Session 1:  Pension  

Plan Administrative Risk 
Mark Firman, Legal Counsel, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

Session 2:   Benefits 

Panel on Drug Spending 

We are in a new world with respect to drug plan spending.  This presentation will discuss the trends, the issues, and the strategies to deal with rising drug costs and what needs to be done to keep employer sponsored drug plans sustainable into the future.  The discussion about strategies for controlling costs will focus on carriers and the growing need for them to engage with external players like the CLHIA, the PMPRB, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Barb Martinez, Practice Leader, Benefits Solutions, The Great-West Life Assurance Company
Stephen Frank, Vice President of Policy Development and Health, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association 
Doug Clark, Executive Director, Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, Canadian Competition Bureau

Session3 : Investment 

Politics, populism and protectionism 

Globalization is an attractive concept when global economic growth is accelerating, however when it slows or contracts, competing for market share increases, therefore generating currency wars, populist measures, and ultimately protectionism. The increasing approval for populist parties shows to what extent developed nations are willing to go to maintain domestic economic prosperity, which ultimately could bite back in wicked ways.

Jean-Pierre Couture, Chief Economist, Héxavest

Session 6: Benefits
Mental Health: Trauma

Dr. Malain is a leader in the field of workplace psychology and provides training at regional and national conferences across North America. In this presentation, she will discuss the value of early and ongoing appropriate intervention to the employee, the employer and the insurer. ROI of early detection, intervention, treatment and support.

Dr.Ann Malain, Executive Vice-President, Stay at Work Services, Homewood Health

Session 7: Investment
Reducing carbon emissions : What challenges are we facing?

In December 2015, at the COP21 Paris climate conference, representatives from most countries agreed to cap, and then reduce, CO2 emissions in order to limit global warming. While there may be consensus as to the objective, achieving it will be much more difficult than most people imagine. Burning fossil fuels has permitted the increase in the standard of living which Western and, recently, a number of Far East countries have enjoyed. There is a strong correlation between energy usage and GDP, which is a proxy for standard of living. The elephant in the room is population increase: the United Nations has forecast that the world’s population should increase by about 50% by the end of this century. This means billions of people who will need food, want a car, and want a mobile phone. At this time, fossil energies represent 80% of all energy used worldwide. The remaining 20% includes nuclear, hydroelectric, biofuels, wind and solar energies. While we hear almost every day that wind and solar represent the future, a low-carbon economy is still a distant reality. For example, the intermittency of wind and solar energies present a major hurdle. Unlike nuclear, coal and hydro energies, wind and solar are not available continuously, so wind and solar utilities require storage and back-up systems which increase their costs and reduce their efficiency. Among others, Germany and Ontario have developed renewable energy programs that present significant challenges. I will address these and other difficulties we are facing.

Jean Michaud,  Managing Director & Senior Commodity Strategist, Core Commodity Management, USA 

Session 8: 

Topic & speaker TBC 

Session 9: Pension 
Longevity Risk : Addressing a Global Challenge, How to Offset the Financial Implications?
Don Ezra

Session 10: Benefits

Benefits Exchanges  

Details to come 

Lisa Callaghan, VP of Strategy, Marketing and Communications, Manulife       

Session 11: Investment 

Enhancing diversification and returns with private debt 

Details to come

David Fann, President  & CEO,  

Session 12: French

La réduction des émissions de carbone: Quelles sont les difficultés auxquelles nous faisons face? 

Jean Michaud,   Managing Director & Senior Commodity Strategist, Core Commodity Management, USA 

Session 13: Pension
Topic & speaker TBC  

Session 14: Benefits

Personalized Medecine
Rob Fraser, Ph.D., President & CEO, Molecular You     

Session 15: Investment 
Behaviourial Finance, Efficient Markets and Passive Investing: How Theory Fails
How Active management can benefit from Behaviourial Finance to add value over Passive management, and how flaws in the Efficient Market Theory (which leads to Passive management) can lead to underperformance on investment returns.

Henry Hudek,  Vice-President, Business Development, Cardinal Capital Management

Session 16:

Sleep Disorder and its implications on workplace productivity

Josée Dixon, Senior Vice-President, Desjardins Insurance  

Keynote Session:

Topic & speaker TBC 

Session 17: Pension 
Pension Regulator Panel Discussion

Paul Owens, Deputy Superintendent of Pensions AlbertaLester Wong, Deputy Superintendent of Pensions - FSCOAngela Mazerolle, Superintendent of Pensions New Brunswick

Session 18: Benefits 

The Impact of Chronic Disease on Health, Productivity and Engagement 
Tyler Amell PhD, Morneau Sheppell Work & Health 

Séance 21: Pension

TBC

Séance22: Benefits 
Cognitive Computer Evolution in Healthcare 
Shannon Wilson, Healthcare Solutions Leader, IBM Canada 
Gord Alexander, Healthcare Industry Technical Leader, IBM Canada 

Séance 23: Investment  
Translating ESG Into Sustainable Value (Panel)
Moderator: Randy Bauslaugh, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP