Atlantic Canada Pension And Benefits Countdown To 2019

As 2018 comes to an end, we countdown some pension and employee benefits developments in the last year that we anticipate may lead to developments in 2019.

Discrimination in benefits and pension plans

• Medical cannabis – The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal confirmed in Board of Trustees of the Canadian Elevator Industry Welfare Trust v Skinner that benefits plans need not cover the "sun, the moon and the stars" and human rights legislation does not require coverage of medical cannabis. Coverage may still increase as more plans may be adding medical cannabis to their formularies or some plans may allow reimbursement for cannabis through a health care spending account. The legalization of recreational cannabis may still lead to more research and demand for medical cannabis. We can also expect similar human rights claims being made with respect to specialty drugs and treatments.