At this year’s Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, we engaged with a variety of presenters and topics, ranging from workplace and organizational matters to personal and emotional health. The top themes were resilience and stress management, handling conflict at work within community relationships, and the impacts of GLP-1s. Here is this year’s overview of the knowledge, wisdom, and resources we gathered.
Day 1
After a warm and welcoming reception the evening before, the teams from WP Pensions + Benefits and Life Benefit Solutions began the first day of the conference with an event overview, followed by updates in benefits plans and healthcare trends. These included mental health trends and supports in the workplace, particularly for women and those in caregiving roles, who experience burnout at a higher rate. We also discussed the impact of inflation on healthcare costs, and the future of generic options for treating diabetes with GLP-1s.
We then heard about pension updates and plan engagement. Again, support for women arose as the impacts of caregiving can also have an impact on earnings, and therefore on retirement savings. The cost of living, geo-politics, and social media are all additional stress factors, impacting both financial security and holistic health. The WP team is here to assist you and your team members in navigating these shifts to get the most out of both your pension and benefits plans.
Our first speaker, Diana Saturno of Fogler Rubinoff LLP led a discussion about conflict in the workplace. She looked at how complex it can be to navigate formal investigations and find resolutions within First Nations workplaces, where family, other relationships, and hierarchy can all play a role. Connect with Diana for support with conflict investigations, policies and training within your workplace.
Next, Graham McWaters, Founder of the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive (IHED), gave us his heartfelt update on the amazing work he and Their Opportunity have been doing to distribute hockey equipment to First Nations across the country. WP and LBS remain proud sponsors of this extraordinary initiative to bring fun through sport to children and others in community. Many benefit from the experience, including those getting support in mental health treatment centres. Connect with Graham for more information on how to receive gear or to participate in an equipment drive.
After lunch, we heard from Barbara Martinez, National Practice Leader, Drug Solutions at Canada Life. She provided an update on the next wave of innovations around GLP-1 drugs and the impacts they may have on benefits plans. Providing access while balancing affordability requires thoughtful and sometimes difficult decision-making. The context of use, including environment, nutrition, and intergenerational trauma, need to be considered in relation to use and possible side effects. This is true whether using the drug for Diabetes management, weight loss, or other anti-inflammatory uses now being studied. Connect with Barbara and WP for more details on how to amend your drug plans to best support your team.
Building off of the day’s earlier discussion, Johanna Hildebrand, Director, HR Solutions at People First HR Services (a sister company to WP), explored employee relations in connected communities. Committed to collaboration, she helped us navigate the complexities of working within communities that have a shared interpersonal history. We reviewed the drivers of conflict (mistakes, misunderstandings, and disagreements) and how defining roles, routines and relationships foster clarity, predictability and the ability to repair when ruptures happen. DYK 90% of conflicts arise from misunderstandings based on expectations and assumptions? She also shared how important it is that the Boat (Operations) and the Balloon (Governance) remain in their domain of expertise to maintain a well-functioning organization. Connect with Johanna for further support with complex HR dynamics.
Closing the afternoon, Kristy Cork from Workplace Safety & Prevention Services walked us step-by-step through an assessment tool for one of the more serious aspects of safety and prevention – looking at the risk of workplace violence. Necessary to meet legal compliance in Ontario, the tool streamlines the risk assessment process and is customizable to your workplace-specific risks, including work-from-home and on-the-road situations. With an increase in incidents over the last five years, it is never too soon to make sure your organization has a plan in place. Connect with Kristy for help with this free tool, other templates, resources, and support.
To cap off the day, everyone enjoyed connecting over an incredible meal at Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse, followed by some sight-seeing and entertainment in Niagara Falls. Did you catch the fireworks?!
Day 2
To begin our second day of the conference, Rachel Hunt, Founder & CEO, Freedom School, spoke to us about her journey walking between two worlds. As a second-generation survivor of the impacts of residential school, she uses a variety of modalities to help Indigenous women and entrepreneurs become “Cycle Breakers.” Together we explored the five pillars of strengthening self-leadership and resilience: Spirit, Body, Mind, Values, and Community, helping us walk our talk and create a ripple effect. We joined in Butterfly Tapping (bilateral stimulation) and an achievement manifestation visualization to help embody the learnings. Connect with Rachel about her Indigenous Employee Empowerment Program or private mentorship.
Building on the theme of resilience, Dr. Karyn Gordon of DK Leadership and Success Intelligence led a crucial talk on stress management and refueling. With anxiety, loneliness and burnout at an all-time high, it’s more important than ever for employees to prioritize self-care and wellness. Managing stress before it leads to burnout is a requirement for strong performance, yet employees are often unaware of where they’re at. Using the stress management Scorecard can help them (and you) see the signs ahead of time, and identify the skills needed to refuel. Connect with Dr. Karyn and join us for her workshops using your WP member discount.
Our final speaker this year, Marlene Waterston, Founder, Waterston Consulting, took us on a deep dive of hiring and evaluation practices for First Nations and Indigenous community organizations. From interviews to performance reviews – HR professionals add immense value. Hiring takes skill, and consistent evaluation will support fair decision-making, build trust, and avoid risk. Lastly, she reviewed the importance of standards and leadership skills when dealing with conflict, especially within multi-layered workplace relationships. Connect with Marlene for practical support in creating sustainable HR systems.
Thank you to all who joined us this year – we’re grateful we’ve been welcomed as guests in your communities and we hope you enjoyed this year’s gathering. Special congrats to this year’s winners of our ever-popular prize wheel and the generously donated IHED hockey sticks!
All conference materials and speaker presentations can be found on the WP Conference Yapp – WP2026. If you have any questions or would like more information, please reach out.
