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10th Annual John Golf Tournament: A Great Success

September 9, 2014by Gord Donas in Blog, Charity, Health & Wellness

Thank you to all who participated in the 10th Annual John Fox Golf Tournament. The BCCA team of Arthur Chung, Ken Lieu, Dan McGinnis and Kevin Zakus won the Tourney. 2nd Place was Aaron Seguin, Phil Wardley, Greg Hurst and Mike Lirette and Most Honest Team was Jen Courzon, Bernice White, Michelle LaForge and Kelly Leary. Closest to the Pin Ladies was Donna Thorne, Men’s was Tyler Fox, Long Drive competition was John Fox for men’s and Jen Courzon for Ladies.

I would like to thank all of those people who donated prizes and those who provided Corporate Sponsorship (BMO, IA, PBC, BCCA).

A message from John Fox:

To all who participated in the JF Golf Tourney thank you all very much, it was a great success. Everyone’s effort and generosity allowed us to raise over $4,500.00 for the Shri Mangyal Dvip School in Kathmandu, Nepal. This means that 6 young people from very far away with very little opportunity now have an opportunity. As it was with Tenzin, the young man who addressed us, it took one sponsor to say yes and today we have a bright young man who is about to graduate from a Canadian University as an engineer. With that education he can make a difference, he will make a difference. Thank you again, I wish you all the best, you are difference makers.
John Fox

The 10th Annual John fox Golf Tournament is fast approaching: Aug 21st

August 14, 2014by Gord Donas in Blog, Charity tagged , ,

The Tournament will again benefit Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School in conjunction with Namo Buddha Foundation.

The eminent Tibetan Iama, Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche founded Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School to meet the needs of children from remote Himilayan villages where there are no schools. The main school was opened in 1987 to serve children, ages ranging from four to early 20s.

Rinpoche opened SMD Branch School for young monks on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley in 2002. Both schools offer education, housing, medical & dental care to hundreds of impoverished mountain children. Although the students are from Nepal, culturally and linguistically they are Tibetan, and their cousins on the other side of the Himalayas, their way of life is Buddhist.

If you wish to find out more, please visit: www.himalyanchildren.org

There are still some spots open for this years tournament. Please contact Gord if you wish to attend.

Important Notice: Pacific Blue Cross will be offline March 18-April 3

March 25, 2014by Gord Donas in Blog, Health Insurance

Pacific Blue Cross

Due to a major systems update the company will be off-line and unavailable for on-line administration or claims adjudication.  Administrators should make note of the following important dates:

March 18 to April 3, 2014:  Pacific Blue Cross is off-line

  • Health and dental claims are suspended
  • Pay direct drug cards are not active; drugs must be paid at pharmacy and a paper claim sent
  • Updating on ADMINnet is unavailable, hold all paperwork

April 4, 2014:  Pacific Blue Cross is back on-line

  • Re-Register on-line for the new and enhanced ADMINnet system
  • Enter all enrolments,  changes ,terminations on ADMINnet or send to Pacific Blue Cross to process
  • New ID cards will be mailed out over the next three months
  • Old ID cards will continue to work for a period to allow members to update their records
  • New ID cards may be downloaded from CARESnet

Questions?   Contact:  www.pbcopenhouse.ca/adminnet

How to Opt Out of “I Have a Plan” University Health and Dental Plan Coverage

December 2, 2013by Gord Donas in Blog, Health & Wellness, Health Insurance

“I Have a Plan” is a health coverage plan established by students for students, with coverage that typically costs less than a parent or employee plan. The coverage is specifically designed for students but most health plans through a students’ parent, employer, or spouse will have more benefits. It is important to read over the benefits you have now and what your school’s coverage provides in order to decide if you should opt out of “I Have a Plan”.

Universities automatically put the $198 “I Have a Plan” coverage in your tuition for the full year (September 1 – August 31).  If you started school in September, the Change-of-Coverage Period was from the end of August to the end of September. However, if you are a new student starting in January, the Change-of-Coverage Period is from the end of December to the end of January.

Many students are already covered by an equivalent health and/or dental plan from either their parent or spouse’s employee benefit plan, a plan provided by their band council, or through Health Canada.  In this case, the student will need to go to ihaveaplan.ca and opt out of the health and dental plan provided through their university.

In order to opt out of the “I Have a Plan” coverage, you need to opt out directly online (ihaveaplan.ca) with proof of coverage. Each year you are expected to opt out but you will not have to re-submit your coverage unless it has changed from the previous year.

New Unstable Pre-Existing Condition Coverage through Pacific Blue Cross

November 26, 2013by Gord Donas in Blog, Health Insurance, Travel Insurance tagged , , ,

As of December 1, 2013, Pacific Blue Cross will be providing single trip and annual trip emergency medical plans with an optional protection benefit for unstable pre-existing conditions up to the full $5 million in protection.

If you would like to get the optional protection benefit, most people will simply need to answer 4 qualifying questions. Ones who should get this travel insurance add-on are for those with unstable conditions that are not normally covered in their regular travel insurance. An important fact to note is that conditions or symptoms that arise within 7 days of departure or on the day of departure are excluded.

Christmas is just around the corner and if you are planning on traveling this holiday season, this new unstable pre-existing condition coverage will give you the piece of mind you want on your vacation.

 

 

WorkSafe BC’s new Workplace Bullying and Harassment Bill

October 22, 2013by Gord Donas in Blog, Health & Wellness, WorkSafe BC

On November 1,2013 the new WorkSafe BC Workplace Bullying and Harassment policies take effect. All employers need to implement policy, process, and training programs in order to meet the WorkSafe BC requirements by November 1st.

It can be overwhelming and time-consuming for employers to make these new required changes under WorkSafe BC standards. I recommend contacting Jouta Performance Group. They provide  “Human Resources Consulting and Coaching Solutions that ensure your organization develops the people, policies and practices that create efficiencies, reduce expenses and most importantly – generate revenue”.

In accordance to the new legislature, Jouta Performance Group will:

  1. Create the Policy, Process and Training programs that ensure you are meeting WorkSafe BC requirements.
  2. Ensure the new policies align with your organizational culture.
  3. Utilizing our unique, interactive process, maximize buy-in and create sustainable change.

For more information on the new legislation and the steps you need to take to prevent workplace bullying and harassment please go to: http://jouta.com/new-legislation-in-effect-are-you-ready-for-november-1st/

 

9th Annual Fundraiser a Success

September 6, 2013by Gord Donas in Blog, Charity tagged , , ,

The 9th Annual John Fox Invitational Golf Tournament was a big success! 53 people came to the event and we had 40 golfers participate. We were happy to raise $4,300, which will go towards supporting 5 students at the Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School for one year. If you want to learn more about the SMD Boarding School and the John Fox Invitational Golf Tournament click here.

A big thanks to our corporate sponsors Jouta Performance Group, Desjardins Financial, BCCA, Industrial Alliance, PBC, and Pointbreak.

I’d also like to thank our many prize donators:

  • Phil Wardley – groupSource
  • Jen Plaza – Desjardins
  • Ken Lieu – ACE/INA
  • Donna Thorne – BMO
  • Liz Lirette – everyone’s new realtor
  • Mike Lirette – Pointbreak
  • David Haber
  • Martin Evans
  • Simon Evans – BC HRMA
  • Pam Nair
  • Terilyn Bloos – Green Shield
  • Tony Humphries
  • Andrea Stamatakis – BBD
  • Meghan Hurst – Golf Town
  • Diana Pengelley – PBC
  • Aaron Seguin – RBC
  • Nellie Pagani
  • John & Colleen Fox

We also loved receiving the toques from the kids from Nepal!

We had another successful year for our fundraiser and enjoyed good weather and company. Looking forward to next years golf tournament!

 

9th Annual John Fox Invitational Golf Tournament

August 9, 2013by Gord Donas in Blog, Charity

On August 22nd, I will be hosting the 9th Annual John Fox Invitational Golf Tournament. This tournament raises money for the Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School, through the Vajra Vidya Foundation.

Over the years we have supported 25-30 students at the SMD Boarding School.  The children that we fundraise for have lived in harsh conditions in Himilayan villages where they have traveled long distances to live and learn at the boarding school.  There are more than 400 children on the waitlist to get into the Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School because of their hard life at home.  Most families in the Himilayan villages do not have roads, electricity, telecommunication, running water, sanitation, health care, or schools.

In a third world country like Nepal, a little money goes a long way in helping these kids discover and learn about the world.  The John Fox Invitational Golf Tournament gives me the opportunity to play a small part in providing these children with an opportunity to live a better life.

If you would like to learn more about the Vajra Vidya Foundation and the Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding school, please visit their website: http://www.rinpoche.com/hcfindex.htm

WellnessFits

July 29, 2013by Gord Donas in Blog, Health & Wellness

Today, I want to talk about WellnessFits because it will help you reduce sick leave, lower health costs, compensation and disability costs.

What is WellnessFits?

WellnessFits is a partnership of the Canadian Cancer Society, BC & Yukon and the Province of BC Healthy Families BC Initiative. It’s a FREE program available to business and organizations and it provides resources and support to create healthy workplaces.  Studies confirm that wellness programs reduce healthcare costs, improve employee health, boost morale and increase productivity.

The WellnessFits Approach is pretty simple; they provide a number of modules:

  • Healthy Eating
  • Physical Activity
  • Healthy Minds
  • Tobacco Free
  • Sun & UV Awareness

Each module provides the same approach: Educate, Act and Support

WellnessFits offers two programs. The Self-Serve program and an Advanced program. If you do not have a current Wellness Program or are looking at designing something for your organization, WellnessFits is a great place to start.

The WellnessFits web site also offers WORKPLACE CHECK. This is a questionnaire that helps you assess your company’s current wellness practices and programs.

https://www.wellnessfits.ca