

Despite taxation changes in 2017, life insurance products remain competitive.

In a previous article on the changes to the taxation of life insurance, we speculated on what insurers might do to their products to keep them competitive in the 2017 tax environment. And while the changes were significant, we had every confidence in the actuaries that they would develop their products to provide value to […]