2014 Our Report to You - Great

2014
Our report to you
Commitment
to well-being
Public
Great-West Life
Accountability
London Life
Statement
Canada Life
Corporate profiles
Great-West Life
Founded in Winnipeg in 1891, Great-West Life is a leading Canadian insurer.
Together with our subsidiaries, London Life and Canada Life, we serve the
financial security needs of more than 12 million people across Canada with
financial and benefit plan solutions.
London Life
Founded in London, Ontario in 1874, London Life has been helping Canadians
meet their financial security needs for over 140 years. We offer financial security
advice and planning as well as insurance and wealth management products and
services through our Freedom 55 Financial™ division.
Canada Life
Founded in 1847, Canada Life was Canada’s first domestic life insurance
company. In Canada, we serve individuals, families and business owners from
coast to coast with insurance and wealth management products and services.
In Canada, as an Imagine Caring Company we support
the principles of corporate citizenship and benchmarks
for community investment established by Imagine Canada.
We donate a minimum of one per cent of average
pre-tax profits to non-profit, charitable and community
organizations each year.
As an Imagine Caring Company for more than two decades,
we have contributed more than $162 million to Canadian
communities. This includes $11.9 million in charitable
contributions in 2014.
This Public Accountability Statement relates to the Canadian
operations of The Great-West Life Assurance Company
and its subsidiaries, London Life Insurance Company and
The Canada Life Assurance Company; and to Canada
Life Financial Corporation and The Canada Life Insurance
Company of Canada. It also describes the corporate social
responsibility activities of GLC Asset Management Group
Ltd. and GWL Realty Advisors Inc.
Great-West Lifeco is an international financial services holding company.
Our business interests include life insurance, health insurance, retirement
and investment services, asset management and reinsurance. We operate
in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia through our companies –
Great-West Life, London Life, Canada Life, Irish Life, Great-West Financial
and Putnam Investments. Great-West Lifeco and our companies are members
of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies.
Operational Integrity
Board of Directors, Governance and CSR oversight .........................16
Codes and policies ..........................................................................16
Ombudsman service ........................................................................17
Vendor relations ..............................................................................17
Our Workplaces
Building careers...............................................................................18
Reaching out for a talented workforce ............................................19
Resources for staying healthy and well ............................................20
Community engagement ................................................................21
Community Support
Imagine Canada’s Standards Program ..............................................28
Literacy: more than reading .............................................................29
Helping youth reach their potential .................................................30
Mental health diagnosis and treatment ...........................................31
Social innovation .............................................................................31
Reaching more people, changing behaviours through technology ...33
Investing in our neighbourhoods .....................................................33
Enabling engagement: corporate teams ..........................................34
Addressing local and regional needs ................................................35
British Columbia ....................................................................35
Alberta ..................................................................................37
Saskatchewan........................................................................38
Manitoba ..............................................................................39
Ontario .................................................................................40
Quebec .................................................................................42
Atlantic Canada.....................................................................43
Each summary includes our total United Way contribution
for the region
Appendix
Who we support .............................................................................44
Scholarship, bursaries and awards ...................................................51
Team events ....................................................................................52
You can search a PDF of this Public Accountability
Statement and order free printed copies on:
greatwestlife.com
londonlife.com
canadalife.com
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Making sound financial decisions ......................................................8
Long-term savings made easier ................................................9
One-on-one advice and consultation........................................9
Making sound health decisions .......................................................10
Focus on mental health in the workplace ........................................11
Helping organizations implement the National Standard for
Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace ..........12
Supporting Employee Success: a shared effort .......................12
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in
the Workplace ...............................................................13
Economic impact ............................................................................14
Impact through products and services ....................................14
Employment, salaries and commissions across Canada ...........14
Investments ...........................................................................15
Taxes .....................................................................................15
CDP participation and results ..........................................................22
Emission reductions ........................................................................22
Printing and paper ..........................................................................23
Recycling, composting and repurposing ..........................................24
Sustainability in our real estate portfolio ..........................................26
OUR WORKPLACES
Delivering for Canadians
Environment
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
President’s Report.........................................................................................4
Our Core Values...........................................................................................5
Commitment to well-being – 2014 at a glance.............................................6
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
What you’ll find inside
3
President’s Report
Encouraging well-being
“I’m doing well, thanks.”
It’s a response we’ve all made with little thought, to a question
that deserves a thoughtful response.
Achieving and maintaining well-being is a challenge for many
individuals and families. Four out of five Canadians are at risk of
developing a chronic disease at some point in their lives. Mental
illness directly or indirectly affects all Canadians at some time,
through a family member, friend or colleague. And while research
shows that a majority of Canadians are on track to maintain
their standard of living in retirement, there remains a significant
segment of Canadian households (17 per cent) who risk seeing
their standard of living decline when they retire.1
The road to well-being is unique for each of us. It reflects our
family circumstances, our work, our environment and our
personal health. That is part of the challenge. With so many
factors at play, where do we start to help people make a positive
difference in their financial, physical and mental well-being?
For our companies, the starting point is the nature of our
business: working each day with customers to provide financial
protection and help them achieve their financial goals now and
far into the future. An important part of that is helping individuals
make financially healthier choices – through one-on-one advice,
user-friendly financial tools and by fostering greater financial
literacy.
Along with financial security, factors such as good physical and
mental health, safe workplaces, and abundant opportunities for
social engagement and leisure are also fundamental. Workplaces
are a natural avenue for supporting these various aspects of wellbeing. Smart use of data and digital tools by employers is making
it easier for employees to access the information and supports to
make choices that are healthier financially, physically and mentally.
4
By looking beyond the traditional role of a business enterprise,
we can build relationships with diverse organizations to help
deliver lasting solutions on a variety of fronts. One way is by
working with various stakeholders on important public issues
such as financing retirement and affordable healthcare. We also
help by supporting charitable organizations, many of which are
challenging themselves to find new ways of looking at issues and
creating more sustainable results. By offering support, facilitating
action, or providing leadership, we’re helping address needs from
basic shelter and facilities for recreation and wellness, to a fuller
understanding of depression.
We also promote well-being of communities by supporting
the overall well-being of Canada’s charitable sector. As an
Imagine Caring Company, we contribute directly to hundreds
of organizations. Perhaps just as importantly, we’ve provided
longstanding support for Imagine Canada’s Standards Program.
This comprehensive program gives the country’s charitable sector
a framework for achieving excellence across a spectrum of
essential organizational needs. Good governance, sound financial
management and effective human resources management
and training all contribute to sustainable organizations that
remain in a better position to meet their mission and serve
their communities.
We’re able to add to the impact of these organizations through
the generous spirit of individuals within our own organization.
More than 11,000 staff members and thousands of our
distribution associates across Canada not only help us deliver
on our promises – they also help define how we connect with
our local communities throughout the year. They donate to local
food banks, collect backpacks stuffed with school supplies, and
deliver toys during the holiday season and warm coats in winter.
These individuals also step up as volunteers and fundraisers for
important causes. They serve on professional organizations,
volunteering their time and talents to issues from estate planning
to environmental sustainability.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
• meet its responsibilities to minimize its environmental impact; and
• make a positive contribution in the communities where the company
is established.
Core Values
We conduct ourselves with integrity and ethical behaviour in all we do.
We value the trust placed in us by clients to help them achieve financial
security, whether today, next year or decades into the future.
We value the relationships we have with advisors and the advice and
service they provide for clients.
Paul Mahon
President and Chief Executive Officer
1. Statistics on:
• Canadians saving for retirement from Building on Canada’s Strong Retirement Readiness.
McKinsey & Company, 2014.
• Chronic disease from Public Health Agency of Canada, 2013.
• Mental illness from Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013.
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
• support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed
human rights;
OUR WORKPLACES
In this report you’ll find many more examples of how we’re working
with caring individuals and groups across the country to create
value and improve the financial, physical and mental well-being
of Canadians.
Responsible and ethical management has long been an intrinsic value of
the company and is essential to long-term profitability and value creation.
In addition to meeting the ethical standards set out in the company’s
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, the company strives to:
We value the trust placed in us by our shareholders to manage our
affairs to achieve profitable and sustainable growth.
We value staff for their commitment to providing the highest quality service
for advisors and clients, and for helping to build stronger communities.
We value the communities where we live and work and we help to
make them stronger, as corporate citizens and as volunteers.
ENVIRONMENT
This capacity to share our time, expertise and resources also reflects
our own well-being. To help our staff be at their best, we continue
to improve our workplaces, through new opportunities to learn
and grow, and new supports for health and wellness. Our focus
on staff health and wellness in the workplace, our commitment
to professional development and our support for staff involvement
in the community earned us recognition in 2014 as one of
Canada’s Top 100 employers.
Our Commitment to Social Responsibility
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
A healthy environment is an essential aspect of community and
personal well-being. We operate with our environmental impact in
mind and we’re reporting on our results with a focus on transparency,
measurement and improvement. Our impacts, including printing and
paper usage, energy and water usage, and landfill waste are also our
opportunities to perform better.
5
Commitment
to well-being
Community funding
across Canada
$
million
2014 at a glance
donated for current
needs and lasting
change in our
communities
Atlantic Canada 3%
Alberta 3%
Saskatchewan 4%
What does well-being look like?
From vibrant communities and a
healthy environment to financial
security and protection against loss
for individuals and families, here are
some of the ways we contributed in
2014 to the financial, physical and
mental well-being of Canadians.
11.9
Ontario 30%
British Columbia 6%
Quebec 13%
National 23%
Manitoba 18%
900+
opportunities
to support education,
health and wellness,
arts, social services and
community development
6
More than
2.1
$
million
raised through United Way
campaigns, corporate teams
and other staff support
DELIVERING FOR
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distribution associates
26.5%
GHG emissions at our
corporate campuses
2007-2014
water consumption
at our corporate
campuses 2007-2014
reduction
reduction
in salaries,
commissions
and taxes
$
93
billion
in retirement and other
investment holdings
for Canadians
$
8.3
billion
in benefits paid
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
2.9
$
billion
ENVIRONMENT
OUR WORKPLACES
supporting our clients
34.2%
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
11,000+staff
27,000+
7
Every day, people make decisions that affect their well-being. They may be financial
decisions or those influencing health outcomes. Collectively, the impact of these decisions
stretches beyond individuals and families to affect organizations, our social safety net and
healthcare system and, ultimately, the Canadian economy.
Our approach to providing products and services emphasizes expert advice and
consultation for individuals and employers alike, supported by a broad network of advisors,
brokers and consultants in communities across Canada. We also focus on developing
new tools, services and collaborations to help employers and individuals become more
knowledgeable participants in national and personal discussions affecting their financial,
physical and mental well-being.
Making sound financial decisions
Financing retirement continues to be a national public issue. The decisions employers and
plan members make today can profoundly impact the funds available for retirement.
With the trend away from defined benefits plans toward defined contribution and
voluntary plans, it’s often the personal decisions that will make the difference in the
disposable income individuals have available in retirement.
Delivering for
Canadians
In 2014, we introduced a plan sponsor resource centre to help employers use their plan
data to spot trends within their plan and identify what steps to consider. Aggregate plan
data can offer clues to help close gaps in plan member knowledge. For example, are older
plan members moving away from higher-risk investments? If not, an employer might
consider employee education seminars on managing investments as individuals approach
retirement. The resource centre also helps employers assess the overall health of their plan
and even ensure their plan is in compliance with regulations.
In 2014, we:
Nationally, we continue to sponsor the Capital
Accumulation Plan (CAP) Benchmark Report to
contribute to the national discussion around helping
Canadians achieve their retirement goals. It also
helps highlight areas of opportunity for educating
plan members to better understand financial
concepts. Great-West Life is the exclusive
sponsor of this report, which is based on
responses to the Benefits Canada/Canadian
Institutional Investment Network survey of
CAP sponsors.
• Launched a video series and provided tools to
help Canadians to make sound financial decisions
• Engaged with other healthcare stakeholders to
manage costs and help patients get better
• Continued to help expand awareness and action
around workplace mental health
Financial literacy is an important
skill. Please see page 29 for
information on our commitment
to help the Chartered
Professional Accountants of
Canada expand their Financial
Decisions Matter programming
and help equip more Canadians
to make decisions for financial
well-being.
Part of Canada’s changing retirement savings
landscape are the new pooled registered pension
plans (PRPP) or voluntary retirement savings plan
(VRSP) in Quebec. Enabled through provincial
legislation, these plans are intended to bridge the
pension gap for small and mid-size businesses and
the self-employed.
In 2014, we introduced a VRSP that’s simple for
smaller employers to set up and maintain, and for
employees to participate in. Employees choose from
clearly defined, understandable investment options.
If they don’t make an investment choice, their
contributions will be directed into a target-date
fund that automatically diversifies and rebalances
as employees approach their anticipated retirement
dates. This offering builds on our VRSP website
launched in 2012, where employers can access our
One-on-one advice and consultation
Advisors build long-term relationships with their
clients, working with them throughout their
personal, family or business life cycle. Access
to financial advice makes a difference; research
shows that Canadians who work with an advisor
have accumulated close to three times more assets
after 15 years than those who do not work with
an advisor.1
Our individual and group products and services
are available through more than 27,000 advisors,
brokers and consultants in hundreds of communities
across Canada. Supported by an extensive network
of sales and service staff, these advisors help provide
individuals, families and businesses with access to
financial security advice and solutions, most often
right in their communities.
We’re also working with other stakeholders to help
ensure consumers have access to sound advice.
Through Quadrus Investment Services, we’re
closely involved with the Investment Funds Institute
of Canada’s (IFIC) vulnerable investor initiative.
According to IFIC, seniors and near-seniors are
by far the majority of mutual fund holders. IFIC
In 2014, Canada Life joined Life Happens, a not-forprofit industry organization dedicated to educating
people about taking financial responsibility
through ownership of life insurance and related
products, including disability and long-term care
insurance. Life Happens doesn’t endorse any
product, organization or financial advisor. Its focus
is helping people understand what they need to
know to make sound decisions about protection for
themselves and their families.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Ensuring access to financial advice also involves
helping clients when their advisor chooses to
slow down or exit their business. We introduced
an online guide for transition plans between
generations of advisors. Our advisor succession
support model helps ensure a smooth transition
for all clients as advisors choose their own path to
retirement and exit the business – thus ensuring
consistent access to financial advice for all clients.
OUR WORKPLACES
The Simply speaking series is also included in
smartPATH 2.0, our interactive online retirement
education, planning and saving resource for group
retirement plan members, launched in 2013.
SmartPATH 2.0’s immersive virtual neighbourhood
can be customized to educate members about their
specific group retirement and savings plan, while
encouraging and facilitating enrolment. Responsive
design makes the website accessible from desktop
computers, tablets and mobile devices.
We also introduced federal pooled registered
pension plans (PRPPs) to help provide increased
access to group savings plans to employees of
federally regulated employers. Businesses and
self-employed individuals in the Yukon, Northwest
Territories and Nunavut are also eligible to
participate. The PRPP is intended to be a framework
for provinces that must enact their own legislation
in order to offer a PRPP, which can help Canadians
achieve adequate retirement income.
recognizes the need to develop best practices
to help protect aging Canadians who may face
diminished capacity to receive advice and make
sound decisions about their finances.
1. Econometric Models on the Value of Advice of a Financial
Advisor, CIRANO, 2012. Page 9.
Our Simply speaking video series
delivers complex financial concepts –
like diversification and early withdrawal
from savings – in an easy-to-understand,
entertaining fashion.
ENVIRONMENT
To help plan members with their long-term savings
decisions, we introduced Simply speaking, an
educational video series publicly available on
Great-West Life’s Group Retirement Services
YouTube channel. Simply speaking delivers complex
financial concepts – like the value of diversification
and implications of early withdrawal from savings
– in an easy-to-understand, entertaining fashion.
It’s about helping all Canadians better grasp key
concepts that influence their financial well-being.
learning centre or speak with a VRSP specialist
who can help them take the first step in setting
up a VRSP.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Long-term savings made easier
9
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
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INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
10
Making sound health decisions
A major issue in Canada is healthcare. Along with
other stakeholders – patient advocacy groups,
physicians, pharmaceutical manufacturers and
pharmacy chains – we recognize that managing
costs and helping patients get better is a
collaborative effort. No single stakeholder
can address all the issues.
In 2014, we continued to work with other insurers
and pharmacy associations on the Pharmacy Health
Insurance Steering Committee. This group aims
to better connect Canadians with the medication
expertise pharmacists can offer. This can help
improve health outcomes for patients, including
preventative care and helping individuals manage
chronic diseases. The committee arose from the
2013 policy paper, Ensuring the Accessibility,
Affordability and Sustainability of Prescription
Drugs in Canada, from the Canadian Life and
Health Insurance Association.
An example of the value of collaboration is our
Diabetes Support Program for plan members. In
2013, we pioneered this program in collaboration
with a major pharmacy chain with support of the
Canadian Diabetes Association. The results are
encouraging. After a 30-minute intervention with
a pharmacist, approximately half of all patients
with a follow-up appointment showed a clinically
significant improvement. That number increased
fourfold after pharmacists consulted with their
patient’s physician. This can help the patients reduce
the risk of future complications, reduce trips to the
emergency room, and reduce absenteeism and
short-term and long-term disability claims.
Managing costs and helping patients get
better is a collaborative effort. No single
stakeholder can address all the issues.
As with retirement savings programs, sound decision
making is also critical to the sustainability of other
benefits plans, and prescription drug plans in
particular. For many Canadians, their employer’s
drug plan is their main, and sometimes only, source
of prescription drug coverage. Balancing the health
needs of plan members with the need for plan
sustainability is a complex issue.
• Our Drug Plan Performance Report offers
strong data and analytics to help plan sponsors
understand what’s happening with their drug
plans and identify opportunities to save costs while
maintaining coverage to support employee health.
The report anticipates questions sponsors may
have as they seek to make sound decisions in
drug plan design. Advisors are now able to run
these reports for their clients, allowing them to
better support sponsors in considering plan
design options.
• Our Health & Wellness Site for plan members
offers information to help them manage their
physical and mental health plus an interactive
Health Risk Assessment (HRA). In 2015, we’ll
update the HRA to offer a more in-depth
assessment, providing plan members with a
more targeted action plan and the ability to
track changes in their personal health risk
factors over time.
• Aggregate data gathered from the HRA will help
plan sponsors understand the risk factors among
their members, target wellness programs, measure
the total cost of absenteeism and presenteeism,
and monitor progress. With extensive sections
on work-life balance and depression, this tool
will provide insight into both physical and
mental wellness.
• DrugHub is our free app that gives Canadians
a virtual medicine cabinet in their pocket. It
provides a searchable database of information on
thousands of medications and prescription drugs.
As well as learning about ingredients, possible side
effects and interactions, users can set reminders
to take their medication and refill prescriptions.
An updated version of DrugHub released mid-year
includes automatic drug database updates and
colour coding of prescriptions by family member
to help caregivers manage drug adherence.
members to look up benefit plan
information and submit claims
through their smartphones.
• A free smartphone app, DrugHub,
allows Canadians to research
and manage prescription drugs
for themselves and their families,
wherever they are.
• The Great-West Life Facebook,
Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and
YouTube spaces give Canadians
another way to connect with us
about insurance and financial topics
that matter to them, to learn more
about our company and to reach out
when they need help.
• Secure websites offer employers
online access to plan data, as well
as tools and resources to better
understand and manage their benefit
and pension plans.
As a large employer and a provider of group
disability benefits, we see first-hand the significant
impact mental health issues have on absence and
disability, and as well on presenteeism and decreased
productivity.
Since 2007, we’ve worked to make helpful information
and practical resources freely available to employers
across Canada through the Great-West Life Centre for
Mental Health in the Workplace (the Centre). They can
use these resources to support employee success when
mental health is a factor.
On a larger scale, workplace psychological health
and safety has emerged as an important priority for
government and employers. The Centre has responded
with organizational tools to improve psychological
health and safety in the workplace.
The Centre has always supported collaboration
between stakeholders to achieve a greater impact.
In 2014, the Centre again worked to foster
collaboration and provide support.
“With over 23,000 downloads of the
Standard in the first two years, it’s clear
that the issue of psychological health and
safety in the workplace is at the forefront
for a growing number of Canadian and
international organizations.”
– Mary Ann Baynton, Program Director for
the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health
in the Workplace
The Centre’s Program Director, Mary Ann Baynton,
had the opportunity to share insights with Ministers of
Labour from across Canada at their gathering in Halifax
this year.
A national step forward
In early 2014, the National Standard of Canada for
Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
(the Standard) marked its first anniversary. The
voluntary Standard provides a process organizations
can use to support a psychologically healthy and safe
workplace for all employees. Establishing the Standard
was a significant step forward for Canada, and the
Centre played an instrumental role in its initiation
and development.
The Centre has continued its support, working with
the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) and
the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)
to release a comprehensive implementation guide to
help Canadian employers fully adopt the Standard.
The handbook, entitled Assembling the Pieces: An
Implementation Guide to the National Standard for
Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, is
available at no cost through a download link on the
Centre’s website, Workplace Strategies for Mental
Health (see sidebar on page 13).
2. Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2014.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
• Mobile technology allows plan
The Centre’s Executive Director, Mike Schwartz, Senior
Vice-President of Group Benefits, Great-West Life,
took part in a mental health roundtable hosted by the
Economic Club of Canada. He joined the Honourable
Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Status of
Women; Dr. Karen R. Cohen, Chief Executive Officer
of the Canadian Psychological Association; and
Chris Anderson, President of Medaca Health Group,
in discussing approaches to addressing workplace
mental health and ways that employers can foster a
psychologically healthy and inclusive work environment.
OUR WORKPLACES
advice through 27,000+ advisors,
brokers and consultants in hundreds
of communities across Canada.
With half a million Canadians missing work any
given week due to mental health issues,2 managing
workplace mental health is a vital, but still not well
understood, issue. Employers are seeking evidencebased resources to help increase understanding and
take action.
ENVIRONMENT
• Clients have access to one-on-one
Focus on mental health in the workplace
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Providing access where
you live and work
11
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
12
The Centre is also helping to support the MHCC’s
three-year case study into the experiences of more
than 40 organizations across Canada working
towards implementing the Standard, including
Great-West Life. The purpose of the project is
to implement and evaluate the Standard,
openly share results and facilitate future adoption.
As a participant, we’ve committed to adopting
the Standard within the three years and sharing
our experiences with the MHCC.
Helping all organizations implement
the Standard
Complementing the focus of the Centre, we’re
also helping Mindful Employer Canada expand
its reach. Mindful Employer is a forum for
organizations and individuals including executives,
managers, union reps, human resources and
occupational health professionals to make a public
commitment toward positive workplace mental
health. The organization’s Mindful Employer
Charter is free and open to any employer in Canada.
Mindful Employer regards its charter as a
complementary starting point toward adoption
of the Standard.
Our funding supports a video-based webinar,
Managing Complex Accommodation in the
Workplace, and chapter materials for an
associated discussion in 2015.
The Canadian Mental Health Association
(CMHA) has been active in workplace mental health
issues for more than 15 years, raising awareness
and providing resources and training for corporate
Canada. CMHA has been developing solutions
at both the individual and organizational levels
and influencing policies and practices across
governments, labour and business.
Our funding as National Development Sponsor
enabled CMHA to hire a National Director for
their Workforce Mental Health Collaborative.
This position is driving cross-Canada co-ordination
and Standard-based unified resources and tools.
As a result, local CMHA chapters will be better
able to help a wider range of organizations adhere
to the Standard and improve mental health in
their workplaces.
The Centre is providing consultation and
promotional support for the University of
Fredericton’s Certificate in Psychological Health
and Safety in the Workplace. This program aims
at helping workforce leaders plan for, implement
and address issues of psychological health and
safety in the workplace. This is Canada’s first
fully online certificate program focused on the
Standard. Courses cover psychological health and
safety concepts, guiding principles of the Standard,
creating and evaluating effective programs, and
keeping them at the forefront.
Launched in June 2014 at the Ontario Occupational
Health Nurses Association’s annual conference,
Supporting Employee Success – A Tool to Plan
Accommodations that Support Success at Work
is a process that:
• Helps assess work-related triggers for emotional
or cognitive issues.
• Supports a thoughtful approach to finding
accommodations that may best support the
employee to be successful.
• Facilitates the employee’s well-being while
meeting the requirement for a safe and
productive workplace.
Supporting Employee Success was supported and
funded by the Centre and is available at no cost
on the Centre’s website, Workplace Strategies for
Mental Health.
Supporting Employee Success:
a shared effort
The first national Psychological
Safety Award
In 2013, a group of Canada’s top occupational
health and safety professionals recognized the
disconnect in return-to-work and accommodation
planning between employees, their healthcare
professionals and employers when mental health
is a factor. They set out to develop a resource
that would facilitate greater collaboration.
The result was Supporting Employee Success, a
new accommodation resource aimed at helping
bridge the gap between the ability of healthcare
professionals to support employee well-being, and
that of a manager to support workplace success.
The Centre joined Canadian Occupational Safety
magazine in the development of the first national
award for protecting the psychological safety of
employees. The Psychological Safety Award focuses
exclusively on efforts to identify and reduce or
eliminate psychological hazards in the workplace
such as bullying, harassment and chronic pressure.
The recipient of the award was Wellington County,
ON, for integrating protection from psychological
injury as part of their overall health and safety
approach. The Centre presented the Psychological
Safety Award at Canada’s Safest Employers Awards
in October in Toronto.
Our website at www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com
is the primary vehicle through which we make these resources
available to employers and organizations, at no cost.
Resources include:
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the
Workplace (the Centre) is a leading source of free, practical
tools and resources designed to help Canadian employers
with prevention, intervention and management of workplace
mental health issues.
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
The Great-West Life Centre for
Mental Health in the Workplace
• Guarding Minds @ Work (psychological health and safety
with mental health issues at work).
• Take Your Break (email subscription: workplace daily break
activity ideas).
• On the Agenda (videos and presentations on factors that
impact psychological health and safety): in 2014, together
with the University of Waterloo, the Centre completed a
free On the Agenda video series that can be used to help
employers pave the way for discussions and development
of action plans to create healthier work teams.
• Managing Mental Health Matters (management training,
video modules).
• Psychological Health and Safety Management System
(organizational framework to help develop a psychological
safety program).
ENVIRONMENT
• Working Through It (videos from real people who struggled
OUR WORKPLACES
assessment tools).
to bridge the gap between healthcare professionals to
support employee well-being, and that of a manager to
support workplace success.
• Free Training and Tools (posters, brochures, booklets,
reports, all free and ready to print).
There are also articles to read, links to news releases and items
related to mental health in the workplace, lists of third-party
resources in the field, and more.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
• Supporting Employee Success, an accommodation resource
13
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Employment across Canada
From investment activities to purchasing supplies and services, to paying
salaries and commissions and taxes, our operations and services contribute
to a stronger Canadian economy.
In 2014, we employed more than 11,000 people, and paid
more than $914 million in total compensation. We also paid
out $1.4 billion in commissions to our distribution associates.
These funds flow through to hundreds of communities
across Canada in which our employees live and work.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
OUR WORKPLACES
WORKPLACES
OUR
OPERATIONAL
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
INTEGRITY
Economic impact
14
Province
Impact through service to Canadians
Regular
Full-time
Staff
Regular
Part-time
Staff
Temporary
& Casual
Staff
2014
Total
British Columbia
522
13
13
548
Alberta
537
15
11
563
Saskatchewan
590
9
48
647
Our customers rely on us to deliver on our
promises. The products we provide also
contribute to a strong Canadian economy.
Manitoba
2,990
200
119
3,309
Ontario
4,875
122
216
5,213
Quebec
857
42
31
930
In 2014, we:
New Brunswick
39
1
0
40
136
1
3
140
Prince Edward Island
4
0
1
5
Newfoundland and
Labrador
17
0
1
18
Nova Scotia
• Helped more than 40,000 families cope with
loss, paying out more than $2 billion in life
insurance claims.
• Provided income for over 75,000 people who
became disabled and could no longer work.
• Paid over 50 million claims representing more
than $4 billion in health and dental benefits
for plan members.
• Made over $800 million of payout annuity
payments, helping Canadians fund their
retirement with a secure income stream.
Total
10,567
403
443
11,413
We make long-term investments which
support growth in the Canadian economy
while helping Canadians reach their
financial goals.
We offer a broad range of investment offerings
including socially responsible investing
mandates which give clients a meaningful way
to help ensure their investments promote a
higher level of environmental sustainability,
social responsibility and corporate governance.
Clients benefit from professional portfolio
management services as well as screening
and review processes for socially responsible
investing.
These unique investment opportunities
are available to our individual, group, and
institutional clients. Our subsidiary GLC
Asset Management Group Ltd. has provided
strong and consistent professional investment
management services for socially responsible
investing mandates for over a decade.
January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
$100 - 249
$250 - 499
# Of
Accts
$
$500 - 999
# Of
Accts
$
$1,000 - 4,999
# Of
Accts
$
# Of
Accts
$
$5,000 & greater
# Of
Accts
$
Total
# Of
Accts
$
British Columbia
-
-
-
-
-
-
7,738
3
463,617
23
471,355
26
Alberta
-
-
-
-
-
-
22,350
8
449,588
14
471,938
22
Saskatchewan
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
23,534
1
23,534
1
Manitoba
-
-
-
-
-
-
12,603
4
165,518
6
178,121
10
7 1,245
4
8,967
12
108,035
37
837,116
38
956,619
98
Ontario
1,256
Quebec
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
237,866
7
237,866
7
New Brunswick
-
-
441
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
441
1
Nova Scotia
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
17,500
1
17,500
1
Prince Edward Island
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Newfoundland and Labrador
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Territories
Total
$1,256
7
-
Income, Capital, Premium and Other Taxes*
(In $ Thousands)
Federal Government
200,250
British Columbia
40,932
Alberta
37,398
Saskatchewan
15,987
Manitoba
209,973
Quebec
68,257
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador
Territories
Total
5
$8,967
12
$150,726
52
$2,194,739
90
$2,357,374
166
Impact through taxes
In 2014, we paid more than $634 million in taxes to municipal,
provincial and federal governments through our operations
across Canada.
*Other Taxes includes GST/HST, provincial sales tax, payroll tax,
business tax, and property tax.
29,895
Ontario
New Brunswick
-
$1,686
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
In $ Thousands
OUR WORKPLACES
In 2014, we invested $25 million in the
Province of Ontario’s inaugural Green Bonds,
which are designed to help finance transit and
other environmentally friendly projects across
the province. Green Bonds raise awareness
of climate and environmental challenges and
allow investors to support green initiatives.
We also invested more than $200 million in
solar power projects.
New Private Debt and Commercial Mortgage Fundings
ENVIRONMENT
Our commercial mortgages, public bond
and private placement investments provide
opportunities for businesses and governments
to help create employment, fund research
and development, and support infrastructure,
healthcare and renewable energy projects.
As seen in the table to the right, in 2014,
we funded more than $2 billion in new
private debt and commercial mortgages
across Canada.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
In addition to our conservative credit and underwriting standards, each commercial property is reviewed to ensure
it meets important environmental criteria.
6,265
11,303
2,063
10,416
1,786
$634,525
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Investments to spur growth
15
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
16
Operational Integrity
In planning for their future well-being, individuals,
families and organizations count on us to deliver
on the promises we make. In our business, those
promises can extend decades into the future.
The people we serve can count on a very strong
culture of governance ingrained throughout our
organization to ensure we deliver on our promises.
That culture is supported by a governance and
oversight structure that has been developed over
decades of successful performance.
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors provides the highest level of
oversight for management of the diverse businesses
of Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life.
The Board discharges its duties directly or through
one of its seven committees: Audit, Conduct Review,
Compensation, Governance and Nominating, Risk,
Executive, and Investment.
Our Board includes Directors who are knowledgeable
about the affairs of our affiliated companies, which
allows them to offer insight at both the holding
company and operating company levels. Our
governance structure is further strengthened by an
executive management team that includes highly
experienced leaders in oversight functions.
The Board believes diversity is important to ensure
the necessary range of perspectives, experience and
expertise required to achieve effective stewardship
and management. This is formalized through a Board
and Senior Management Diversity Policy.
This governance structure has been key to our
company’s strong track record of consistently
providing solid returns for our shareholders
and policyholders, and of financial strength and
security for our staff and clients.
Responsible oversight
We have rigorous standards and processes in
place throughout our organization supporting
operational integrity. Our business operations are
fully accountable for ensuring the decisions they
make meet these standards. Management of risk,
finance, actuarial and compliance matters is built
into reporting, monitoring, business planning
and operations, product design, and distribution
activities.
In addition, our governance structure includes a
robust oversight framework independent of our
business operations. Under this framework, central
functions – including Risk Management, Compliance,
Financial, Actuarial and Internal Audit – provide
independent validation of our business processes
and policies. As well, these central functions stay
abreast of emerging issues through activities such
as environmental scans, participation in industry
and regulatory forums, engagement in industry
market research to identify key emerging trends,
and dialogue with federal and provincial regulators.
These oversight functions report directly to the
relevant Board committees on oversight matters.
Internal reviews of their mandate and effectiveness
are conducted annually, along with periodic
effectiveness reviews by an independent external
advisory firm.
Our corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are
overseen by the Executive Committee of the Board
of Directors. This important area, which includes our
annual Public Accountability Statement, is led by the
Chief Financial Officer, Canada.
Codes and policies
Ultimately it is individuals who, throughout their
daily activities, must act with integrity and a clear
understanding of their role. We have codes and
policies in place to guide employees at all levels and
advisors in their interactions with customers and
other stakeholders. All employees and advisors are
expected to know and follow the relevant policies
in their day-to-day work.
These policies and procedures include:
• Code of Business Conduct and Ethics –
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for
Directors, Officers and Employees must be
reviewed and acknowledged each year by all
Board members and staff of our organization.
Through a communication program and an
online ethics quiz, we help staff increase their
level of knowledge about the Code and its
application in day-to-day business. Advisors and
brokers must comply with specialized Codes
of Business Conduct and Ethics in all their
interactions on behalf of our companies.
• Business continuity – All business areas are
required to maintain current business continuity
plans, to help ensure we can maintain essential
customer services in the event of a disaster or
unplanned interruption of business anywhere
in Canada where we operate. We periodically
conduct reviews and tests of these plans to
ensure they stay current.
• Accessibility – The company supports the
principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act (AODA) and is working to apply
the principles in all our locations across Canada.
We have established policies and procedures
supporting accessibility, which are posted on
our websites. In 2014, all employees across
Canada were provided with online training on
accessibility. Accessibility training is part of the
orientation for new employees.
• Detect and deter potential money laundering
activities.
• Comply with anti-spam legislation.
New Canadian anti-spam legislation (CASL) took
effect on July 1, 2014, placing restrictions on
sending commercial electronic messages.
We have undertaken a campaign of education and
training for our business units and staff, including
our sales offices and distribution associates, to help
ensure a clear understanding of how to comply with
the legislation.
Ombudsman service
Across our businesses, we work to foster a culture
that focuses on the needs of our clients. This means
understanding their point of view and presenting
solutions that take into account their interests.
It also means we strive to be prompt and fair in
our decisions and actions.
Our goal is to address client concerns through
channels and processes we have established for
resolving complaints, discrepancies and other issues.
Clients can address their concerns directly to their
usual business contact or to management.
Should the business unit be unable to resolve a
concern, we have an internal Ombudsman’s Office
to respond to client concerns.
Vendor relations
Annually we purchase more than $400 million in
products and services across Canada. This ranges
from office supplies, computers and cellphones to
courier services, fresh produce for our cafeterias,
cleaning supplies and janitorial services.
When determining suitability to work with us, we
review the organizational strength and financial
strength of potential vendors. As part of our process,
we also ask them to describe their strategy and
activities relating to the environment, sustainability,
and other facets of corporate social responsibility.
In addition to this, vendors must also agree to our
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or allow
us to review their Code to ensure it satisfies our
organizational standards.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
• Detect and prevent potential claims fraud
on behalf of plan sponsors.
OUR WORKPLACES
• Ensure financial information is accurate,
timely, informative and understandable.
Our Accounting Complaints Handling
Procedures encourage staff to report any
concerns about accounting, internal financial
controls or auditing matters.
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life
are members of the OmbudService for Life and
Health Insurance. This independent service provides
guidance to consumers regarding their complaints
through the industry-wide complaints resolution
process, and assists consumers with questions and
concerns about life and health insurance products
and services.
ENVIRONMENT
• Data security – Our Information Security
Policy reinforces that data security is the
responsibility of everyone in our organization.
It sets standards for protecting information such
as appointing information owners, classifying
information, conducting reference checks and
ensuring security measures are in place.
In addition, we have policies and procedures in place
to help staff in a variety of roles:
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
• Privacy – Our business
operations are responsible
for protecting the privacy
of customer information
they receive. They work
with our Compliance
area to maintain consistent
policies and practices to
protect privacy. As well, our Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics includes privacy guidelines.
These guidelines describe our commitment to
privacy and explain the principles that guide us
in protecting the privacy and confidentiality of
personal information. All staff and advisors are
expected to know and meet these requirements
in their daily interactions with clients.
17
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Building careers
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
ENVIRONMENT
OUR WORKPLACES
Inviting workplaces
18
People with a strong connection to their workplace are better able to develop their skills,
perform well and put their talents and expertise to use. A balance between work and
home, opportunities for personal and professional growth, and supports for health and
well-being all help make this connection. As job seekers and employees alike look for
more than a paycheque, we’ve put a focus on building strong communities within our
organization and in the neighbourhoods around us.
Our
Workplaces
In 2014, we:
• Enhanced our benefits program to better
support the health and wellness of staff
• Introduced a core training program supporting
leadership development
• Supported our staff and distribution associates
in their efforts to give back to the communities
where they live and work
In our 2013 employee engagement survey, staff expressed the desire for enhanced
professional development opportunities. In 2014, we launched the Take the Lead
leadership development program. The program consists of a series of five core leadership
courses that are required training for all leaders. The program is designed to enhance
the support leaders provide staff in their current roles and in preparing for future roles in
our organization. By year-end, more than 650 leaders had participated in Take the Lead
courses. The next phase will offer additional development opportunities to leaders in
various levels throughout the organization.
For all staff, we offer online and in-person training and cover the cost of relevant external
education, to a maximum of $2,000 annually. In 2014, more than 7,000 staff took
advantage of this training support. In 2015, we will continue to look at ways to support
staff in developing themselves and their careers within our organization, including
helping staff prepare for future roles and continue to develop in their current
role or department.
We offer specific career development support to those seeking
further training in actuarial or accounting disciplines. Our Actuarial
Program supports staff actively pursuing the Fellow of the
Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) designation. The
program is designed to motivate and reward participants
as they work toward this designation, while helping them
develop leadership and interpersonal skills. Candidates
rotate among departments approximately every two
In 2014, we were selected
years to gain exposure to new development and
as one of Canada’s Top 100
professional growth opportunities. We currently have
Employers and Manitoba’s Top 25
close to 170 FCIAs and actuarial students on staff and
Employers based on our focus on
an additional 64 university students were hired for
staff health and wellness in the
term positions this year.
workplace, our commitment to
professional development, and
our support for staff involvement
in the community.
The United Way Loaned Representative
Sponsored Employee Program is also an excellent
way to enhance leadership skills while working
for the community. In 2014, we loaned a staff
member to United Way in each of Winnipeg,
Toronto and London. The successful applicants
each received a 14- to 16-week paid leave
from their role with our organization to provide
support to workplace United Way fundraising
campaigns with other employers.
We recognize the value that diversity in our
staff and management group offers for our
business and the community. We are committed
to offering an inclusive work environment that
supports career development and opportunities
for all staff.
We offer work experience opportunities in our major
offices in Winnipeg, Toronto, London and Regina.
In 2014, we hosted students from programs such as
business economics, human resource management,
office administration and information services. Some
of those students gained permanent employment in
our human resources, group insurance and information
services areas.
In addition to working with education institutions,
we also work with organizations such as Saskatchewan
Abilities and the Regina Immigrant Women Centre
to offer work experience placements, which can lead
to employment.
These work experience programs are in addition to
the career development support we provide through
our actuarial program and chartered accountant
training offices.
A snapshot of our workforce
in 2014
The growing diversity in jobs and professionals
also makes it even more important to have
effective processes in place to ensure fair and
competitive compensation. Our job description
and evaluation process helps ensure that jobs are
assessed fairly, based on factors such as skill set,
level of supervision required and impact on our
customers and our organization. This also helps
us meet our commitment to transparency and
equity in compensation.
• We hired 1,550 staff across Canada
• 1,361 staff moved to new roles in
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
We work collaboratively with a variety of educational
institutions and organizations to offer students the
opportunity to gain work experience and get a start
on a career.
OUR WORKPLACES
Staff are encouraged to contribute their time
and expertise to industry-related projects as
members of boards of directors and committees
or through volunteering at events. Staff also
contribute to industry standards and best
practices and gain professional knowledge
through professional associations and with
local chambers of commerce.
As our business environment and customer
expectations change, the range of skills and
professions we need in our business is changing
as well. In addition to more traditional job
postings and career fairs, we are actively forming
new relationships with organizations that help
us reach out to an increasingly diverse range of
talent. For example, in Manitoba, we regularly
conduct career presentations and take part
in employer panels with Manitoba Start – an
organization that specializes in employment
support and training for those immigrating to
Manitoba. We sponsor and participate in a career
symposium with Ability Axis, a special initiative to
increase workforce participation by Manitobans
with disabilities.
Students gaining practical experience
ENVIRONMENT
We are proud supporters of the new CPA
designation. The CPA Training provides candidates
with the opportunity to see our organization
from many different perspectives within rotational
departments. Students receive mentorship
throughout the program that strengthens the
foundation for their future in our organization.
Reaching out for a
talented workforce
our organization
• Our voluntary turnover rate was 6.6
per cent (not including retirements)
• 69.1% of our
workforce was
female
• 40.7% of our
0
20
40
60
80
100
management group
was female
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
In 2007, we became one of the first organizations
in Western Canada to establish a Chartered
Accountant (CA) Training Office outside of public
practice. With the creation of the new Chartered
Professional Accountant designation, we became
a CPA training office and launched a second
CPA training office in our London head office
in 2014. Through 2014, 10 CA students have
completed the program and are employed with
us. A further 10 students are working to achieve
their CPA designation.
19
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
20
Resources for staying healthy and well
We made enhancements to our benefits program
in 2014, keeping our program competitive and
responding to staff feedback from our 2013 employee
engagement survey.
•
Onsite supports for health
and wellness
•
Staff can access a range of supports to help them
manage their well-being, including:
•
Onsite fitness centres, for a nominal monthly
fee, in some of our major locations.
•
Cafeterias in some major locations, offering
healthy food options.
•
Special events and promotions, such as
Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month (see right)
and Commuter Challenge (see page 25).
•
Staff clubs and other organized activities
offering social connections and, for those who
convene, leadership skill development.
•
Confidential health services provided by
Registered Nurses, with related services for
field offices. In 2014, Health Services handled
approximately 23,000 staff requests including:
•
Nursing assessments
•
Assistance with personal medical issues,
including mental health issues
•
Support with workplace ergonomics
•
Attendance at wellness initiatives like
“lunch and learns”, meditation sessions and
immunization clinics
•
Assistance with requesting accommodation
in the workplace for medical reasons.
•
We enhanced paramedical coverage and
eliminated some deductibles in our health
and dental plan.
We introduced a company-funded, flexible
wellness account, effective January 1, 2015.
Staff can use funds from the wellness account
for a wide range of products and services that
improve health and well-being such as fitness
and sports equipment and fees, alternative
healing therapies, nutritional counseling and
items or courses that support continuous
learning in areas of personal interest.
Also effective January 1, we introduced companypaid personal days. Permanent staff are eligible
for two personal days per calendar year that can
be used for any number of reasons including
attending appointments, staying home with sick
family members, and running errands.
Additionally, we enhanced our share ownership plan
(SOP) for staff, to help them access their funds more
readily. The company-subsidized SOP is a voluntary
plan that gives eligible staff members the opportunity
to invest in the company and share in its performance.
For every $2 a staff member contributes to the SOP,
the company contributes $1.
These new offerings are in addition to the
comprehensive, flexible benefits plan we already
offer staff.
Employee benefits are designed so staff can choose
the coverage that best meets their needs and the
needs of their family.
These benefits include:
•
Life insurance for employees, their partner
and children, and accidental death and
dismemberment insurance.
•
Short- and long-term disability benefit options.
•
Healthcare and dentalcare.
•
Employee and family assistance program.
•
Best Doctors® medical referral service.
•
Maternity and parental leave salary top-up.
•
Pension plan and Group Registered Retirement
Savings Plans with a broad spectrum of
investment options.
•
Access to our Group Retirement Services portal,
GRS Access, for account information and
retirement planning resources.
•
Access to home and tenant insurance and
home mortgages.
In October, as in years past, we supported staff
activities for Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month
(CHWM). This year, more than 1,200 staff in 33 teams
competed for the Healthy Office Achievement Award.
Departments were encouraged to form an office
team and participate in wellness activities during the
month using CHWM weekly themes as a guide. Staff
also took part in individual initiatives, like a recipe
challenge – which called on participants to give an
original recipe a healthy makeover by reducing or
substituting unhealthy ingredients – and stair-climbing
trivia challenges. The idea is to encourage habits that
will stick well beyond a single month.
As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting
healthy workplaces across the country, Great-West Life
was again the presenting sponsor of Canada’s Healthy
Workplace Month.
In 2014, we introduced Not Myself Today, a
program to help open up dialogue and reduce
stigma about mental health in our workplaces.
Leaders across our organization are asked to
host team meetings to start the discussion and
dispel misconceptions that might prevent staff
from talking about their illness or seeking support
that can help them be more successful at work.
Resources, including a guide for hosting meetings,
were made available to leaders.
In 2013, we were one of 40 companies in Canada
to sign an agreement to participate in a threeyear case study to monitor the implementation of
elements of the National Standard of Canada on
Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace
(the Standard), openly share results and facilitate
future adoption. Now in our second year of
participation, we’ve continued working toward
our commitment of adopting the Standard and
sharing our experiences with the Mental Health
Commission of Canada.
See page 11 for more information.
Lunch-and-learn sessions through the year also put
a focus on mental health. These efforts complement
the training that our leaders, along with all staff,
receive on respect, office safety and accessibility
– key elements in how we aim to make our
workplaces appealing for staff at every level
of responsibility.
Our annual national United Way workplace
campaign engaged our staff through various
initiatives planned by volunteer United Way
committees across the country. Our people took
part in stair climbs, speakers series, breakfasts,
prize draws, jeans days and more. Staff raised $1.4
million for United Way in their communities. Thirtynine per cent of staff donated to 54 campaigns in
the communities where we live and work. Find out
more about our involvement with the United Way
in regions across Canada on pages –36-43.
United Way’s Day of Caring initiative has added an
extra dimension to our engagement and support.
In October, a record 37 teams of staff took on the
challenge of a Day of Caring project in their city.
This was the second year staff had the opportunity
to help with United Way affiliated projects in
Regina, Winnipeg, London, Toronto and Montreal.
From sorting food and clothing donations to
landscaping and cleaning facilities, staff worked as
a team while learning more about services in their
own communities.
Another example is the hundreds of volunteer
hours our staff and advisors have committed
toward Habitat for Humanity builds. This year,
staff from our Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Burlington/
Hamilton and Winnipeg centres built eight homes
for qualifying families. For the past 10 years, staff
members – including Dave Johnston, President
and COO, who took part in the 2014 Habitat
for Humanity Manitoba CEO Build – have
participated in builds, adding the hands and the
Across Canada, staff donated approximately 1,100
units of blood to Canadian Blood Services (CBS).
We’ve been supporters of CBS for some time and
we strengthened this connection by introducing
a National Partnership with their Partners for Life
program. Through this initiative, we’ll be able to set
an annual pledge amount and track the amount of
blood staff members donate right across Canada.
“This commitment gives us the opportunity
to build on our existing local partnerships
and ongoing success. By encouraging more
staff to give blood, we’ll save more lives and
do more for our communities.”
– Annastasia Lambert, Health Services
In 2014, we donated $52,000 to
organizations through 57 Community
Volunteer Grants. The grants are in
recognition of the individual volunteer
commitments of staff, adding to the
impact of their generous donation of time.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
For the past six years, we’ve held an annual
national corporate food drive in connection with
our support for Food Banks Canada. This year,
staff from our five major centres and 38 of our field
offices collected more than 67,000 lbs of food to
help feed the many Canadians who rely on local
food banks every month in communities across the
country. Through passion, team spirit, department
challenges and city rivalries, staff have made
grocery gathering a friendly competition, donating
252,000 pounds of food toward the initiative
since 2009.
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Inside and outside of our offices, in communities
across the country, our people are making a positive
impact through their volunteer efforts. Through
financial support and a range of programs for
volunteer activities, we support staff involved in the
causes they care about, whether on their own time
or through the workplace.
OUR WORKPLACES
In addition to financial and physical well-being,
we continue to add resources to help support the
mental well-being of employees.
heart to our organization’s more than 20 years of
financial support for Habitat.
ENVIRONMENT
Community engagement
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Mental health resources for staff
21
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Sustaining our commitment to the environment
Measurement, transparency and continuous improvement are all cornerstones of our approach
to environmental management. With the environment as a factor for everyone’s well-being,
minimizing our environmental footprint is a key element of how we operate responsibly.
OUR WORKPLACES
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
For a second consecutive year, our Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Canadian
operations took part in the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) to publicly report on the impact we
have on the environment, and to take an independent measure of our progress in reducing it.
A CDP submission includes data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from electricity
consumption, fossil fuel use, waste to landfill, and water utilization. The submission further
outlines our perspective on the risks and opportunities presented by climate change, our
governance and strategic response to climate change, and our GHG emissions targets and
reduction initiatives across the organization.
Our score of 98B for 2014 improved compared to our 67B score for 2013. The two-part score
measures how we factor climate change into planning, and how thoroughly we report on
our operations. The 98B score earned us a place on CDP’s Canada 200 Climate Disclosure
Leadership Index, reflecting a high level of transparency in the disclosure of climate-related
information.
Environment
In 2015, we will formalize our Environmental Sustainability Policy. It will be available through
our company websites.
Reducing emissions at our corporate campuses
ENVIRONMENT
In 2014, we:
• Participated in the CDP (Carbon Disclosure
Project), earning a Canadian leadership
designation
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
• Reduced our internal printing by
9.5 per cent over 2013
22
• Reduced emissions across our managed
real estate portfolio by 21 per cent
(2007-2014)
We track the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for our corporate campuses in Winnipeg,
London, Toronto and Regina:
• From 2007-2014, our corporate campuses recorded a 34.2 per cent decrease in
GHG emissions.
• For the past year (2013-2014), our corporate campuses recorded a 3.9 per cent
decrease in GHG emissions.
• By volume, our GHG emissions reductions in 2014 compared to 2007 were 4,755 tonnes of
carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This is the equivalent of taking 1,001 cars off the road
for one year or planting approximately 121,923 seedlings and growing them for 10 years.
In addition, we’re working to reduce our emissions in the properties we manage on behalf of
our real estate clients. See page 26 for more information.
ekWh/sqft
tCO 2e/1000 sqft
30
7
6
5
4
3
20
15
• Multi-function devices (MFDs), which replace older and less-
10
2
5
1
0
2007
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012
0
2013 2014
Water Consumption
250
200
800
150
600
100
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Landfill Waste
1000
Tonnes
1,000,000 x L
25
• Our in-house print facility in London, ON holds
400
200
50
2007
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012
2013 2014
0
efficient printers, copiers, fax machines and scanners into one
high-capacity, energy-efficient device, are now in more than
a quarter of our offices. We plan to use MFDs exclusively in
our five head offices and all of our field offices by the end of
2016. These devices include options to facilitate less printing
– for example, faxes can be forwarded to email, instead of
printing. Because we’re using less than half the number of
individual devices than previously, MFDs are also helping us
reduce our energy use.
2007
2008 2009
2010 2011
2012
2013 2014
In accordance with industry best practices, all historical data has been updated to reflect the most current conversion and
emission factors at the time of publishing.
Energy, water, and landfill waste data for 2012 through 2014 includes an additional property, the Winnipeg Data Centre,
which became operational in June 2012.
Chain-of-Custody certification (SW-COC-003666) from
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Canada. Under FSC
certification, forests are certified against a set of strict
environmental and social standards, and fibre from certified
forests is tracked all the way to the consumer through the
Chain-of-Custody certification system. Most of our print
marketing materials are printed on FSC-certified paper.
• Overall, our in-house print facility printed approximately 7.8
million fewer pages in 2014 than in 2013, a reduction of 9.5
per cent. We expect to continue achieving reductions as we
pursue digital alternatives to printing internally and externally.
• Our major vendor of paper, along with the mills that provide
the vendor with most of the paper we use, certifies their
commitment to offering products that meet stringent
environmental criteria. The vendor, for example, supports
forestry certifications that are socially beneficial and
economically viable through its own Chain-of-Custody
certifications.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
35
8
In 2014, we continued an organization-wide initiative to reduce
printing, and realized significant reductions in the amount of
paper we use in our operations. All of our business areas are
providing more data electronically and digitally to our clients.
For our small business group benefits customers, for example,
we’ve reduced production of printed materials by 50 per cent.
OUR WORKPLACES
40
9
ENVIRONMENT
10
0
Printing and paper
Energy Intensity
GHG Emissions Intensity
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Environmental footprint: our corporate campuses
23
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
24
Reducing waste by recycling,
composting and repurposing
Recycling programs and services are in place across
our operations and staff are encouraged to recycle.
In our head offices, containers on each floor
at all properties help us separate garbage from
recyclable paper, cardboard, glass, tin and electronic
components. There are also organic waste bins for
food waste.
In 2014, our corporate offices recycled a total of
75 tonnes of cardboard, 117 tonnes of organics
(compost), and 587 tonnes of paper.
Our recycling efforts include a compost program
for our cafeterias. Across our corporate campuses,
approximately 117 tonnes of organic waste have
been taken away annually in recent years. These
materials become fertilizing soil rather than landfill.
In Toronto, in addition to having containers on each
floor at all properties that separate garbage from
recyclable paper, cardboard, glass, tin and
electronic components, there are also
organic waste bins for food waste.
Go Green with GroupNet
Our Group Insurance division’s Go
Green with GroupNet for Plan Members
contest encouraged plan members to use
our free secure website to reduce paper
use and waste. By enrolling for this service,
plan members can submit electronic claims
and sign up for direct deposit instead of
submitting paper claims and receiving paper
cheques and statements.
More than 80,000 of our plan members
signed up for direct deposit in 2014, an
increase of 65 per cent by comparison to
the previous year.
Staff at our Canada Life campus in Toronto took
Waste Reduction Week (October 20-26) to heart.
Cafeteria management created a greener dining
experience by introducing new recycling stations
with signage outlining what can be disposed of in
each bin, as well as more environmentally friendly
napkins and napkin dispensers, and recyclable
takeout containers. Building tenants dining in the
cafeteria are now encouraged to use available china
dinnerware for a zero-waste lunch. Coffee and tea
drinkers can now purchase a reusable cup.
Making our London Life Centre
more sustainable
Meanwhile, our Mackenzie Investments facilities
team at the campus set out to remind staff that the
use of a reusable coffee cup or thermos can prevent
waste, one cup at a time. They built a pyramid of
544 used cups collected from staff over two weeks
to show what ends up in a landfill.
In 2014, we replaced a significant portion of the
roof on campus buildings with more thermally
efficient materials, with work continuing into 2015.
We’ve also completed numerous lighting retrofits
across our London facilities. The lighting retrofits
have helped achieve energy savings of more than
170,000 kWh, as estimated from the Ontario Power
Authority’s saveONenergy program.
We also engage in co-operative projects to
repurpose property assets, including office furniture
and equipment, that we no longer need.
Since December 2009, we have completed 68
sustainability projects with Green Standards, a
vendor that collects and redistributes these items.
Through our 2014 projects, we diverted 81 tons of
refuse from landfill, resulting in more than $93,000
of in-kind donations to charitable organizations.
In turn, these charities are best able to direct our
donated items within their communities where
they are needed most.
This 81-ton landfill diversion has resulted in a
reduction of 275 tonnes of CO2e. This is equal to:
• Reducing gasoline consumption by
30,820 gallons.
• Growing 7,045 tree seedlings for 10 years.
• Offsetting electricity use from 38 homes
for one year.
Our London Life campus has undergone numerous
lighting retrofits to improve operational efficiency
and tenant comfort. Among ongoing improvements,
we have swapped out old, inefficient boilers for
newer energy-efficient natural-gas-fired boilers.
These efforts have contributed to the 10 per cent
energy reduction at these facilities between 2012
and 2014.
While energy efficiency has been a priority, we
have also focused on increasing water-use efficiency
with the installation of low-flow fixtures in
washrooms. These retrofits will continue over the
next several years, along with upgrades to a more
water-efficient irrigation system, to further reduce
on-site water use.
In addition to these infrastructure improvements,
we reconfigured the design of work areas within
our London head office. This is allowing us to
efficiently situate more staff within the same
location, eliminating the need for additional real
estate, and the associated emissions of additional
energy use.
All buildings considered for the BOMA Earth
Awards have BOMA BESt certification, the
Canadian industry standard for commercial
building sustainability.
and their guests have planted more
than 2,165 trees and shrubs and adopted
585 trees for their own homes and yards. It’s all
part of our engagement with ReForest London.
As lead sponsor of ReForest London since 2009,
London Life was the first corporation to step
up for the Million Tree Challenge, a program
encouraging Londoners to plant one million
trees in 10 years.
The Winnipeg Data Centre was built specifically
with energy efficiency in mind. Completed in
2012, the 52,800 square foot facility integrates
best practices to limit our environmental
footprint while maintaining stringent data
security and availability standards.
• With limited public spaces available for new
trees, ReForest London asked property owners
to look for tree planting opportunities on
their own land. We offered our Sovereign
Road property, which provides a large area
for planting, and contributes to the Veterans
Memorial Parkway Community Program’s
efforts to “green up” the area.
• In our Regina and Winnipeg offices, staff
marked Canadian Environment Week
(June 1-7) by participating in the Commuter
Challenge. The friendly competition between
Canadian workplaces asks staff to bus, carpool,
cycle, walk or jog to help reduce greenhouse
gas emissions on their daily trek to work.
• As staff travel for work, we are looking for
ways to reduce our contribution to greenhouse
gas emissions. We have invested in video
conferencing technology in our Winnipeg,
London and Toronto offices to help us conduct
more of our business without need for travel,
and by extension, reduce travel-associated
emissions.
Canada Life earns
Building Engagement awards
In Toronto, CivicAction’s Race to Reduce awards
recognize landlords and tenants for their energy
reduction efforts and results, and reinforce the
need for active and sustained efforts by the office
sector. The awards celebrate the collective reduction
results for the year. The initiative continues to gain
momentum, with landlords and tenants delivering
a 7.9 per cent collective energy reduction over
three years toward an overall four-year collective
reduction goal of 10 per cent.
In 2014, two of our Canada Life buildings won
Building Engagement awards for outstanding
landlord and tenant participation.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
• Over the last five years, our staff
OUR WORKPLACES
Big and small steps for
a better environment
ENVIRONMENT
Our Data Centre in Winnipeg earned a BOMA
Earth Award, which recognizes resource
preservation and environmentally sound
commercial building management.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Data Centre wins Building Owners
and Managers Association (BOMA)
2014 Earth Award
25
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Sustaining a commitment to
the environment through
GWL Realty Advisors
Our subsidiary GWL Realty Advisors Inc. is one of Canada’s leading real estate
investment advisors. At December 31, 2014, GWL Realty Advisors managed
288 properties across Canada and the approximate value of assets under its
management was $16.6 billion.
Their focus on delivering stable, long-term returns for clients includes improving
the performance and sustainability of the buildings they manage and operate.
Since 2007, GWL Realty Advisors has reported the following decreases in GHG
emissions across its managed office and multi-residential portfolios:
OUR WORKPLACES
• Office portfolio: 23 per cent
• Multi-residential portfolio: 18 per cent
By setting targets, driving performance and measuring results, GWL Realty
Advisors continues to demonstrate that sustainability is good business.
Green building certifications
ENVIRONMENT
• Nine buildings under GWL Realty Advisors’ management received
LEED® Gold certification in 2014. Another seven buildings are pursuing
certification.
• Seventy-three buildings under GWL Realty Advisors’ management were
actively in pursuit of BOMA BESt certification and 215 were fully certified
in 2014.
Water is the new carbon
GWL Realty Advisors set five-year water reduction targets (relative to a 2013
baseline) at 81 of the office properties it manages, including our head office
campuses for Great-West Life, Canada Life and London Life.
Through June 2014, water-use intensity decreased by more than three per cent.
The Water Benchmarking and Conservation Program has helped us:
LEED®
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Green Building Certification Activity in 2014:
In 2014, GWL Realty Advisors launched its Water Benchmarking and
Conservation Program.
• Overall portfolio: 21 per cent
26
For owners and tenants, such green ratings and certifications provide credibility,
instill confidence, promote comparability, and help qualify and quantify the
benefits of green buildings for tenants and occupants.
Green building certifications such as BOMA BESt and
are industry
designations that signal a commitment to environmentally responsible building
design and operations. Greater awareness and technical expertise in building
operations helps drive efficiencies and better building performance. Across the
portfolio that GWL Realty Advisors manages, it is pursuing these certifications.
• Gain a better understanding of the water usage of each office property in
BOMA Building Environmental Standards (BESt), developed and maintained
by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada, is
an industry environmental assessment platform and certification program. It
provides property owners and managers with the framework to assess and
improve a building’s environmental performance.
• Deploy effective conservation strategies to manage this important resource.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system
recognized as the international mark of excellence for green buildings in 150
countries. The LEED system provides building owners and operators with a
framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green
building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
our managed portfolio.
• Set property-level reduction targets through 2018.
• Identify reduction opportunities for both water use and costs.
At the building level, examples of improvements in water-use efficiency include
the introduction of low-flow fixtures, intelligent landscape sprinkler systems,
and enhanced control systems for rooftop cooling towers. Greater occupant
awareness and changes in occupant behaviour have also helped properties
realize reductions.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
• Through a new three-year scholarship – the GWL Realty Advisors Building Operator Award – we’ll be
financially supporting the education of a second-year student in the Building Environmental Systems
Technician Program at Seneca College who has exhibited leadership and an interest in sustainability.
• As part of GWL Realty Advisors’ commitment to supporting the development of employee skills, it organized
in-house training for 41 staff to participate in the Building Operator Certification Program. The program
is an internationally recognized, nine-day training and certification program offered by the Canadian
Institute for Energy Training. It offers facilities professionals training and skills development to improve
the comfort, energy efficiency and overall operational performance of the buildings GWL Realty Advisors
manages. Through 2014, GWL Realty Advisors had more staff complete this training than any organization
across Canada.
• The SHAD Entrepreneurship Challenge, focusing on science, technology, engineering and math innovation,
is Canada’s only national, project-based entrepreneurship and innovation experience for high school youth.
As part of SHAD’s national programming, which we have supported for many years, the annual SHAD
Entrepreneurship Cup asks students to address significant societal issues. Working with the 2014 theme,
Living Large with a Small Footprint, students presented their environmental innovations ranging from
compact greenhouses for urban settings, to radio-frequency identification systems that eliminate
wasted electricity.
ENVIRONMENT
Our GWL Realty Advisors team implemented a
water-use reduction plan that included the use of
low-flow faucets and water-efficient landscaping.
For heating, the property houses an innovative heat
recovery system, designed to use excess heat from
the on-site data centre to help warm the building in
the winter months. The building also has multiple
green roofs, a “living” green wall, preferential
parking for carpoolers, and more than 180 secured
and covered bicycle storage spaces.
Promoting environmental leadership, skills and mindsets
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
The James Michael Flaherty building on historic
Elgin Street in Ottawa achieved LEED Gold (Core &
Shell) status in November 2014. The new building
at 90 Elgin, developed and managed by GWL
Realty Advisors, is the home of the Finance and
Treasury Department of the Federal Government
in downtown Ottawa and accommodates
approximately 2,600 employees.
OUR WORKPLACES
A Gold-certified launch for the James
Michael Flaherty Building (Ottawa)
27
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Imagine Canada’s Standards Program provides
framework for charities to earn trust
ENVIRONMENT
OUR WORKPLACES
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
On the path to greater well-being among Canadians, one of the major ways we can
make a positive impact is by helping ensure the vitality and sustainability of the country’s
charitable sector.
Imagine Canada (Imagine), the national umbrella and voice for Canada’s charitable sector,
is providing charities and non-profits with a framework to demonstrate their sustainability,
efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.
Established with our funding and encouragement as Founding and Presenting Sponsor,
Imagine’s national Standards Program is designed to increase the transparency and capacity
of charities and non-profits, and strengthen public confidence in individual organizations
and the sector as a whole.
Community
Support
In 2014, we:
• Supported best practices for charities, outreach
through technology, and social innovation
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
• Provided new funding to advance the financial
literacy of under-served Canadians
28
• Supported innovation in mental healthcare
and engagement in social issues
• Responded to local and regional priorities
from British Columbia to Atlantic Canada
“The great strength of this program is its relevance to vastly different organizations, from
a large university to a small charity serving a single community,” says Bruce MacDonald,
President and CEO of Imagine Canada. “And as much as charities are motivated to
demonstrate excellence for funders and supporters, they’re also saying the process itself
is making them better at what they do. They’re raising their own bar.”
Through 2014, 126 organizations had earned their accreditation. Another 260 were
engaged in the process, a self-directed journey which includes a rigorous peer review
of governance, transparency, stewardship and accountability.
“Trust is foundational in the relationship between charities and Canadians,” adds
MacDonald. “The Standards Program can be a badge of trust for the organization
that wears it. They’ve earned it. ”
We have long sustained a commitment as an Imagine Caring Company, supporting the
principles of corporate citizenship and benchmarks for community investment established
by Imagine. But our engagement with Imagine goes beyond this public commitment.
Along with multi-year funding for the Standards Program, we supported its precursor, the
Ethical Code Program, which prescribed standards for charitable organizations to manage
and report their financial affairs responsibly. Since 1987, we’ve contributed close to $1
million toward these programs and several more Imagine initiatives to help the charitable
sector become stronger and more sustainable.
One area of need is financial literacy. Major life
decisions like saving for post-secondary education,
buying a home, having children or retiring all require
a clear understanding of money management.
We committed $518,000 to help the Chartered
Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA
Canada) expand their Financial Decisions Matter
programming and reach more Canadians. In these
widely accessible sessions, CPA Canada members
deliver objective financial literacy education and
information, without any affiliation with specific
financial services providers or financial products.
With our funding, CPA Canada will be able to
develop new content, train more volunteers to deliver
the programming across Canada more quickly, and
focus on meeting the emerging financial literacy
needs of small business, community organizations,
new Canadians, post-secondary students, and people
of all ages.
Working with CPA Canada, we’ll draw on the range
of professional financial services expertise within our
own organization to address the issue of financial
literacy and contribute to their program, from
content development to program delivery.
As Presenting Sponsor, we welcomed teachers,
politicians, law enforcement officials, community
workers and other stakeholders to join in the
discussion, with the belief that this kind of
collaboration leads to solutions.
“Looking at literacy through the filter of a social issue
opens up thinking,” says Sherry Campbell, President
and CEO, Frontier College. “Bringing together the
‘unusual’ suspects prompts fresh dialogue. Through
these forums, we’ve engaged a broader audience
and created a new setting to explore the positive
impact achieved through improvements in literacy.”
Looking forward: the skills agenda
A 2013 international survey of essential skills1 ranked
Canada 11th among 24 countries in adult literacy
skills and 14th in numeracy.
“These are skills a person can develop, but as a
nation we are not where we want to be,” says
Gillian Mason, President of ABC Life Literacy
Canada (ABC).
Since 1999, we’ve been helping ABC advance its
goals for greater national literacy awareness and
actionable research toward a fully literate Canadian
population.
– Perrin Beatty, President and CEO,
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The annual Great-West Life, London Life
and Canada Life Literacy Innovation Awards,
established through our commitment of
$250,000 to ABC Life Literacy Canada, recognizes
organizations that have developed, implemented
and delivered an innovative literacy program.
Grassroots literacy organizations are eligible for
a top award of $20,000, or one of up to four
honourable mention awards of $5,000 each.
The top award winner also receives an online
platform to share the program with other
community organizations.
The 2014 award recipient and four honourable
mentions were drawn from a record 51 innovative
submissions.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
The theme of Frontier’s annual national forum in
February was the impact of literacy on criminal
justice and youth. The event took place concurrently
in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and
Halifax. Participants including webcast viewers took
part in a discussion around integrating literacy into
youth services, and shared best practices.
“Canada’s skills gap is undermining our
competitiveness. It’s about having the right
skills for the jobs available. And in many cases,
it’s about employees having the essential skills
to learn and get trained on a job. Poor literacy
creates risks in the workplace, including safety
issues. It holds people back from gaining digital
skills which are increasingly necessary to work.
Without more attention to literacy and other
essential skills, many Canadian workers will
never realize better jobs, better pay or
better health.”
OUR WORKPLACES
We’ve long supported thought leaders and
innovators building a culture of improved literacy,
toward the goal that more Canadians will be able
to realize their potential at home, at work, and in
the community.
Frontier College (Frontier) is an organization that
sees at the grassroots how literacy intersects with
poverty, crime, public health, civic engagement, and
community development.
By working alongside Frontier College and ABC Life
Literacy Canada, we can focus on helping more
Canadians build the essential skills used in nearly
every job and in daily life.
ENVIRONMENT
Once defined as reading and writing, today literacy
refers to a spectrum of skills for well-being and
employability, and is a driver for a stronger Canadian
economy and society.
Literacy and social issues
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Literacy: more than
reading
1. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills.
29
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
30
Stronger Communities Together™
Sustainability and long-term growth are at the core of our approach
to business – and at the heart of the relationships we build with
Canadians and their communities.
Through Stronger Communities Together, our national policy for
corporate citizenship, we engage in issues at a national level, while
addressing many more regional and local concerns. Our people
are ambassadors in this engagement, committing their time and
expertise to a range of community priorities.
As community needs do not always present themselves in tidy
categories, nor do their solutions. Recognizing this, we support
projects that span arts and culture, community development,
education, health and wellness, and social services.
Helping youth reach
their potential
We’re investing in the well-being
of youth – whether at risk or in the
classroom – as citizens and future leaders.
As young Canadians begin to make the
decisions that will shape their lives and career
paths, we’re investing in programs to help them
achieve their potential. Since 2002, we’ve helped
Junior Achievement affiliates across Canada deliver
Economics for Success, a program for middle and high school
students to recognize the value of education and the pursuit of longer-term
career goals.
Creative, co-ordinated efforts are essential in achieving lasting and
positive change. By sharing knowledge, best practices, and diverse
perspectives and resources, all stakeholders can advance the wellbeing of Canadians. We endorse this approach in all of our efforts
to build stronger communities.
A positive path for youth
LEAVE A LEGACY™ (LAL) is the public awareness
program of the Canadian Association of Gift
Planners (CAGP-ACPDP™) encouraging people to
leave a gift, through their will or any other gift planning
instrument, to a charity or non-profit organization of
their choice. We have completed a 10-year history of
support as the Founding National Development Sponsor
of LAL, and in 2014, made a commitment of $75,000
to the Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life
Local LEAVE A LEGACY™ Grant program. These grants
will help local LAL chapters promote the many benefits
of planned giving.
We’ve supported UNITY since 2008, and in 2014 made a new two-year
commitment of $30,000 annually. Our support has grown from sponsoring
a school assembly program to sponsoring the national UNITY Hub program
in Halifax, Calgary and Toronto, with the group planning to expand
to additional locations. We also hosted their annual awareness and
fundraising event at our Canada Life building in Toronto.
What began in 2003 as a high school project has become a registered
charity that has empowered more than 30,000 Canadian youth.
Michael Prosserman founded UNITY Charity (UNITY) when he was just
16 years old, drawing on a passion for breakdancing and a desire to help
other young people turn negative situations into positive opportunities for
creative expression. Through UNITY, young people between the ages of 13
and 26 are learning to articulate their feelings through artistic expression
and develop skills for success.
Through 2014, the CDRIN had established six
hubs from British Columbia to Atlantic Canada.
These clusters of experts and resources draw from
each region’s universities, research institutes, and
hospitals.
“The hubs set their own priorities for research,” Dr.
Merali explains. “As the saying goes, ‘depression
rarely walks alone; it’s co-morbid with many other
disorders and health conditions, so we’re looking
at different aspects of this disease and sharing the
information and innovations.”
Each hub concentrates on some unique areas
of interest and expertise in depression research;
however some share common areas across the
network. They are unified in wanting people to get
better, faster.
The Royal’s IMHR leads the Central Canada hub and
the development of what Dr. Merali believes will be
an important tool – a standardized, patient-filled
assessment and tool to measure depression and
related conditions.
Our longtime support to The Royal includes a
further $700,000 commitment, announced in
early 2014, toward accelerating the purchase of
this highly specialized brain imaging technology
dedicated exclusively to depression diagnosis and
brain research. And to keep the momentum
going on mental health research and care, through
fellowships, we are also helping young researchers
build their careers in depression research at
The Royal.
With London one of our major centres of operation,
we’re well aware of the city’s regional role in
providing healthcare for Southwestern Ontario.
The interest of two of the city’s major hospitals
to approach mental healthcare in an integrated
way was front and centre when London Health
Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health
Care London (SJHC) presented their plans to work
together. We made a $600,000 commitment to
help them provide what will be one of the largest
hospital-based mental healthcare programs in
Canada, combining acute and specialized care.
Capital funding supports specially designed mental
health and well-being facilities at SJHC, and is
recognized through the location’s Great-West Life,
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
“Robust information empowers patients.
So when they see a clinician, they can actually
talk about how they are feeling with this
objective frame of reference.”
– Dr. Zul Merali, Scientific Director of The Royal’s
Institute of Mental Health Research
London Life and Canada Life Courtyard. Program
funding for the Transition Age Project at LHSC
supports mental health service delivery, with a focus
on children and adolescents.
Promoting social
innovation
A sustainable society is an overarching goal for many
charities and other non-profit institutions. While
individual organizations are pursuing this goal in
their own way, many are recognizing that new and
lasting solutions require collaboration.
London’s Pillar Nonprofit Network (Pillar) provides
a best-practice example. Pillar brings together a
range of charities and grassroots groups under an
umbrella. The goal is to raise their collective visibility,
credibility, accountability, professionalism and the
capacity of the voluntary sector in London and
surrounding area.
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
In order to understand what goes awry in the brains
of depressed individuals, researchers need a scanner
combining two kinds of body imaging technologies:
positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI). This equipment will
provide visualization of where in the brain something
has gone awry, and help clinicians determine the
underpinning chemical disturbances, so treatments
can be personalized.
OUR WORKPLACES
We’re a Founding Supporter of the Canadian
Depression Research and Intervention Network
(CDRIN). This cross-Canada network led by Dr. Zul
Merali, Scientific Director of The Royal’s Institute
of Mental Health Research (IMHR) affiliated with
the University of Ottawa, links top researchers
in depression research, people with depression,
trainees, and care providers.
“Mental illness doesn’t yet have one scale, the way a
doctor will read your blood pressure or temperature.
When we can standardize our measures, we’ll be
able to trend a patient’s well-being over time.”
ENVIRONMENT
At The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
(The Royal), work is underway to gain a greater
understanding of mental health and illness across
the country and take research forward to transform
the diagnosis, treatment and maintenance of mental
health.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Transforming approaches to mental health
diagnosis and treatment
31
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
32
Safety in numbers
Three years ago, four separate non-profit
organizations merged to achieve a stronger voice,
sustainable programming, and national outreach for
injury prevention awareness and expertise.
Pillar purchased a historic commercial building in
the city’s downtown to create an inviting, dedicated
shared space for these groups to gather and share
ideas. As one of the first private funders, we
committed $150,000 to establish London’s first
Solutions Lab within the building.
The London Life Solutions Lab will be a place to
gather for those who know creative thinking, risktaking, and innovation will make a difference for the
health and well-being of Londoners. The lab will be
equipped with decision-making and collaboration
tools and technology to leverage the expertise of
participating organizations. Project teams recruited
from business, non-profits, government and academia
will soon have a user-centric process and place to
address poverty, youth unemployment, mental health,
and economic development.
Addressing social issues will always come back to
the efforts of committed people. Some of our staff
will help create a community database of volunteer
business advisors, mentors and contacts, who will
develop measurable approaches to civic issues.
By investing in an existing building in the city centre,
Pillar is also contributing to renewal and economic
prosperity for London. Pillar’s social innovation shared
space will open in mid-2016, after completion of
renovations to the building.
This past year marked our third year of support for
the organization that emerged: Parachute – Leaders
in Injury Prevention. Our $300,000 commitment
is helping Parachute develop the capacity, resources
and technology to achieve its goals. Learn more about
their new online resource on page 33.
As Parachute executes plans to be the national leader
for injury prevention knowledge, we shared their story
with the Ivey School of Business at Western University
(Ivey). Through our introduction and with our financial
support, Ivey is presenting Parachute’s evolution as a
case study. Future business leaders will gain insights
from this example of how the non-profit sector can
repurpose resources and build strong collaborative
cultures and organizations, to realize measurable
public-facing outcomes and broad reach. This marks
the first time a non-profit case study has been added
to the Ivey curriculum.
The case study will also highlight the importance of
injury prevention in Canada through access, expertise
and ability to provide credible solutions.
As their National Founding Sponsor, we’ve helped
accelerate their impact – first through involvement
with local tournaments, and then by providing the
funding for HHTH to expand its reach. In addition
to our national support and local tournament
sponsorships, our staff and financial security advisors
are volunteers, raise funds directly, and take to the
ice alongside former pros. In these capacities we’ve
contributed more than $1.2 million to HHTH to date.
HHTH Hat Trick: three winning
achievements
Hockey Helps the Homeless has not only built local
awareness, but also brought “home” for individual
Canadians and a broader audience within corporate
Canada that collective action makes a positive
difference in ending homelessness.
•
Exceeding expectations – In 2013/14, HHTH
had a record year, resulting in $1.1 million going
to local agencies helping the homeless – nearly
double the previous year’s total. Tournaments
took place in Calgary, Edmonton, London,
Montreal, the Greater Toronto Area (Bay St.
and Newmarket), and Vancouver.
•
Rising to the challenge – In 2014, HHTH’s new
Matching Goal for Goal program challenged
tournament participants to raise $100,000 more
in pledges over the previous season. In each
city, participants broke records, and we added
$125,000 in matching funding to strengthen
awareness of homelessness and accelerate
fundraising.
•
Top teamwork and strategy – By marshalling
a strong network of volunteer support, setting
and topping ambitious fundraising targets, and
making sure the events always focus on the
cause, HHTH has raised more than $7 million
since 1996, benefiting 35 partner homelessness
support agencies across Canada.
The Ivey Business Case is nearing completion and
is scheduled to launch in February 2015.
Taking the lead to end homelessness
Hockey Helps the Homeless (HHTH) is dedicated to
ending homelessness in Canada through fundraising,
education and collaboration with local volunteers and
outreach organizations. What started as a grassroots
event in Toronto and Montreal has become a series
of high-profile tournaments and activities in cities
across Canada.
Our $500,000 commitment is helping the AKH
website reach a larger audience and provide
more evidence-based health knowledge. The
enhancements in 2014 included:
•
A Nutrition Resource Centre for families
and children to increase their awareness
about nutrition.
•
A first stage of mental health content through
an interactive game that helps children learn
about emotional literacy.
•
Brief, compelling videos to communicate
the value of the site to healthcare providers
and families.
•
Custom pages for clinical departments
(emergency departments, for example),
allowing staff to quickly access handouts
in any available language.
In the cities where we operate, including the
neighbourhoods around our head offices, we
respond to the challenges we see by taking part in
locally driven solutions.
In Winnipeg, for example, we’re part of the
same urban neighbourhood as the University of
Winnipeg (U of W). The U of W is a downtown hub
where people of diverse cultures and backgrounds
live, connect and interact.
In 2014, the U of W opened the UNITED Health and
RecPlex, a 189,000 square foot complex housing
a range of recreation and wellness facilities and
resources. We contributed $500,000 to help bring
this complex to life in a neighbourhood where many
residents deal with socio-economic challenges,
including access to health and wellness supports.
Our funding established the Great-West Life Healthy
Campus and Research Centre to encourage new
wellness resources and research opportunities. We
also provided catalyst funding for a new position
— Executive Director, Wellness and Student Life —
dedicated to the physical, emotional, and mental
health of the student body.
Along with our support for standards for the
charitable sector overall, we look to help local
organizations build their operational capacity.
Longtime supporters of Habitat for Humanity builds
(see page 21 for more information), we’re also
helping Habitat for Humanity Canada (Habitat)
develop stronger leaders within its organization,
knowing that this ultimately supports its affiliates’
goals for home ownership for many more Canadians.
We began a new three-year commitment of $25,000
annually as Founding Sponsor of Habitat’s National
Leadership Education Program, to respond to its goal
to better prepare the 63 affiliates for maximizing
their local effectiveness and community impact.
Habitat anticipates the outcomes will include a
stronger national core of volunteer leaders, improved
risk management, and greater cohesion across the
national Habitat system. At the affiliate level, these
outcomes will translate into stronger leaders who
increase operational effectiveness, resulting in a
greater number of home builds.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Investing in our
neighbourhoods
In downtown London, Museum London houses a
collection of more than 5,000 Canadian works of art
and 40,000 historical artifacts relating to the history
of the city and region. Like many strong and wellestablished cultural institutions, it faces the challenge
of staying accessible and relevant, especially for
children and young adults. Building on our ongoing
funding for two school-focused programs, we
committed $300,000 to Museum London’s Creative
Learning Centre capital campaign, which will provide
a big, bright, colourful space for inviting, interactive
learning. We made our early contribution to the
campaign to signal the museum as an important
contributor to the well-being of Londoners and the
heart of their city.
OUR WORKPLACES
AboutKidsHealth (AKH) is one of Canada’s most
comprehensive and reliable web educational
resources, promoting knowledge exchange and
awareness among medical practitioners, patients,
families and researchers. An initiative of SickKids
Foundation, AKH received nearly seven million
visitors in 2014 – half of this total being parents.
While the new facility brings relief to a shortage of
indoor recreational space in Winnipeg’s core, it is also
a safe venue for community members of all social
and economic backgrounds to focus on their health,
well-being and cultural pursuits.
ENVIRONMENT
Moving the needle on issues around health and
public safety can be as much about behavioural
change as about funding for organizations in
these spheres. Engaging, high-quality and usable
information can help transform behaviours.
Parachute – Leaders in Injury Prevention
continues to build its one-stop, web-based centre for
mobilizing injury prevention knowledge and solutions
in Canada. Parachute’s Horizon is a resource
designed for ease of use regardless of age, role,
or culture. The website approaches the serious topic
of injury prevention from a range of perspectives
and information needs, providing users with an
engaging experience. This resource also makes
strong ties to injury prevention partners in Canada
and around the world.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Reaching people, changing
behaviour through
technology
33
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
34
Enabling engagement: corporate teams
Complementing the support of our company
for issues and needs across the country,
our people are quick to take part, team
up, and raise funds. Recognizing their
leadership and commitment as ambassadors
for our organization and caring members
of communities across Canada, we provide
financial support and contributions that add
to the impact of their collective efforts. While
these efforts differ by location, individual and
community need, the common thread is an
abiding regard for the well-being of others.
For a complete list of our corporate teams,
see pages 52-54.
Teams that keep on rolling
Our staff have taken part in the Cerebral
Palsy Stationary Bike Race in Winnipeg
since its beginning. This year marked
the 25th anniversary of the event and in
recognition of this milestone we hosted the
Prize Presentation event in our head office
complex. The 2014 event raised close to
$170,000 with $18,850 coming from our
top fundraising team of 14.
Our staff and advisors in Edmonton have a
long-term relationship with the MS Bike Tour,
getting involved as a corporate team and
organizing our specially themed checkpoint
– a mainstay and favourite amongst old
and new riders alike. This year a team of six
participants raised $8,885 by cycling from
Leduc to Camrose.
In Winnipeg, 17 staff and 16 of their guests
participated in the MS Bike Tour. 2014
marked the 25th anniversary of the event
and the 12th year of participation for our
people, who raised nearly $32,000 at this
year’s event. Our team’s total contribution
since first getting involved has reached
more than $300,000!
Going the distance
This year, 65 staff represented our companies
in Défi Canderel Montréal, a fundraising run.
For the past 11 years our teams have raised
over $210,000 to support cancer research
at the McGill Cancer Centre and l’Institut
du cancer de Montréal, affiliated with
the Université de Montréal. With 2014
marking the event’s 25th anniversary, our
team raised $28,000.
Staff and advisors from our Peterborough
Financial Centre participated in the Carl
Oake Swimathon to raise pledges for
Five Counties Children’s Centre for the
sixth year. Since 2009, the team has raised
over $38,000 to help maintain therapy for
children, purchase equipment and fund
various programs.
Our 59 corporate teams raised
more than $417,000, with an
additional $271,000 from the
company adding impact.
The following pages survey how
we took action in 2014 from British
Columbia to Atlantic Canada to
make our communities stronger.
Through our continued support of $10,000 to
sponsor the Hospital Outreach Program of the
Vancouver International Children’s Festival,
we’re bringing the arts experience to children
unable to leave medical facilities due to treatment.
Children and their families benefit from the healing
power of music, dance and laughter.
Leadership and recreation for all
MoreSports provides sustainable physical activity
opportunities for Vancouver children and families.
By getting involved in recreational activities, kids
can learn about sport development and youth
leadership. MoreSports is available to all, but
focuses on children who might not typically take
part in sports – girls, children from diverse ethnic
groups, and those facing financial barriers. We
continued to help the organization expand to
additional Eastside schools and reach a growing
number of at-risk students. Our contribution
supports a leadership program for students in
grades five through seven to engage younger
students in playground and sports activities.
We contributed $25,000 to help Big Brothers
of Greater Vancouver deliver a new afterschool program, adapted from their existing
teen mentorship program, to meet the needs of
Aboriginal youth and children. In partnership with
community service agencies, the program provides
leadership and training for Aboriginal youth while
encouraging social and emotional development for
Aboriginal children through mentoring.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
From early learning to advanced pre-professional
training, Arts Umbrella (AU) helps young people
learn about creative expression. Our three-year
commitment to AU’s Media Arts Bursary Program
provides access for children to develop their grasp
of fundamental visual arts and explore their own
artistic voice.
OUR WORKPLACES
With a focus on bringing new experiences to youth
and their families and expanding their potential
through exposure to the arts, we sponsored the
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Tiny Tots
Concert Series. This series for infants and children
encourages early childhood development through
entertaining music education.
ENVIRONMENT
Communities across Canada hold
their own priorities, yet also share in
common many of the same needs.
From unique local projects to those
that complement our efforts to
address issues on a national level,
we support a wide range of initiatives.
Through their engagement in business
and as involved citizens in the places
where they live and work, it’s often
our staff and distribution associates
who bring forward these local and
regional concerns, for additional
funding and support.
Enriching young lives through the arts
Tabor Mountain Recreation Society is dedicated
to maintaining and growing accessibility to Tabor
Mountain, near Prince George, as a recreational
and educational wilderness experience. Our
funding is helping make the mountain trails
more accessible for senior citizens and mobilitychallenged individuals. The Great-West Life
Mobility Nature Trail has been upgraded to include
guard rails, a freshly levelled rough trail and
benches, to ensure everyone can enjoy the area’s
natural settings and feel safe doing so.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Region by
region
British Columbia
35
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
36
Encouraging economic and
community growth through support
for family business
The Canadian Association of Family Enterprise
(CAFE) helps families in business succeed by
bringing them together to share knowledge and
experiences. With our support, CAFE Vancouver’s
Future Leaders Program connects future leaders
from family businesses across the province’s
Lower Mainland. Through custom workshops
focusing on a range of development needs such
as communication, better sources of professional
advice, and experience, greater awareness is
built around the value of family enterprise to the
national economy, and support generated for
families to build a legacy through their business.
Where better to receive inspiration, guidance and
advice about family business than from other
successful family business owners? We once again
sponsored UBC Sauder School of Business’
Family Legacy Series Gala Dinner, addressing
business challenges through research, education
and outreach.
Fostering mental health and
physical well-being
The Canadian Mental Health Association, BC
Division promotes mental health for all British
Columbians. For more than 10 years we’ve
sponsored their Bottom Line Conference, bringing
together business leaders, union representatives,
policy-makers, researchers, and workers to
improve mental health in Canadian workplaces.
The 2014 event centred on helping employers
respond to the voluntary National Standard of
Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the
Workplace – a standard we helped initiate and
develop, and are working toward implementing in
our own offices.
Through the annual Courage to Come Back
Awards, Coast Mental Health Foundation
(CMHF) honours ordinary people who have
shown extraordinary courage recovering from
injury, accident, illness and personal trauma, and
have “come back” to make a difference in their
communities. We’ve sponsored the event, which
raises funds and awareness for CMHF programs
and services, since 2000.
Our $100,000 commitment to Kelowna General
Hospital Foundation’s Be a Lifesaver Campaign
will help ensure the Interior Heart & Surgical
Centre (IHSC) opens fully outfitted with the
critical state-of-the-art equipment and support it
needs to improve and save lives. Slated to open in
2015, the IHSC will provide timely, much needed
surgeries to patients who in the past may have
had to travel outside the region for this level of
healthcare.
Our annual contribution of $10,000 to
St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation’s Lights of Hope
campaign in 2014 is helping to purchase a new
3D Echocardiography machine essential for the
diagnosis and treatment of heart patients.
With an aging population, the need for medical
equipment to help patients facing health concerns,
including mental health issues, continues to grow.
Our $100,000 commitment in 2013 continues to
help Victoria Hospitals Foundation in providing
SMART technology in the Geriatric Mental
Health Unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital. SMART
technology puts caregivers in constant contact
with each other and their patients, to help deliver
exceptional care.
Helping youth, newcomers stay
in school, pursue their goals
It’s never too early to start building the foundation
for a successful future. Junior Achievement
of British Columbia’s Economics For Success
program encourages students to stay in school
to gain the knowledge, skills, and motivation
to pursue a successful career. Our $45,000
contribution helped more than 32,000 students
across the province take part in business education
workshops during the school year.
New Canadians often face barriers in postsecondary education. Recognized as a leader in
English as a Second Language studies, Vancouver
Community College serves the city’s diverse
core through programs and services that prepare
students for ongoing career education and greater
community involvement. The Great-West Life,
London Life and Canada Life Scholarship for New
Canadians and the Adult Basic Education Program
for Youth help newcomers to Canada and young
people facing poverty and other barriers.
Our United Way
support in
British Columbia
Over $119,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
Calgary Drop-in & Rehab Centre Society offers 24-hour shelter, 3,500
prepared meals daily, life skills training and advancements, as well as other
services to homeless and low-income men and women. More than 20 of our
staff volunteer to serve a special spring and fall lunch, which we support through
the Society’s Meal Sponsorship program.
Advancing healthcare excellence
When it opened in 2006 the vision for the Alberta Children’s Hospital was
to reduce stress and promote healing. Our $20,000 contribution toward a
Minimally Invasive High-Definition Surgical Camera System will allow surgeons to
perform major surgery through minor incisions. This approach results in less pain
for the child, quicker recovery times, and fewer complications – and therefore,
less stress for parents.
Our support for the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Foundation in Grande Prairie
spans more than a decade. This busy hospital is the only Regional Secondary
Referral Centre in Northern Alberta. In 2014, their main annual fundraiser –
Festival of Trees – earned our continued support as Gala Sponsor. The event
raises awareness and funds for essential hospital equipment and services.
Our United Way
support in
Alberta
Over $87,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
Financial means shouldn’t be a barrier to the arts or to developing creative
thought. Our funding for Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and Theatre Calgary
provides financial backing for the presentation of student performances,
development of study guides, and distribution of subsidized tickets.
Through KidSport Alberta’s Adopt-an-Athlete Funding Program, we
contributed to two funds: the Provincial Fund covers areas of the province
without a local chapter, while the Alberta Chapters Fund helps chapters that are
facing higher-than-usual demand. This support enables children and youth to
overcome the financial barriers that keep them from participating in organized
sport. That way, all children have the ability to benefit from the exercise,
leadership and teamwork development that comes with participating in
sporting activities.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
We continue to support annual scholarships at Ambrose University College,
Bow Valley College, Mount Royal University, Grant MacEwan University
and University of Alberta. At NAIT Centre for Applied Technologies, we
continued our $50,000 commitment to Essential: The NAIT Campaign, assisting
the Institute in expanding its capacity and increasing enrollment.
In Edmonton, as in other Canadian centres, poverty intersects with many other
difficulties around housing, healthcare, nutrition and education. While Inner
City Agencies Foundation is addressing poverty year-round, its annual Roast
Beef Dinner feeds more than 800 inner-city residents in need. Members of our
local staff are longtime volunteers at the event, which we also sponsor.
OUR WORKPLACES
Responding to urgent needs for shelter and food
ENVIRONMENT
Broadening access to higher education, the arts
and recreational sport
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Alberta
37
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
38
Saskatchewan
Helping more children take part in
recreational sport
Enriching and expanding opportunities
for learners
KidSport Saskatchewan provides grants to cover
the costs of sport registration fees for economically
disadvantaged children. We highlighted and
supported the need for equal access to sports and
recreation by returning as Presenting Sponsor of
the annual KidSport Month in May and its signature
event, the Fun & Fitness Corporate Challenge
in Regina.
Building Knowledge: The College Avenue Campus
Renewal Project raises funds to refurbish the
University of Regina, a 100-year-old heritage
space. In 2014, we completed a $250,000
commitment to help the institution adapt to current
instructional, learning and community needs. This
initiative will help expand learning opportunities
for students and enhance economic activity in
downtown Regina by providing educational and arts
programming for all ages and life stages.
With our support, Ignite Adult Learning Centre
(Ignite) delivers programming to help at-risk
and marginalized people build a better future.
Ignite’s programs give students basic life skills and
supplementary education, preparing them for
employment or to further their training. The goal is
to help clients gain more confidence by becoming
self-sufficient and productive – contributing to their
families and the wider community.
We continue to provide annual scholarships for
students at campuses across Saskatchewan,
including the University of Regina,
Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies,
University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan
Polytechnic.
Connecting all ages to arts and culture
The oral tradition of sharing stories can be
therapeutic. Benefits include greater social
participation and improvement in the mental,
emotional and physical health of the participants.
That’s why we’ve supported Common Weal
Community Arts as they develop partnershipbased, participatory arts projects between
communities and artists. This year we supported
a new project that focuses on seniors. Hello In
There/Hello Out There is a year-long interactive art
program to engage seniors in care facilities to share
their personal narratives, life stories, and memories.
We’ve supported Globe Theatre since 1999. In
2014, we helped bring in new audience members
and encourage families to introduce their children
to live theatre from a young age by supporting the
holiday season production of You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown. The holiday show was performed
33 times with the help of more than 400 volunteers
and the audience is three to four times greater than
any other production in their season.
MacKenzie Art Gallery holds a family program
every Sunday including storytelling, art-making and
gallery tours. We support Sundays at the Gallery
to encourage hands-on exploration of themes and
connection of concepts in art for family audiences of
diverse backgrounds.
Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan brings the
plays of the Bard and his contemporaries to life in
ways that resonate with modern audiences. We’ve
sustained our support for 13 years now with an
emphasis on subsidizing student attendance and
providing complimentary tickets to at-risk youth
through social arts groups.
Improving regional healthcare
To help bring the best care possible to the Five Hills
Health Region, we committed $50,000 to Moose
Jaw Health Foundation’s campaign to equip the
city’s regional hospital with state-of-the-art medical
equipment. Saskatchewan’s newest hospital is slated
for completion in March 2015.
Our United Way
support in
Saskatchewan
Over $95,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
Another landmark in Winnipeg is presenting history
– as well as making it. The Canadian Museum
for Human Rights opened in late 2014. We were
an early contributor to this world-class facility and
in 2014 we made an additional commitment of
$250,000 to assist in completing its construction.
Advancing post-secondary education
For several decades we’ve supported capital
appeals, research and scholarships at the University
of Manitoba, Université de Saint-Boniface,
University of Winnipeg and Red River College.
In 2014, we completed our $250,000 commitment
to Université de Saint-Boniface’s new Health
Sciences Pavilion and custom curriculum, The
Transdisciplinary Community Health Project (TCHP),
which pairs students with a local community agency
to develop and co-ordinate a project over the course
of the semester. Projects range from research and
surveys to enhancing program delivery. TCHP is an
example of how collaboration between academics
and community groups can create innovative and
comprehensive learning and results.
Our presence in Manitoba in 2014 also included
support for the University of Winnipeg’s UNITED
Health & RecPlex. See page 33 for more information.
Building the well-being of
children and youth
Proper nutrition is critical to leading active and
healthy lives. In 2014, in addition to our corporate
food drive, we completed our second year of funding
to Winnipeg Harvest’s Hunger for Hope initiative,
which focuses on infant formula and food for
child hunger.
Specialized Services for Children & Youth
co-ordinates services for Manitoba children and
youth with disabilities and special needs. Currently,
services are offered to families out of multiple
locations, requiring extensive, inefficient and
costly co-ordination for families and healthcare
professionals alike. Responding to a regional health
priority to offer improved health services, we
committed $125,000 to develop an integrated health
services facility in a centralized location for assessing
and treating children.
Building capacity, expanding reach
in arts and culture
Our $45,000 commitment over three years helps
Artspace deliver ArtSupport Manitoba, the first
program of its kind in North America designed to
generate revenue for arts, culture and heritage
in Manitoba. The program will work with arts
organizations to increase their fundraising
capacity, and with philanthropists to increase their
understanding of, and thoughtful investment in,
arts, culture and heritage.
Renewing public space
Our commitment of $25,000 over two years
is helping the West Broadway Business
Improvement Zone renew and beautify the
West Broadway area in Winnipeg – our head
office neighbourhood – with enhanced gateways,
streetlight banners, landscaping, public kiosks,
and public art.
Our United Way
support in
Manitoba
Over $908,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Through their First Steps to Active Living Program,
the Reh-Fit Centre in Winnipeg helps improve the
long-term health of individuals for whom inactivity
has become a risk factor for developing a chronic
disease. Our funding will enable program expansion
and ongoing evaluation to ensure the program
remains relevant with up-to-date medical research.
OUR WORKPLACES
By summer 2015, visitors to Winnipeg’s Assiniboine
Park Zoo will be able to see Manitoba’s agricultural
heritage brought to life. The McFeetors Heavy Horse
Centre will be a 4.7 acre farming exhibit complete
with a barn, pastures, paddocks, a carriage shed and
four Percheron horses. The Centre was launched
with a naming donation to Assiniboine Park
Conservancy from Ray McFeetors, former CEO and
Chairman of Great-West Lifeco. We committed an
additional $250,000 to create the Great-West Life
Paddock within the Heavy Horse Centre to add to
this new exhibit.
With our assistance, Shakespeare in the Ruins’
youth and education programming offers students
significantly discounted tickets to its main stage
production and popular annual Stripped-Down
touring production. Also included is the Shakespeare
in the City program, bringing creative opportunities
directly to at-risk youth.
ENVIRONMENT
New spaces for learning and reflection
Promoting healthy models to
address chronic diseases
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Manitoba
39
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
40
Ontario
Contributing to advancement in
healthcare resources, facilities
In Ontario, as in other regions, we support
efforts to improve diagnosis and treatment of
the diseases most affecting Canadians. Our
$100,000 commitment to Thunder Bay Regional
Health Sciences Foundation and its Exceptional
Cancer Care Campaign, for example, supports
implementation of improved cancer care for
the region.
Through our $100,000 commitment to the Building
for Tomorrow’s Healthcare Today campaign at
Timmins and District Hospital Foundation,
we helped with the purchase of a breast coil, a
diagnostic system that produces high-quality MRI
images, which can lead to a better, sometimes
earlier, diagnosis. Patients in the region will now be
able to receive services closer to home.
In Kitchener, we were once again the Presenting
Sponsor of MANEX, a unique men’s expo that raises
awareness and supports services for men’s health
at St. Mary’s General Hospital, including cardiac
care and prostate cancer diagnosis and surgery.
University Hospitals Kingston Foundation
marshalled resources to build the Centre for PatientOriented Research, a new clinical research support
facility. We made a $50,000 commitment to this
project, which will add nearly 25 per cent more
capacity to Kingston General Hospital’s research
space. Access to additional funding for research,
more effective care, shorter hospital stays and
greater efficiency in healthcare spending are
among the anticipated outcomes.
Our long-time support of healthcare in the
Chatham-Kent region continued in two important
ways in 2014. First, we contributed $12,500 toward
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s Medical Student
Learning Centre. As a space for students across
medical disciplines to network with peers, mentors
and residents, the centre is intended to enrich the
student experience and lead to greater learning
and collaboration.
Funding is one part of a solid response to an issue,
personal engagement is another. In September, staff
from our London, Hamilton and Toronto offices
volunteered their time to paint at the Women’s
Place of South Niagara shelter for women and
children. With a corporate contribution to cover
the cost of the paint and the tools, they got the
job done.
We also provided funding for the Chatham-Kent
Family Health Team to establish an Education
Centre where patients can access health education
programs like diabetes wellness, dietary counselling,
and fall prevention. When not in use by the health
teams, the Education Centre remains a valuable
community resource available for use by non-profits.
Building a stronger infrastructure
for hunger relief, shelter and safety
Second Harvest is addressing hunger and food
sustainability while looking out for Toronto’s most
vulnerable and under-served populations. The nonprofit recovers and distributes surplus fresh food to
social agencies across the city. To help them do this
more effectively, we contributed $10,000 for the
agency to obtain new software to better manage
food delivery, administration, communications
and fundraising.
For close to a decade, we’ve supported Eva’s
Initiatives in its mission to help homeless and
at-risk youth reach their potential. In 2014, we
made an additional $70,000 commitment to their
National Initiatives Program, a centralized project to
help member agencies share information on skills,
approaches, program design, and management
techniques. Participating organizations build more
capacity on this issue by sharing best practices on
community responses, strengthening networks
and partnerships, and developing innovative
and creative responses to improve outcomes in
youth homelessness.
Celebrating civic heritage,
treasured traditions
In London, we are the Founding and Presenting
Sponsor of Doors Open London, a free annual
event to celebrate London’s special spaces,
architecture and history – including our London Life
building. We similarly sponsored London Culture
Days, a two-day, city-wide event that runs in
tandem with Doors Open London, promoting public
participation and engagement in arts and culture,
including a multicultural program.
We supported education and the arts via the
renowned Stratford Festival’s Tools for Teachers
program, which funds four initiatives that offer
expertise to all classrooms – regardless of their
distance from Stratford – by mail, online and on site.
Hands-on learning and creating happen at Gardiner
Museum, where the public can take part in artist-led
clay workshops. Through our sponsorship of Family
Days & Open Clay Studios, three family-friendly
sessions introduce participants to ceramics.
Inspiring the next generation of leaders
With the right support, learning starts early and
continues through life. Future Possibilities for Kids
offers Ready Set Goal!, a leadership development and
life skills program. Guided by a personal KidCoach
and a unique curriculum, children are inspired and
empowered to contribute to their communities now
and as they mature. Our three-year commitment
of $60,000 supports program expansion into more
schools, ensuring opportunity and accessibility for
more children.
Our presence in Ontario in 2014 also included
support for Royal Ottawa Mental Health
Centre, Pillar Nonprofit Network and Museum
London, among other organizations.
See pages 30-33 for more information.
ENVIRONMENT
Over $514,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
Continuing as Youth Theatre program and show
sponsor of Theatre Sarnia, we supported their
production of A Christmas Carol featuring a cast
of more than 20 children. We also supported their
ongoing youth program and a sponsorship for up to
three youth to take part in a special summer theatre
training program.
We continue to support Junior Achievement in
London and Southwestern Ontario (JA) as they
offer Economics for Success. This initiative encourages
students to stay in school and obtain the knowledge,
skills and motivation to pursue a successful career.
In London, we also support JA’s Company Program,
which helps high school students understand the role
of business in our society by creating an enterprise
of their own. And now in Toronto (JA of Central
Ontario), we’re helping make the Dollars With
Sense Program possible so grade seven students can
learn how to achieve their goals through planning,
budgeting and knowledge of the tools for making
sound financial decisions.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Our United Way
support in
Ontario
As Education Partner Sponsor of the Shaw Festival,
we’re supporting a program reaching thousands
of students in junior and senior high schools across
southern Ontario.
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
A team of 54 staff members from
Toronto and London raised $13,582
for World Wildlife Fund Canada
(WWF), through the Canada Life
CN Tower Climb for WWF. In
addition to augmenting the team’s
fundraising through an additional
$6,000 donation, we returned as
lead sponsor of the event, continuing
our 30-year relationship with WWF
as they work to conserve Canada’s
oceans, fresh water and the arctic.
In 2015, the WWF will celebrate the
25th anniversary of the Climb.
At the Richard Ivey School of Business, Ivey
Connects is a student-led initiative we’ve supported for
more than 10 years. Ivey Connects inspires students
to get involved in the not-for-profit sector and stay
engaged in community issues as they grow in their
professional careers. The program connects students
with organizations in the community that can benefit
from their time and talent. In 2014, we provided
$30,000 to support six internships with organizations
in London and Toronto.
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Linking arts, youth and education
OUR WORKPLACES
25 years and climbing!
41
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
42
Quebec
Helping at-risk youth gain more stable
footing, develop life skills
Share the Warmth provides programs for young
people between the ages of 5 and 13. Our
sponsorship of the Creative Arts Program provides
at-risk children and youth living in southwestern
Montreal with access to positive programs and
activities in a supportive environment.
Reducing high school drop-out rates continues
to be an issue we address through Pathways
to Education Canada (Pathways) as it delivers
its successful model in Quebec and other parts
of Canada. In addition, in 2014 we sponsored
and attended the Graduation Gala for students
at Pathways’ Verdun site, ‘Toujours Ensemble’.
We also continued to support neighbourhoodbased targeted learning and literacy skills programs
in Montreal through HIPPY-Quebec and Je
Passe Partout.
Le Groupe communautaire L’ltinéraire addresses
homelessness and the risk of dropping out of
school through unique programming that teaches
transferable skills and encourages employment.
For several years, we’ve supported their youth
programming, so vulnerable Montreal youth can
develop life and employment skills needed to
create some stability and then return to school
or find work.
Building wellness in the workplace
Since launching the Great-West Life Centre for
Mental Health in the Workplace in 2007, we
continue to support initiatives that promote
psychologically healthy workplaces. In Quebec,
we support the Healthy Enterprises Group, which
encourages Quebec-based companies to integrate
comprehensive employee health programs into their
management practices, including programs that
address workplace mental health.
Supporting advanced research,
and greater resources for
compassionate care
We funded two renowned research programs in
Quebec in 2014. The Great-West Life, London
Life and Canada Life Doctoral Scholarship through
Fondation universitaire Armand-Frappier
de l’INRS supports promising young researchers
in Quebec studying various health issues and
diseases. Fondation de l’Institut universitaire
de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec
gives cardiologists a chance to develop expertise
and create first-rate research and clinical sites for
cardiac care. Fellowship recipients train in ultraspecialized medical assessment centres outside of
Quebec, returning home with new expertise and
care methods.
The Wonderball gala celebrated the 90th anniversary
of St. Mary’s Hospital. We joined them as
Silver Sponsor, helping facilitate the creation of
a new breast cancer module for the hospital’s
healthcare website.
The Lighthouse, Children and Families –
Quebec’s only network of round-the-clock critical
care for children with a life-threatening illness – and
Montreal Heart Institute – each continue to
benefit from our multi-year funding commitments
of $100,000 annually.
South of Quebec City, Grand Village provides
a summer and respite experience to children,
adolescents and adults living with physical and
intellectual disabilities. In 2014, we contributed
$15,000 toward their Multisensory Room Project,
which provides an environment filled with visual
effects, sounds, textures and aromas that will assist
staff in stimulating, calming or energizing clients
with chronic pain, mood and behaviour disorders
or who are sensory deprived.
Expanding opportunities for youth
to gain new experiences
We continue to provide funding to arts programs
to make tickets more affordable for youth or
economically disadvantaged families. We’ve
been supporting Les Grands Ballets since 1974,
and once again our support was aimed at their
Nutcracker Fund for Children and Education
Matinees.
As Season Title Sponsor, we contributed $40,000
to I Musici Chamber Orchestra to help make
tickets more affordable for youth and students.
Similarly, through our sponsorship of Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal, 100 tickets will be
donated to economically challenged students and
their families as part of The Youth Concert Series
(Matinées Jeunesse).
Our United Way
support in
Quebec
Over $328,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
Preserving, sharing
the farming way of life
Many residents of Chester, Nova Scotia do not
have a family physician. With some of the highest
rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in
the province and an aging population in need of
geriatric and palliative care, the need for good
medical care is acute. Our Health Centre was born
when community members rallied together to find a
sustainable solution. We’ve contributed $10,000 to
help build this centre, which will house primary care
physicians and nurse practitioners, provide space for
visiting medical specialists, and co-ordinate public
health services throughout the region.
Ross Farm Museum is an authentic, living heritage
site celebrating the rural Nova Scotia farming
community. Our $10,000 contribution toward their
Learning Centre Campaign is helping build a new
multi-purpose facility for educational workshops
and exhibits to further develop programs and
contribute to the economic and cultural sustainability
of this community.
Healthcare professionals also need support
to advance their skills to improve care for the
community. Our $25,000 commitment to QEII
Health Sciences Centre Foundation’s simulationbased learning campaign will enhance simulation
education capacity at the QEII Health Sciences
Centre, increasing competency, reducing errors,
and improving patient outcomes.
Helping students learn, grow and
build new skills through the arts
Our commitment of $500,000 in 2012 continues
to fund an Education Specialist and a Research
Associate at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick
who work with the Chair in Occupational Medicine
to advance occupational health issues and solutions
specific to Atlantic Canada.
Our three-year commitment of $30,000 to
The New Brunswick Association for Community
Living (NBACL) will help families of children with
an intellectual disability build their capacity to make
decisions that best support their needs, and develop
skills to mentor other families. This in turn will help
NBACL to reach more new families in additional
regions of New Brunswick.
As sponsor of Theatre Nova Scotia’s Perform!
program, we encourage enhanced learning for
primary and high school students through the
performing arts. The program helps students
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Building a stronger healthcare
infrastructure
Our United Way
support in
Atlantic Canada
Over $58,000 in
2014 workplace and
corporate donations
OUR WORKPLACES
In the heart of a high-need neighbourhood in
Saint John, we made a $50,000 commitment to
Saint John Community Loan Fund to help build
a three-storey mixed-use building to serve as a
Social Enterprise Hub. The focus is to foster creativity
and entrepreneurship for poverty reduction and
deliver services that help people build skills, create
income, build assets, and ultimately achieve greater
self-reliance.
We’ve supported Confederation Centre of the
Arts for many years. Most recently, we made a
three-year commitment of $5,000 annually toward
Art Discovery Days. This program allows groups of
school children to spend a full day at the Centre
participating in workshops in movement (dance),
theatre, and visual arts.
Since its inception in 2004, the Burin Peninsula
Healthcare Foundation’s annual golf tournament
has drawn the support of our staff and financial
security advisors. To date, more than $115,000
has been raised to purchase specialized medical
equipment. In 2014, proceeds went to the purchase
of new digital boards for the main reception area.
ENVIRONMENT
Encouraging social enterprise,
helping families of children with
an intellectual disability
build skills, creativity and self-esteem. It’s a strong
enhancement to their overall educational experience,
while their teachers receive professional development
training to apply in the classroom.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Atlantic Canada
43
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
Appendix
Contributions to communities in 2014
Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater
Toronto Chapter
Business and Professional Women - BPW Regina
980 CJME’s Santa’s Anonymous
Association of Fundraising Professionals, Manitoba Chapter
Business for the Arts
ABC Life Literacy Canada
Association of Fundraising Professionals, Regina Chapter
Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre
Abilities Arts Festival
Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF)
Caledonia Community Foundation
Abilities Centre
Autism Ontario, London
Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre
Across Languages Translation and Interpretation Service
BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Action Nouvelle Vie
BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre Foundation
Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation
The AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia
The Banff Centre
Camp Circle O’Friends
Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre
Beginning Experience of Winnipeg
Camp Oochigeas
Alberta Cancer Foundation
Bethesda Home Foundation Inc.
The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation
Better Living Charitable Foundation
Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation
Foundation
Algoma University College Foundation
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Estrie
Canadian Association for Williams Syndrome
ALS Society of Canada
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Montreal
ALS Society of Ontario
Big Brothers Big Sisters of London & Area
Alzheimer Foundation London and Middlesex
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John
Alzheimer Society of Manitoba
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto
Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg
Amabile Choirs of London, Canada
Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver Foundation
176 Boeing of Canada Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron
30 Hour Telethon for Palliative Care Services
Ambrose University College
Amcal Family Services
Anishinabek Nation 7th Generation Charities
Art City
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Art Starts Neighbourhood Cultural Centre
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
The Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation
44
The Arthritis Society - Southwestern Ontario
Arts Club Theatre Company
Arts for Children and Youth
Arts Umbrella
Artspace Inc.
Assiniboine Park Conservancy
Association of Fundraising Professionals,
Golden Horseshoe Chapter
Big Brothers of Regina
Border Crossings
Bow Valley College
Boys & Girls Club of London Foundation
Boys & Girls Clubs of Winnipeg
Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada
Business Council of Manitoba
Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFE) - Vancouver
Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP)
Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) – Manitoba
Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Chapter
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Prairies NWT
Canadian Cancer Society - Elgin-Middlesex Community Office
Canadian Cancer Society - Manitoba Division
Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division
Canadian Cancer Society - Oxford County Unit
Canadian Cancer Society - Quebec Division
Brescia University College
Canadian Cancer Society - Waterloo Region Community
Office
Brigadoon Children’s Camp Society
Canadian Celiac Association - Manitoba Chapter
Brock University
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Durham Region Chapter
Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids Society
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Peel & District Chapter
Burin Peninsula Health Care Foundation
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Peterborough Chapter
Burlington Art Centre
Canadian Depression Research and Intervention Network
Burlington Community Foundation
Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR)
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)
Chatham-Kent Hospice
Cystic Fibrosis Canada - Essex-Kent Chapter
Canadian Mental Health Association - BC Division
The Cheshire Foundation (Quebec) Inc.
Cystic Fibrosis Canada - Kitchener-Waterloo District Chapter
Canadian Mental Health Association - Calgary Region
Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton
Dalhousie University
Canadian Mental Health Association - National
Children’s Health Foundation (London)
Dans la rue
Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation (CMSF)
Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba
D’Arcy’s A.R.C.
Canadian Opera Company
Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario
Dartmouth General Hospital Charitable Foundation
Canadian Progress Club - Halifax
Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation
The David Suzuki Foundation
Canadian Red Cross
Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada - Nova Scotia Chapter
Dawson Community Centre
Canadian Stage
Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada - Prince Edward Island
Chapter
Défi Corporatif Canderel
The Cancer Research Society - Montreal
Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada
Carizon Family and Community Services
The Carpenter Hospice
Carrefour d’éducation populaire de Pointe-Saint-Charles
Casey House Foundation
Catholic Youth Organization - Marydale Park
CCSE Maisonneuve
Celebrate London
Centaur Theatre Company
Centraide du Grand Montréal
Centraide Estrie
Centraide Mauricie
Centraide Outaouais
Centraide Québec et Chaudière-Appalaches
Centraide Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean
Central Okanagan Hospice Association
Central Speech and Hearing Clinic Inc.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation
The Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba
Christmas & Winter Relief Association
The Citadel Theatre
CNIB - Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Winnipeg Office
CNIB - Ontario, National Office
Coast Mental Health Foundation
Common Weal Community Arts Incorporated
Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough
Community Foundation of Oakville
Community Living Chatham-Kent
Community Living Guelph Wellington
Community Living Mississauga
Community Living Oshawa/Clarington
Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services
Downtown Winnipeg BIZ
Dr. Clown (Jovia)
The Dream Factory
Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation
Ducks Unlimited Canada
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Durham Children’s Aid Foundation
Durham Deaf Services
Durham Hospice
Earth Rangers
Easter Seals Ontario - Kingston
The Concerned Kids
Easter Seals Ontario - Peterborough
Conestoga College
Economic Development Winnipeg Inc.
Confederation Centre of the Arts
Edwards Business Students’ Society
The Conference Board of Canada
Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and
Development Board
Connect Legal: Advice for Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Cornwall Alternative School
Corporate Social Responsibility Society | CSRS Schulich
The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall
Covenant House
Creative Kids
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada - Manitoba/
Saskatchewan Region
Chatham Outreach for Hunger Inc.
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada - Ontario Region
Chatham-Kent Family Health Team
Cruisers Sports for the Physically Disabled
OUR WORKPLACES
CancerCare Manitoba Foundation
ENVIRONMENT
Canadian Women’s Foundation
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Contributions to communities in 2014
Encounters with Canada
Eva’s Initiatives
Excellence Canada
La Fabrique de la Paroisse de Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes
Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Canada Society
Fanshawe College
Federation CJA
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Appendix
Festival du Voyageur
45
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Appendix
Contributions to communities in 2014
The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences
The Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference
Five Counties Children’s Centre
Grace General Hospital Foundation
Fondation Centre de cancerologie Charles-Bruneau
Grand River Hospital Foundation
Fondation CSSS Jeanne-Mance
The Grand Theatre
Fondation de l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Grand Village
Fondation des amis de l’enfance (Montréal) Inc.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
Fondation du Cégep de l’Outaouais
Grandview Children’s Foundation
Fondation Hôtel-Dieu d’Arthabaska
Grant MacEwan University Foundation
Fondation Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie
et de Pneumologie de Québec
Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation
Fondation Jean-Monbourquette
Fondation Ressources-Jeunesse
OUR WORKPLACES
Fondation Sourdine
Fondation Tel-jeunes
Fondation Tremplin Santé
Fondation universitaire Armand-Frappier de l’INRS
Fonds de développement du collège Édouard-Montpetit
Food Banks Canada
Forces AVENIR
The Forks Renewal Corporation
ENVIRONMENT
FortWhyte Alive
Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance
Foundation of Stars
The Friends of Niagara National Historic Sites
Friends of Upper Fort Garry
Frontier College
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Future Leaders of Manitoba Council
46
Future Possibilities Canada
Gardiner Museum
Generations Foundation
Glenbow Museum
Globe Theatre
Good Shepherd Centre
Goodwill Industries of Toronto, Eastern, Central and
Northern Ontario
Green Action Centre
Groupe communautaire L’Itinéraire
Habitat for Humanity Canada
Habitat for Humanity Halton
Habitat for Humanity Manitoba
Habitat for Humanity National Capital Region
Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia
Habitat for Humanity Toronto
Halton Down Syndrome Association
The Hammer Band
Hats On For Awareness
Health Employers Association of BC - Vancouver
The Healthy Enterprises Group
Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario - Brockville
Heatwave Sports
Helping Hands Street Mission
The Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba
(HRMAM)
Human Resources Professionals Association
Humber River Hospital Foundation
Huntington Society of Quebec
Huron House Boys’ Home
Ignite Adult Learning Corporation
Imagine Canada
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization
of Manitoba
Indspire
Inn From the Cold
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba
International Symphony Orchestra
Jazz Winnipeg
Je Passe Partout
The Jewish Foundation of Manitoba
Jewish General Hospital
Jocelyn House
Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation
Junior Achievement of British Columbia
Junior Achievement of Canada
Junior Achievement of Central Ontario
Junior Achievement of London & District
Junior Achievement of Manitoba
Junior Achievement of Saskatchewan
Junior Achievement of South Western Ontario
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Montreal
Heritage Winnipeg
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - North Eastern
Ontario Region
The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Windsor
HIPPY - Quebec
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Winnipeg
Hockey Helps The Homeless
Kelowna General Hospital Foundation
The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County
The Kidney Foundation of Canada - Ontario Branch
House of Hesed
The Kidney Foundation of Canada - Saskatchewan
London Humane Society
KidSport Canada
London Regional Children’s Museum
KidSport Manitoba (Sport Manitoba)
London Santa Claus Parade Corporation
KidSport Saskatchewan
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People
Kinesis Dance
Loyalist College
Kiwanis Club of Wascana
Luso Canadian Charitable Society
Koats for Kids
MacKenzie Art Gallery
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
La Maison d’Aurore
Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation
Make-A-Wish - Eastern Ontario
The Lambton College Foundation
Make-A-Wish - Toronto & Central Ontario
L’Ancre des Jeunes
Make-A-Wish - Southwestern Ontario
L’Arche Foundation of Greater Vancouver
Manitoba Aboriginal Youth Achievement Awards
L’Arche London
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
L’Arche Winnipeg, Inc.
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce
The Laurel Centre Inc.
Manitoba Children’s Museum
Leadership Windsor/Essex
LEAF Manitoba
Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba
L’Escale Chabad du Nord
Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts
Let’s Talk Science
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada - Greater Toronto
Area Chapter
Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts
Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival
Manitoba Marathon
The Manitoba Museum
Manitoba Opera
Manitoba Riding for the Disabled Association Inc.
Manitoba Schizophrenia Society
Manitoba Schools Science Symposium
Mindful Employer Canada
The Miracle League of Amherstburg
Misericordia Health Centre Foundation
Mission Services of London
Mississauga Camp Enterprise
Mississauga Symphony Orchestra
Mixed Company Theatre
Mohawk College
Moisson Montreal
Montreal Cancer Institute
The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation
Montreal Chinese Hospital Foundation
Montreal Heart Institute
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba
Mood Disorders Society of Canada
Moorelands
Moose Jaw Health Foundation
The Mount Royal University Foundation
Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation
The Movement Centre of Manitoba
MukiBaum Treatment Centres
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Alberta Division
The Lieutenant Governor’s Youth Experience Program
Manitoba Theatre for Young People
The Lighthouse, Children and Families
Manitoba Writers’ Guild Inc.
Lily Lake Hatheway Pavilion
Mark Preece Family House
LITE
Maryvale
Literacy Unlimited
McCord Museum
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - South and Central
Vancouver Island
London and Middlesex Historical Society
McGill University
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Southwestern Ontario
London Arts Council
Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Waterloo District
London Chamber of Commerce
Merrymount Foundation Inc.
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Quebec
London Health Sciences Centre
Metropolitan United Church of London’s Meal Program
Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation
Michael Cuccione Foundation
Musaico Inc.
Middlesex-London Health Unit
Muscular Dystrophy Canada - Quebec Regional Office
London Health Sciences Foundation - Gene Goodreau Patient
Assistance Program
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
KidSport Alberta
The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus
of Jerusalem
OUR WORKPLACES
London Heritage Council
ENVIRONMENT
KidsAbility Foundation
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Contributions to communities in 2014
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Manitoba Division
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Ontario & Nunavut
Division
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Appendix
47
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
48
Appendix
Contributions to communities in 2014
Musée de Charlevoix
Partners for Mental Health Foundation
Rideau Hall Foundation
Museum London
Partners for Youth
Riverview Health Centre Foundation
My Sisters’ Place
Pathways to Education Canada
Ronald McDonald House - Atlantic Canada
National Arts Centre
Pause Famille
Ronald McDonald House - British Columbia
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Peel Children’s Aid Foundation
Ronald McDonald House - Northern Alberta
The Nature Trust of British Columbia
People for Animals of Saskatchewan Inc.
Ronald McDonald House - Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
Neighbourhood Link Support Services
Persephone Theatre
Ronald McDonald House - Southern Alberta
Neil Squire Society
Peterborough Musicfest
Ronald McDonald House - Toronto
Neptune Theatre Foundation
Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation
Rose and Max Rady Jewish Community Centre
The New Brunswick Association for Community Living
Pets Friends for Life
Rose Cherry’s Home for Kids
Niagara Community Foundation
Pillar Nonprofit Network
Ross Farm Museum Building Fund
The North Bay Symphony Society
POGO - Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario
Rouge Valley Health System Foundation
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
Pony Pals Therapeutic Riding Association
Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada
Northern Ontario Art Association
Prairie Theatre Exchange
Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
Oakville Humane Society
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
Royal Ontario Museum
Old Brewery Mission Foundation
Prostate Cancer Canada Atlantic Region
On Rock Ministries
Prostate Cancer Centre
Ontario Genealogical Society, London & Middlesex County
Branch
Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (United Chinese Community Enrichment
Services Society)
Ontario Heritage Trust
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre Foundation
Safety Services Manitoba
Ontario Track 3 Ski Association for the Disabled
Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Foundation
Saint Columba House
Opéra Atelier
Queen’s University
Saint John Community Loan Fund
L’Opéra de Montréal
Rainbow Stage
The Salvation Army - Alberta and Northern Territories
Orchestra London
Ranch Ehrlo Society
The Salvation Army - Hamilton
Orchestras Canada
Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre
The Salvation Army - Manitoba & Northwest Ontario
L’orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal
The RCMP Foundation
The Salvation Army – Nanaimo
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Reaching E-Quality Employment Services
Original Kids Theatre Company
READ Saskatoon
The Salvation Army - Territorial Headquarters for Canada and
Bermuda
The Oshawa Hospital Foundation
Red River College
SARI Therapeutic Riding
The Ottawa Art Gallery
Redeemer University College
Saskatchewan Arts Board
Our Health Centre
ReForest London
Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
Ovarian Cancer Canada - Pacific-Yukon Regional Office
Refuge des Jeunes de Montreal
Saskatchewan Literacy Network
Parachute
Regina Early Learning Centre Inc.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Park House Inc.
Regina Symphony Orchestra
Saskatchewan Science Centre
The Parkwood Foundation
Reh-Fit Foundation
Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation
Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Theatre Nova Scotia
Scleredoma Quebec
Special Olympics Manitoba- Interlake Region
Theatre Sarnia
Scouts Canada
Special Olympics Nova Scotia
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
Scouts Canada - 80th London Scout Group
Special Olympics Ontario
Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra
Scouts Canada - Greater Toronto Council
Special Olympics Ontario - Burlington
Timmins and District Hospital Foundation
Scouts Canada - Komoka-Kilworth
Special Olympics Ontario - Stratford & Area
Toastmasters District 64 - Manitoba and NW Ontario
Scouts Canada - Tri-Shores Area: 5th London Scout Group
Special Olympics Quebec
Toastmasters International
Second Harvest
Specialized Services for Children & Youth
Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts
The Semiahmoo Foundation
The Spirit of Giving
Toronto Arts Council Foundation
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
St. Amant Foundation
Toronto East General Hospital
Seniors’ & Elders’ Day Committee
St. Anthony’s Hospital
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Sexual Assault Centre London
St. Clair College Foundation
Transition to Betterness
Shad Valley International
St. Francis Xavier University
Tremblant 24h Foundation
Shakespeare in the Ruins
St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation (London)
Trillium Health Partners Foundation
Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival
St. Lawrence College
Trinity Western University
Share the Warmth
St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation
United Way Alberta Capital Region
ShareLife - Archdiocese of Toronto
St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation
United Way Brandon & District
Shaw Festival
St. Norbert Community Club
United Way Burlington & Greater Hamilton
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced
Learning
St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation (Vancouver)
United Way Calgary and Area
Sherwood Park Manor
The Stratford Festival
SickKids Foundation
Sunshine Centres for Seniors
Simon Fraser University
Tabor Mountain Recreation Society
United Way Centraide Greater Moncton and Southeastern
New Brunswick Region
Sisters of St. Joseph Foundation
Tafelmusik
United Way Centraide Ottawa
Sketch - Working Arts for Street-Involved and Homeless
Youth
Take Pride Winnipeg
United Way Centraide Sudbury and/et Nipissing Districts
Talisker Players Chamber Music
United Way Centraide Windsor-Essex County
Skills Camp
The Temiskaming Foundation
United Way Central & Northern Vancouver Island
Smile Theatre Company
The Terry Fox Foundation Ontario
United Way Central and South Okanagan/Similkameen
The Society of Management Accountants of Manitoba
Thames Region Ecological Association
SOFIA House
Thames Valley Children’s Centre
United Way Central New Brunswick/Centraide Région du
Centre du Nouveau Brunswick
SOS Children’s Village British Columbia (CANADA) Society
Thames Valley Education Foundation
United Way Chatham-Kent
Soulpepper Theatre Company
Theatre Aquarius
United Way Cochrane-Timiskaming
South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre
Theatre Calgary
United Way Durham Region
South Temiskaming Activity Trails Organization
Théâtre du Nouveau Monde
United Way Alberta Northwest
Special Olympics Canada
Theatre New Brunswick
United Way Saint John, Kings and Charlotte
United Way Cambridge and North Dumfries
United Way Cape Breton
ENVIRONMENT
St. Stephen’s Community House
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Special Olympics Manitoba
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
SCEP Centre Early Intervention and Training Services
OUR WORKPLACES
Contributions to communities in 2014
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Appendix
49
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
OUR WORKPLACES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
50
Appendix
Contributions to communities in 2014
United Way Greater Simcoe County
University of Victoria
Winnipeg Folk Festival
United Way Greater Victoria
University of Western Ontario
The Winnipeg Foundation
United Way Halifax
The University of Winnipeg
The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival - Kids Fringe
United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington
Vancouver Chamber Choir
United Way Kitchener-Waterloo and Area
Vancouver Community College
Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club’s Community Zone
Partnership
United Way Leeds and Grenville
Vancouver International Children’s Festival
United Way London & Middlesex
Vancouver Island University Foundation
United Way Lower Mainland
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
United Way Newfoundland and Labrador
Victoria General Hospital Foundation
United Way Northern British Columbia
Victoria Hospitals Foundation
United Way Peel Region
Villa Rosa
United Way Peterborough & District
Vintage Locomotive Society Inc.
United Way Prince Edward Island
Volunteer Manitoba
United Way Quinte
VON Middlesex-Elgin
United Way Regina
Welcome Hall Mission
United Way Sarnia-Lambton
Wellspring London and Region
United Way Saskatoon & Area
Wellwood Resource Centre of Hamilton
United Way Sault Ste. Marie & District
West Broadway BIZ
United Way St. Catharines & District
West Broadway Development Corporation
United Way Thunder Bay
West Broadway Youth Outreach Inc.
United Way Toronto
The West Island Lyric Theatre
United Way Winnipeg
WestEnd Commons
United Way York Region
Western Area Youth Services
UNITY Charity
Western University
Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London
Westminster Housing Society
Université de Saint-Boniface
Westover Treatment Centre
University Hospitals Kingston Foundation
Wilfrid Laurier University
University of Alberta
The Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Foundation
The University of British Columbia
Windsor & Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation
University of Calgary
Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation
University of Manitoba
Windsor Symphony Orchestra
University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation
The Winnipeg Art Gallery
University of Regina
Winnipeg Arts Council
University of Saskatchewan
Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
Winnipeg Harvest
The Winnipeg Humane Society
Winnipeg International Children’s Festival
Winnipeg Jets True North Foundation
Winnipeg Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC)
Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir
Winnipeg Police Association’s Fundraiser
The Winnipeg Rotary Club Community Service Fund Inc.
Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Women’s Community House
Women’s Place of South Niagara Inc.
Woodridge PREP Centre
World Wildlife Fund Canada
Wounded Warriors Canada
YMCA of Central East Ontario
YMCA of Regina (North West)
YMCA of Western Ontario
YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg
York Central Hospital Foundation
Young Adult Cancer Canada Inc.
Young Musicians of the World
Youth Central
Youth Opportunities Unlimited
YWCA Regina
YWCA Saskatoon
YWCA Toronto
Boston College - Centre for Corporate Citizenship
Business for the Arts
Business Council of Manitoba
Canada Safety Council
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Canadian Council of Chief Executives
C. D. Howe Institute
Conference Board of Canada
Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec
Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance
Imagine Canada
The London Chamber of Commerce
Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Pacific Rim Actuaries’ Club of Toronto
Regina & District Chamber of Commerce
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (Toronto, ON)
CIFAR - Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Global
Scholar in Child & Brain Development
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (London, ON)
Great-West Life and London Life Scholarship Fund
Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation (CMSF) (Toronto, ON)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Loran Awards
Carleton University (Ottawa, ON)
The Great-West Life Assurance Company Award in Business
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Award in
Business
Concordia University (Montreal, QC)
Great-West Life Business Education Awards
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced
Learning (Kitchener, ON)
Freedom 55 Financial Awards
ABC Life Literacy Canada (Toronto, ON)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Life Literacy
Innovation Awards
Algoma University College (Sault Ste. Marie, ON)
The Great-West Life Student Assistance Fund
The Great-West Life Assistance Fund for Indigenous Students
Bow Valley College (Calgary, AB)
Freedom 55 Financial Business Administration Program
Scholarship
Indspire (Ntl)
Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth
Scholarships and Bursaries
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba
(Winnipeg, MB)
Great-West Life Leadership Award
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Surrey, BC)
Great-West Life Award
Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, ON)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarships
Laurentian University - Northern Ontario School of Medicine
(Sudbury, ON)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Award
2014 Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards
The Arthritis Research Foundation (Toronto, ON)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Fellowship
Huron University College (London, ON)
London Life Fourth Year Scholarship
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Ontario (Toronto, ON)
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Fondation universitaire Armand-Frappier de l’INRS (Laval, QC)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Doctoral
Scholarship
Toronto Financial Services Alliance
HEC Montréal (Montréal, QC)
Great-West Life Scholarship
The Lambton College (Sarnia, ON)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship in Business Administration
Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
Toronto Region Board of Trade
Grant MacEwan University (Edmonton, AB)
Freedom 55 Financial Awards
Delta Waterfowl Research Station (Portage la Prairie, MB)
The Peter D. Curry Memorial Scholarship
Fanshawe College (London, ON)
London Life Scholarship in Business Studies
Merle Law Bursary in Administrative Studies
London Life Student Awards in Communications
Access to Opportunities Program: London Life Bursary
Fondation de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de
pneumologie de Québec (Ste-Foy, QC)
The Great-West Life/Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de
pneumologie de Québec Fellowship
The Freedom 55 Financial/Institut universitaire de cardiologie
et de pneumologie de Québec Fellowship
Fondation de l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
(Trois-Rivières, QC)
Freedom 55 Financial Business Program Scholarship
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Business Council of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
Aboriginal Education Award Program
Fondation universitaire de l’Université du Québec
(Québec, QC)
Great-West Life Merit Scholarship in Management Science
and related fields
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Better Business Bureau Serving Manitoba & N.W. Ontario
Brock University (St. Catharines, ON)
The Great-West Life Scholarship in Business Administration
Loyalist College (Belleville, ON)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship
McGill University (Montreal, QC)
Great-West Life and London Life Scholarship in Arts
Great-West Life and London Life Scholarship in Management
McMaster University (Hamilton, ON)
Centre for Health Promotion and Rehabilitation:
The Great-West Life Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Memorial University of Newfoundland (St. John’s, NL)
Great-West Life Endowed Scholarship in Business
Administration
Mount Allison University (Sackville, NB)
London Life Business Education Scholarship
Mount Royal University (Calgary, AB)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship
GWL Realty Advisors Inc. Business Scholarship
The Great-West Life and London Life Scholarship Fund
OUR WORKPLACES
We also support many professional, voluntary sector and
business organizations. Many of our staff are involved in
advisory or consultative capacities with industry organizations
or working groups including members of private industry and
regulatory agencies.
ENVIRONMENT
Dues & Assessments
Contributions to communities in 2014
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Appendix
51
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Appendix
Contributions to communities in 2014
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
(Edmonton, AB)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarships
Okanagan College (Kelowna, BC)
The Canada Life Award - Bachelor of Business Administration
Endowed Scholarship
Parkwood Hospital Foundation (London, ON)
London Life Studentship in Stroke Rehabilitation Research
Queen’s University (Kingston, ON)
Great-West Life Scholarship in Finance
Great-West Life School of Medicine Studentship
Red River College (Winnipeg, MB)
Great-West Life Scholarship and Bursary
ENVIRONMENT
OUR WORKPLACES
Redeemer University College (Ancaster, ON)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Business
Scholarship
Royal University Hospital Foundation (Saskatoon, SK)
The Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Medical
Training Endowment
Saskatchewan Polytechnic (Regina, SK)
Freedom 55 Financial Saskatchewan Advantage Opportunity
and Innovation Scholarships for Business Financial Services
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
(Markam, ON)
GWL Realty Advisors Building Operator Award
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced
Learning (Oakville, ON)
Theatre Sheridan: Great-West Life, London Life and Canada
Life Bursary
Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC)
The Great-West Life Scholarship in Business Administration
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
St. Clair College (Windsor, ON)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship, Chatham Campus
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship, Windsor Campus
52
St. Lawrence College (Kingston, ON)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship
Thames Valley Education Foundation (London, ON)
London Life Award
Trinity Western University (Langley, BC)
Great-West Life Endowed Scholarship - School of Business
Université de Moncton (Moncton, NB)
Great-West Life Scholarship in Business Administration
London Life Scholarship
Université de Saint-Boniface (Winnipeg, MB)
Great-West Life Scholarship
Western Area Youth Services (London, ON)
Youth Scholarship Program
Université du Quebéc en Outaouais (Gatineau, QC)
The Great-West Life and London Life Scholarship Fund
York University (Toronto, ON)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Award in
Financial Services
University Health Network (Toronto, ON)
The Charles H. Hollenberg Chair in Medicine
University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB)
The Great-West Life Bachelor of Commerce Scholarship
The Great-West Life Bilingual Bachelor of Commerce
Scholarship
University of Calgary (Calgary, AB)
Great-West Life Business Education Scholarship
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Faculty Fellow
in Personal Financial Planning
University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
Bison Sports Athletic Scholarship Fund
G. Clarence Elliott Fellowship
Great-West Life Actuarial Career Scholarship
Lloyd A. H. Warren Chair in Actuarial Science
University of Northern British Columbia (Prince George, BC)
Great-West Life Graduate Scholarship in Disability
Management
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Oshawa, ON
The Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Award
University of Regina (Regina, SK)
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship
Great-West Life Scholarship
University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK)
Business Education Bursaries
Freedom 55 Financial Scholarship in Business
University of Toronto (Toronto, ON)
Woodsworth College - Peter Bronfman Woodsworth
Scholarship
University of Winnipeg (Winnipeg, MB)
Great-West Life Business Student Scholars Program
The Tony Tascona Bursary Fund in Art History
Western University (London, ON)
London Life Actuarial Career Scholarships
London Life Paul Desmarais Finance Fellowship
Great-West Life MBA Continuing Scholarship
Vancouver Community College (Vancouver, BC)
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life Scholarship for
New Canadians
Team Events 2014
West Coast
Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon
Big Bike Corporate Challenge
Vancouver Disability Management Office
Prairies
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Prairies, NWT
CIBC Run for the Cure - Winnipeg
Great-West Life Head Office
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Move for Hope, Winnipeg
Great-West Life Head Office
CancerCare Manitoba Foundation Inc.
Challenge for Life
Great-West Life Head Office
Cancercare Manitoba
Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival
Great-West Life Head Office
Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba
Walmart Walk for Miracles
Great-West Life Head Office
Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Canada Society
Georgia’s Journey of Hope
Great-West Life Head Office
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba
Heart & Stroke Big Bike, Winnipeg
Great-West Life Head Office
Freedom 55 Financial, Manitoba
JDRF - Winnipeg Chapter
Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes, Winnipeg
Great-West Life Head Office
JDRF – Winnipeg Chapter
Ride for the Cure, Winnipeg
Great-West Life Head Office
Mackenzie Health Foundation
Strides for Stroke 5K Run/Walk – Toronto
Freedom 55 Financial, Toronto Northwest
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Alberta Division
Rona MS Bike Tour 150 – Leduc to Camrose
Freedom 55 Financial, Edmonton
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
Gutsy Walk for Crohn’s and Colitis, London
London Life Head Office
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southwestern Ontario
Go Blue! Go Bald! Charity Head Shave
London Life Head Office
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Manitoba Division
Rona MS Bike Tour - Biking to the Viking
Great-West Life Head Office
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
Gutsy Walk for Crohn’s and Colitis, Mississauga
Freedom 55 Financial, Mississauga
Maryvale
Tim Horton’s Night Run
Freedom 55 Financial, Windsor
Riverview Health Centre Foundation
Cycle on Life
Great-West Life Head Office
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
Gutsy Walk for Crohn’s and Colitis, Strathroy
London Life Head Office
Mission Services of London
Coldest Night of the Year
Freedom 55 Financial, Forest City
The Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba
Stationary Bike Race
Great-West Life Head Office
Five Counties Children’s Centre
Carl Oake Swimathon
Freedom 55 Financial, Peterborough
Movember Canada
Movember, London
London Life Head Office
The Movement Centre of Manitoba Inc.
WinnStock
Great-West Life Head Office
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario - Brockville
Heart & Stroke Big Bike, Brockville
Freedom 55 Financial, Brockville
United Way of Winnipeg
Plane Pull
Great-West Life Head Office
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
Heart & Stroke Big Bike, Toronto
Canada Life Head Office
Toronto Group Sales Office
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Ontario Division,
Southwestern Ontario Fund Raising Office
MS Walk, London Mandarin
London Life Head Office
Ontario
JDRF – Windsor Chapter
Ride for Diabetes Research
Freedom 55 Financial, Windsor
Run for Ovarian Cancer
Run for Ovarian Cancer
London Life Head Office
ALS Canada, Durham Chapter
Walk for ALS, Port Perry
Freedom 55 Financial, Peterborough
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada – Greater Toronto
Area Chapter
Light the Night, London
London Life Head Office
ALS Canada, London Chapter
Walk for ALS, London
London Life Head Office
London Health Sciences Foundation
Walk of Champions for Myeloma Research
London Life Head Office
SickKids Foundation
Heatwave Peel Halton Corporate Challenge
Canada Life Head Office
Autism Ontario London
Bowling for Autism
London Life Head Office
London Health Sciences Foundation
ONERUN
London Life Head Office
SickKids Foundation
Indoor Beach Volleyball Challenge
Canada Life Head Office
Big Brothers Big Sisters of London & Area
Bowl for Kids’ Sake, London
London Life Head Office
London Health Sciences Foundation
Hike for Happiness
London Life Head Office
Thames Valley Children’s Centre
Forest City Road Races
London Life Head Office
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Central Office
CIBC Run for the Cure, London
London Life Head Office
London Humane Society
Bark in the Park Festival Dog Walk-a-thon
London Life Head Office
The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer
Freedom 55 Financial, Mississauga
SARI Therapeutic Riding
Bowling for Ponies
London Life Head Office
ENVIRONMENT
The Winnipeg Humane Society
Paws in Motion
Great-West Life Head Office
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada - Ontario Division,
Southwestern Ontario Fund Raising Office
Rona MS Bike Tour, Grand Bend to London
London Life Head Office
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Canadian Cancer Society - Elgin-Middlesex Unit
Relay for Life, London
London Life Head Office
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
KidSport Saskatchewan
Fun & Fitness Corporate Challenge
Regina Administration Centre
OUR WORKPLACES
Contributions to communities in 2014
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Appendix
53
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Appendix
Contributions to communities in 2014
The Terry Fox Foundation Ontario
Terry Fox Run, Hamilton
Freedom 55 Financial, Hamilton
The Terry Fox Foundation Ontario
Terry Fox Run, London
London Life Head Office
VON Middlesex-Elgin
Great Community Run,Walk ‘n’ Roll
London Life Head Office
World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF CN Tower Climb
Canada Life Head Office
London Life Head Office
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
ENVIRONMENT
OUR WORKPLACES
Quebec
54
McGill Cancer Centre and Insitut du cancer de Montreal
Defi Corporatif Canderel
Montreal Head Office
Societe de la sclerose en plaques, Division du Quebec
MS Walk, Repentigny
Montreal Administration Centre
Tremblant 24h Foundation
Tremblant 24H of Skiing, Montreal
London Life, Quebec
DELIVERING FOR
CANADIANS
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life recognize the
importance of environmental responsibility and take a balanced and
sustainable approach to conducting business.
To help reduce our environmental footprint, this statement has been
printed on paper containing 30 per cent post-consumer recycled fibre.
OUR WORKPLACES
Arbor Plus paper by New Page is tri certified to the FSC, SFI and PEFC
standards and contains 30% post-consumer recycled fibre. A large
percentage of the energy used to manufacture Arbor is generated
using biomass energy. Using this paper has helped save:
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY
Conserving for our future
16
7,566
7
506
1,395
Trees
Gallons of
waste water
Millions BTU
net energy
Pounds of
solid waste
Pounds of
greenhouse gases
Environmental impact estimates for savings pertaining to the use of
post-consumer recycled fibre are based on the Environmental Paper
Network calculator.
When you are finished with this report, please consider recycling it.
View the 2014 Public Accountability Statement or order free printed copies
at www.greatwestlife.com, www.londonlife.com and www.canadalife.com.
ENVIRONMENT
Our report to you
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
2014
55
E1227(14PAS)-4/15
Great-West Life and the key design and Stronger Communities Together are trademarks of The Great-West Life Assurance Company.
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace is a trademark of The Great-West Life Assurance Company.
London Life and design, and Freedom 55 Financial are trademarks of London Life Insurance Company.
Canada Life and design are trademarks of The Canada Life Assurance Company.
Other trademarks which appear in this statement are trademarks of The Great-West Life Assurance Company or other owners, and are used under license or with permission, or for identification purposes only.
©2015 The Great-West Life Assurance Company. All rights reserved.