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1. From piggy banks to property, the journey of helping clients save for a first home With the smell of spring in the air and for sale signs popping up on front lawns, no doubt clients are starting to ask, is it time to save for a house? Of course, a million other questions generally arise like, can I afford a house? How do I save? What do I do?
   
   If you’ve got clients asking for direction, join your host Joseph Trozzo, Vice President, Investment Sales, at Equitable^® along with Equitable’s own, Chris Petroff CPA CMA, Product Manager, Savings and Retirement to learn how Equitable can help you set clients up for success, when it comes to purchasing their first home.  
   
   Why Attend?
   This informative session will cover all the ins and outs of first-time home ownership, 
   
   •   from potential sources of funds to tax implications, 
   •   withdrawal rules, and 
   •   so much more. 
   
   You’ll get a deep dive into the various account types available through Equitable with segregated funds and DIA/GIA, and a comparison of each account type. We’ll also touch on mortgages, investment time horizon and other considerations, including specific case studies to help equip you with all the knowledge necessary to help clients purchase a first home. 

   Learn more

   
   Continuing Education Credits
   This webcast has been accredited for 1.00 Life continuing education (CE) credit for all provinces excluding Quebec via the Insurance Council of Manitoba and Alberta Insurance Council.  To be eligible for CE credits, you must register individually, watch the webcast in full and complete a short quiz. It is the advisor's responsibility to ensure Continuing Education credits being offered are accepted by their licensing body. Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) credits are valid in Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Insurance Council of Manitoba (ICM) credits are valid in Manitoba only.
   
   This webcast is available in English only.
   
   Date posted: May 8, 2025
2. Gathering paperwork for a new application
3. [pdf] Payout Annuity Interest Rate Guarantees (Advisor)
4. Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin - April 2021

   In this issue:

   • Alberta biosimilar coverage changes*
   • New Humira biosimilars approved*
   • Saskatchewan and Manitoba delist biologics for some conditions*
     *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients

   Update: Alberta biosimilar coverage changes take effect*

    
   In our November 2020 edition of eNews, we announced we are changing coverage for some biologic drugs in Alberta in response to the province’s Biosimilar Initiative.
    
   As of March 15, 2021, several originator biologic drugs are no longer covered for plan members in Alberta. Plan members taking these biologics are required to switch to the biosimilar versions of these drugs to maintain eligibility under their Equitable Life plan.
    
   Affected drugs and conditions – Remicade remains eligible
   We initially announced that Remicade would be among the biologic drugs no longer covered in Alberta.
   We have since determined a method to maintain ongoing eligibility of Remicade while reducing or eliminating any Coordination of Benefit risk associated with the provincial change. As such, Remicade will continue to be eligible for coverage. 
    
   Communication to plan members and plan sponsors
   We communicated directly with affected claimants in January 2021 to allow them ample time to change their prescriptions and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage. The transition to biosimilars, when required, has been smooth and continues to be successful.
    
   Plan sponsors were notified even earlier to allow ample time to opt-out of this change. The vast majority have accepted the changes and are benefiting from a smooth plan member transition. 
    
   Looking ahead
   We are one of the few insurers taking a comprehensive and proactive response to the Alberta Biosimilars Initiative. We will continue to monitor developments related to the coverage of biologics in Alberta and other provinces and will continue to take steps to protect your clients’ drug plans.
    
   Questions?
   If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
    
    

   New Humira biosimilars approved*

   Beginning in February, Health Canada approved seven new biosimilars for Humira, a biologic drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease and many other conditions. Most of these biosimilars have already been launched and are available in pharmacies.
    
   Humira is one of the highest ranked drugs in terms of total annual cost. All the Humira biosimilars are priced 40% lower than Humira and represent a savings opportunity for private drug plans.
    
   BC Pharmacare has already announced that, effective October 7, 2021, all claimants for most conditions will only be eligible for Humira biosimilars.
    
   We have implemented national controls to ensure the use of Humira biosimilars for new claimants. As with all biosimilar programs at Equitable Life, they will continuously evolve such that our clients are provided appropriate risk protection. 
    
    
    

   Saskatchewan and Manitoba change coverage for some biologics*

   The Saskatchewan government recently announced that, effective March 1, 2021, new patients will no longer be eligible for coverage of Enbrel under its public plan. New patients will only be eligible for biosimilar versions of Enbrel.
    
   Similarly, the Manitoba government announced changes to its tiered biologics program. Currently, claimants are expected to try biosimilars listed under Tier 1 of the program before they can be considered for coverage under the public plan for either Enbrel or Remicade, which are Tier 2 drugs. Effective April 1, 2021, Brenzys, an Enbrel biosimilar, has been added to Tier 1 for some additional medical conditions. As well, Avsola has been added as another Tier 1 biosimilar for Remicade. These changes further expand the Manitoba government’s utilization of biosimilars as preferred therapies over originator biologics.
    
   Biosimilars are highly similar to the drugs they are based on and Health Canada considers them to be equally safe and effective for approved conditions.
    
   Equitable Life actively monitors and investigates  all biosimilar policy changes and the ongoing evolution of biosimilar drugs entering Canada.  We will keep you informed of any impact on private drug plans and how we are responding.
    
    *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients
    
5. Policy Change eDelivery
6. Policy endorsement: Contracts and group benefits plan booklet updates related to BC PharmaCare Biosi

   As we announced in the June 2019 issue of eNews, BC PharmaCare recently introduced a new Biosimilars Initiative that ends coverage of three biologic drugs, including Remicade, Enbrel, and Lantus. These drugs will no longer be eligible in British Columbia for most conditions for which lower-cost biosimilar versions are available. Patients in the province with these conditions will be required to switch to biosimilar versions of these drugs by Nov. 25, 2019 in order to maintain their coverage under BC PharmaCare.
    
   The following table outlines the affected originator drugs and their biosimilars.
    

   Drug	Originator	Biosimilar
   etanercept	Enbrel®	Brenzys® Erelzi™
   infliximab	Remicade®	Inflectra® Renflexis®
   insulin glargine	Lantus®	Basaglar™

    
   Biologics are drugs that are engineered using living organisms, such as yeast and bacteria. Biosimilars are highly similar to the originator drugs they are based on and most have been shown to have no clinically meaningful differences in safety or efficacy.
    
   To ensure this provincial change doesn’t result in your clients' plans paying additional drug costs, we are aligning our drug eligibility for these three biologic drugs with that of BC PharmaCare.
    
   To facilitate this change, we are amending some of the wording in our contracts and booklets, effective Oct. 1, 2019. Below are links to the Endorsement to the Master Policy and the Summary of Master Booklet Wording Changes for those amendments. Please download and save these policy endorsement documents for your files.
    
   In addition, please remind your clients to provide their plan members with a copy of the Summary of Master Booklet Wording Changes. The next time your clients amend their benefits plans, the updated wording will be included in their group benefits plan booklets

   DOWNLOAD ENDORSEMENT TO THE MASTER POLICY

   DOWNLOAD SUMMARY OF MASTER BOOKLET WORDING CHANGES

   As of Nov. 25, 2019, Remicade and Enbrel will no longer be eligible for BC plan members with conditions for which lower-cost biosimilar versions of the drugs are available. These plan members will be required to switch to the biosimilar versions of these drugs in order to maintain eligibility on the Equitable Life drug plan.
    
   We will be communicating with affected claimants in the coming weeks to allow them ample time to change their prescription and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage.
    
   We intend to take a similar approach to Lantus. However, we are still investigating the options to implement this change. We will be communicating with you in the coming weeks to confirm our approach for this drug.
    
   If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Marketing Manager or myFlex Sales Manager.
    
   
   ^® and ^™ denote trademarks of their respective owners

7. Message from Ron Beettam
   As COVID-19 continues to spread, we want to reassure you that we remain ready and committed to support you and your clients.
   
   We have a robust and well-tested business continuity plan in place and our business is almost 100% digital. Almost 90% of our employees are now working remotely from home and are maintaining the high level of service you have come to expect from us. We still have a fully functioning Document Services Centre that is managing our incoming and outgoing mail. Our sales and customer service teams remain open to support you and your clients. 
   
   Equitable Life’s online application process, EZcomplete®, offers non face-to-face capability and continues to be your go-to resource for managing your business virtually. We are receiving a record number of online applications and are committed to helping you maintain a certain degree of daily activity. EZcomplete® non-face-to-face works for all life, critical illness and segregated fund applications.
   
   Advisors will be pleased to know that we have increased non-medical limits for life insurance. We are also looking at other underwriting changes, digital delivery of life insurance contracts and additional digital payment options.
   
   Our Savings & Retirement advisors will find our new Transaction Authorization Requirements table a valuable resource for submitting forms and documents. Can’t meet with your client in person to get a signature? Not to worry. You can have your  client sign a letter of direction and take a picture to authorize a number of transactions.
   
   Transacting in a non face-to-face environment can be a challenge but we will continue to revisit existing processes and look for ways to modify requirements to help you to continue managing your business. All of us are facing an unprecedented number of urgent situations where there is no established protocol. Our commitment to you and your clients is to respond quickly, and to be flexible where we can, tailoring solutions to specific needs.
   
   To stay up-to-date, please refer to Equitable Life’s COVID-19 information page. There you will find the latest information for all lines of business. 
   
   As the global situation continues to evolve rapidly, we ask for your patience as our solutions also evolve quickly and accordingly. Rest assured that Equitable Life is unwavering in our support, and we will be here to help you protect what matters most to Canadians.
   
   Ron Beettam, President and CEO
8. Enhancing the Transfer Process: Equitable's New Signature Guarantee Service Equitable^® is making transfers even easier with EZcomplete^®.
   
   This enhancement will help advisors and clients by reducing the number of rejections from other institutions that need a signature guarantee. Reducing transfer rejections means less time and effort for advisors, and faster transfers from other institutions. 
   
   Signature Guarantees
   Equitable will now offer signature guarantees on most transfers requested through EZcomplete. 
   
   When is a signature guarantee not available?
   
   •  For entity owned accounts
   •  If a Power of Attorney is signing on behalf of an owner
   •  If the transferring account has an irrevocable beneficiary 
   
   Watch the quick Identity Check with Persona video or read through instructions below. 
   
   
   
   
   
   To offer a signature guarantee, Equitable first needs to check the identity of all owners using Persona, a third-party service provider.
   The advisor starts by selecting a signature guarantee in EZcomplete. An email link is sent to all proposed owners.
   
   
   Clients can click the link within the email to Persona's verification process.
   They will be prompted to take a picture of their photo ID and a selfie, turning their head slightly left and right by following the prompts.
   Their identity can then be confirmed in seconds.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Sending Transfer Forms:
   •  If all owners' identities are verified, Equitable will send the transfer form with a signature guarantee stamp and the e-signature audit log to the transferring institution.
   •  If ID verification fails, clients will be prompted to try up to three times. If still unsuccessful, the transfer form and e-signature audit log is sent to the transferring institution without the signature guarantee stamp.
   
   Handling Issues:
   •  Advisors’ obligations to verify ID is not affected by this process; ID verification is still required.
   •  If the client times out or loses the email to access Persona, the advisor can resend the link.
   •  If the client’s name or email changes after ID verification, the advisor will need to redo the ID verification with the updated information to get a signature guarantee.
   
   This update strives to make processes smoother and more efficient for everyone. Just another reason to do business with Equitable. When we work together, success is mutual.
   
   For more information or assistance, please contact your Director, Investment Sales.
   
   ​​​​​​Date published: May 7, 2025
9. How first-time homebuyers are sourcing their down payments Did you know that the primary sources for down payments among first-time homebuyers* are:
   • Savings outside of a RRSP (59%)
   • Gifts (38%)
   • Savings within a RRSP (31%)
   
   While 71% of potential first-time homebuyers in Canada are aware of the First Home Savings Account (FHSA), only 33% of them are taking advantage*.
   
   Equitable wants to help first-time homebuyers take advantage of all the benefits a FHSA has to offer. Clients who contribute to an Equitable FHSA between May 1 and September 30, 2025 will be entered into our Close to Home contest, for a chance to win one of two $8,000 prizes. Whether opening a new Equitable FHSA or making an annual contribution, this is a fantastic opportunity to help clients get closer to owning a home.
   
   Advisors, your efforts matter too! You have a chance to win a $1,000 prize if the client you are assisting, in alignment with their unique homeownership needs, is selected as a winner. At Equitable, we believe that when we grow together, success is mutual.
   
   Don’t forget about Equitable’s user-friendly online application, EZcomplete^®, or online transaction platform, Equitable’s EZtransact^®. These tools are fast, simple, and could bring clients closer to achieving their goals.
   
   Want to learn more? Speak to your Director, Investment Sales.
   
   *Source: 2024 CMHC Mortgage Consumer Survey
   Equitable’s Close to Home Contest: No purchase necessary. Contest period May 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025.  Clients enter by making a deposit to an Equitable FHSA during the contest period or by submitting a no-purchase entry. Two prizes of $8,000 CAD each to be drawn on October 15, 2025 will be awarded. The servicing advisor for the policy to which the selected entrant made the deposit is also an eligible winner and will receive a $1,000 CAD prize. For example, if an Equitable client is a winner of the $8,000 prize, the client’s servicing advisor wins a $1,000 prize.  Open to legal residents of Canada of the age of majority. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period.  For full contest rules, including no-purchase method of entry, see the full contest rules. 
   
   Date posted: August 14, 2025
10. [pdf] Collateral Assign List