HFG January 2026 Newsletter

Dealing with Winter Depression

Research finds exposure to sunlight within one hour from waking up in the morning to be helpful. People should open their blinds at home, sit beside a window, and definitely should try to get outside for a walk. Of course, exercise is always a positive tool to benefit mental health and raise energy levels. It’s also helpful to follow a regular sleep pattern, eat healthily, and ensure people have enough vitamin D in their diet.

Like any other serious illness that impacts peoples’ lives at work and off the job, asking for help, even when a person just doesn’t feel like themself, can be the first step toward getting back on track.

Do you have this included as a Company Policy?

Health and Dental Coverage for Disabled Employees

As an employer, you’ll need to ask yourself a number of questions:

• Should health and dental benefits terminate for an employee who becomes disabled?

• Disabled employees could have a greater need for health coverage than active employees. As an employer would you end benefits for someone in that situation?

• Will the cost of carrying the benefits for disabled employees ultimately impact your ability to provide a competitive and affordable program for active employees?

• What are the legal and moral implications of your policy?

A standard group insurance contract, including your Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, allows an employer to continue health and dental benefits for disabled employees. The question is, for how long?

Travel Coverage - Be Prepared for a Better Experience

Chambers Plan’s Travel health coverage is one of the top reasons for choosing the Plan because it’s the most extensive in the country and is included in our Extended Health plans.

Through Personal Benefits, members can add individual Travel Top-Up, Trip Cancellation, and Visitors to Canada options for greater flexibility.

CHAMBERS PLAN UPDATES:

Chambers Plan brings you superior rate stability

Chambers Plan is a true pooled, not-for-profit plan — Canada’s #1 plan — and the largest pool of its kind.

Connecting over 32,000 businesses, it brings every member protection, long-term rate stability, and predictable premiums. The Plan’s goal is to break even between net premiums and claims — not to generate profits — and reinvest any surplus to help stabilize rates. Chambers Plan’s average annual renewal over the last decade has been under 5%.

Firms with our unique partially pooled Health and Dental plans still benefit from pooling protection. If their experience is less than ideal, our pooling structure will result in a renewal that only seeks to adjust for a portion of the prior year’s deficit.

Hynek Financial Group

5500 North Service Road, Suite 209, Burlington, ON L7L 6W6

PH: (905) 319-9999

Email: info@hfgb.ca