OMERS awarded for integrated approach to absence management. * By: Blake Wolfe * November 2, 2026 * 09:00 The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System's integrated and data-driven absence management strategy secured its win in Benefits Canada's 2026 Workplace Benefits Awards. The organization, which has 2,500 employees in Canada, was recognized in the Absence Management category for providing employees with timely support, clear guidance and a seamless experience throughout their absence and return-to-work journey. "From an employee experience standpoint, [this program] is very important because [it supports them during] a point in their lives where they probably never expected to be," says Shannon Babic (pictured left), the OMERS' lead for its global disability management program. "It also supports our people leaders - they may have never had somebody who went on leave, so [it helps them support] the employee as well as other workers who may be impacted." In 2024, the OMERS created a centralized disability management team that oversees all medically-related absences for all of its global offices, ensuring consistency, compliance and strong employee support from the outset, according to its Workplace Benefits Awards entry. Absences exceeding five consecutive sick days are escalated through workday case management and transition into short-term disability, enabling real-time tracking and early intervention. Employees' STD claims are independently adjudicated and managed by a third-party provider, ensuring objective decision-making and access to specialized clinical expertise. As well, dedicated case managers play a key role in early intervention, initiating outreach within 24 hours, completing initial assessments and maintaining regular contact to support recovery and return-to-work planning. The OMERS' STD program is grounded in a structured, evidence-based framework, which includes a five-day waiting period with mandatory escalation, a 30-day grace period for medical documentation and a 26-week benefit period. In Canada, employees receive 100 per cent of pre-disability earnings for the first four weeks of absence and 70 per cent for the remaining duration of the leave. Return-to-work planning is fully integrated into the organization's absence management program and guided by medical evidence and functional abilities. The approach prioritizes reintegration into the employee's own role wherever possible and supports gradual, safe and sustainable returns through individualized plans, noted the entry. Employees can access care and support through a variety of channels, including the employer's intranet, vendor platforms and mobile applications. Through offerings such as the OMERS' employee assistance program, virtual care services, group benefits and well-being programs, employees can access same-day or next-day care, avoid time away from work for in-person appointments and address health concerns early. The organization's integrated approach resulted in decreased STD volumes in 2025, a 28 per cent drop compared to the previous year. Its STD incidence rate per 100 employees also decreased from 4.2 in 2024 to 3.0 in 2025. At the same time, average STD duration decreased by 4.4 days year over year (from 44.5 days to 40.1 days). Notably, average STD leave duration related to mental-health issues decreased from 65 days to 49.1 days per case. In 2025, 71 per cent of cases resulted in a successful return to work, up from 55 per cent in the previous year. Transitions from STD to LTD also decreased, from 10 per cent of cases to six per cent. "We want to make sure that we have a robust total rewards program that covers employees in all aspects of their well-being - physical, social and mental," says Luke Moran (pictured right), director of global benefits and retirement at the OMERS. "We believe in having a package that supports everybody at every life stage and [absence management] is just one facet of our program." Visit Benefits Canada to learn more about the 2026 Workplace Benefits Awards winners in the coming days.

Canadian pension giant acquires minority stake in non-bank. One of Canada's largest public pension funds has agreed to buy an indirect minority interest in a major Australian non-bank lender. Canadian pension plan OMERS has agreed to buy an indirect minority interest in Australian non-bank lender La Trobe Financial from majority owner Brookfield, adding another institutional investor to its shareholder base. The agreement, subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to complete by January 2027. Brookfield will retain its majority holding, with OMERS joining it and Axight as institutional shareholders. OMERS, one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans, has C$151.5 billion in net assets. Neither the stake's size nor its purchase price was disclosed. La Trobe said that its management, strategy, investment philosophy and arrangements for managing investor funds would remain unchanged. La Trobe Financial chief executive Chris Andrews described the incoming shareholder's investment as an endorsement of the business and the people who had developed it. "OMERS' investment is a strong vote of confidence in La Trobe Financial, our people and the platform we have built over more than seven decades," Andrews said. Andrews added that the pension plan's long-term approach aligned with La Trobe's ambitions to expand its investment offerings in Australia. "We are pleased to welcome another highly regarded, long-term institutional investor to our shareholder base," he said "OMERS shares our conviction in the growing opportunity to provide high-quality investment offerings to Australian investors, and its investment provides further support for the continued execution of our strategy." Brookfield retains control as ownership broadens The agreement follows a minority investment announced in April by Axight, an Abu Dhabi-based private equity manager focused on Asia. Brookfield acquired La Trobe in 2022 from US asset manager Blackstone and then-chief executive Greg O'Neill. Andrews emphasised Brookfield's continuing role in the business, crediting its operational support with helping La Trobe develop since that acquisition. "Brookfield remains our majority shareholder and an important strategic partner. Its support, operating expertise and global perspective have contributed to the continued development of our business since its investment in 2022," he said. Growth spans lending and investment products Assets under management have reached $27 billion, up from $22 billion at the end of 2025, with La Trobe now managing capital for more than 130,000 individual and institutional investors. The company also reported average monthly net asset growth exceeding $500 million over the past six months and record monthly loan deployment of $1.5 billion. With Brookfield's operating support, La Trobe has also broadened its offering through a US private credit product and an Australian Securities Exchange-listed investment trust. The lender further noted that it had upgraded systems to strengthen investor engagement, improve client service and increase operating efficiency. "Together with Brookfield, Axight and now OMERS, we have an exceptional group of institutional shareholders aligned behind La Trobe Financial's next phase of growth," Andrews said. "Our focus remains unchanged: delivering strong outcomes for our investors and borrowers, maintaining disciplined capital management and continuing to invest in our people, products and capabilities." The update comes amid a significant expansion in institutional funding for non-bank lenders. Earlier this month, bridging lender Bridgit announced that Macquarie Bank's Commodities and Global Markets Group had increased its existing facility. Bridgit said facilities from lenders, including Citi and Macquarie, now totalled more than $1.7 billion, which it said was supported by sustained demand for its lending products. Want to see more stories from trusted news sources? Make The Adviser a preferred news source on Google. Click here to add The Adviser as a preferred news source. Charlie Tchetchenian Charlie Tchetchenian is a senior journalist at Momentum's mortgage broking title, The Adviser. Charlie writes news, features and original articles about the Australian broking industry, the mortgage market, financial regulation and the wider lending landscape. Prior to joining The Adviser in early 2026, Charlie worked as a digital reporter for News24.com.au (formerly Sky News Australia) and has been a journalist writing for numerous independent community publications in Sydney's north-west. Charlie has also worked as a political adviser for ex-New South Wales treasurer Matthew Kean. When Charlie is not writing news, he is performing as a jazz singer, holding regular headline shows around Sydney.

APG, on behalf of pension fund ABP, and Canadian pension plan OMERS have completed a €662 million refinancing of Kenter-Groendus, their jointly owned Dutch energy infrastructure platform. The deal creates a common financing platform to support the company's growth. It drew strong demand from banks and institutional lenders and was twice oversubscribed. Kenter-Groendus supplies commercial and industrial customers with medium-voltage infrastructure, metering, solar PV, battery storage, EV charging, and energy management solutions. It was formed by combining Kenter and Groendus. Arjan Reinders, head of infrastructure Europe at APG, said the refinancing strengthens the company's financial foundation and gives it flexibility to keep investing in solutions that help customers electrify.