Refunds:

• On June 08, 2020 Allstate announced a second "Stay at Home Payment" for customers who continue to drive less as a result of COVID-19
• This second one-time payment of approximately 25% of their monthly auto insurance premium applies to policyholders with an active auto policy as of July 6, 2020
• Payments will be sent out via cheque in August
• Also applies to Allstate’s subsidiaries, Pembridge Insurance and Pafco Insurance

Contact:

Contact your personal insurance broker, or reach out to Allstate directly at your provincial number:

Alberta:
Toll Free: 1-800-661-1577
Local: 403-974-8700

Atlantic:
Toll Free: 1-800-561-7222
Local: 506-859-7820

Ontario:
Toll Free: 1-800-387-0462
Local: 905-477-5550

Quebec:
Toll Free: 1-800-463-2813
Local: 514-351-5335

For more information, visit Allstate’s Customer Care page on COVID-19.

Rate reductions:

Aviva will be adjusting the rate reductions introduced in August 2020. Changes are effective from May 26, 2021, for new business, and June 26, 2021, for renewals. The rate reduction for Aviva policyholders will be 11% and 15% for Traders General Insurance Company policyholders. Please keep in mind, individual premium changes will vary.

Policyholders will automatically benefit from the price reduction. They will see their premiums reduced when they apply for a new policy or renew an existing one.

Contact:

Contact your personal insurance broker, or reach out to Aviva directly at 1-800-387-4518 to find out more about how to reduce or defer payments. For more information, go to Aviva’s COVID-19 page.

Rate reductions:

belairdirect is offering every private passenger vehicle policyholder across Canada one month of car insurance premium relief to help get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can apply for the relief and access your funds via the belairdirect Client Centre. You can also use the mobile app to receive the funds quicker via secure Interac e-Transfer.

Contact:

To apply for these changes online and to learn more, visit belairdirect’s COVID-19 page. You can also call your insurance broker, or call belairdirect directly at 1-888-280-8549, to discuss your options for financial relief.

Rate reductions:

CAA is giving all Ontario car insurance policyholders a 15% discount on a 12-month term. The rate relief applies automatically to all new customers effective April 15, 2021, and existing customers whose auto policies renew on or after June 15, 2021.

If your auto insurance policy renews between January 1 and June 14, 2021, you can apply for the incremental rate relief by completing CAA's online form.

Contact:

Contact your insurance broker or local CAA chapter for more information. You can also read CAA’s message to members here.

Billing changes:

• Offering payment deferrals up to 30 days
• Will not cancel policies for non-payment if the NSF occurred after the government announcement and if you have lost your job

Billing changes:

• You can defer payments or spread them out over remaining payments

Rate reductions:

• If you are no longer working, commuting or are in isolation, you may be eligible for a reduction in your auto insurance premiums
• These reductions are being offered until June
• The Co-operators are also offering coverage suspension for eligible policyholders parking their vehicles

Billing changes:

• Offering customers facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 flexible options to defer payments and extend payment grace periods
• Waiving NSF fees due to non-payment

Contact:

Read more about the Co-Operates COVID-19 relief efforts on their site, and be sure to speak with your insurance representative to discuss your situation and your eligibility for this relief.

Refunds (auto insurance):

• Desjardins has announced additional premium refunds ranging between 25% and 40% of one monthly premium for all eligible personal and commercial auto insurance customers. Drivers whose policies are in-force as of June 30 will automatically receive the new refund.
• Previously, customers who were only using their vehicles for essential trips such as to the pharmacy or grocery store, you may be eligible for a discount on your auto insurance. Those discounts were initially offered for a period of three months and required application by May 31st.
• The new refund benefit is automatic.

Policy changes:

• If you’re now working from home, you may qualify for a temporary $10,000 increase in your home insurance coverage at no extra cost
• Applies to policyholders now running their business out of their home

Contact:

To learn more about Desjardins COVID-19 changes and your eligibility for refunds, visit Desjardin’s COVID-19 page here.

Billing changes:

• You can defer payments up to 30 days
• You can spread current payment over remaining installments

Contact:

For more information on financial assistance offered by Dominion Insurance, a subsidiary of Travelers Insurance Canada, please visit their COVID-19 page here.

Rate reductions:

• Adjusting auto premiums by up to 15% for customers who are driving less
• Suspending all coverage on vehicles that are not in use except comprehensive coverage (protects you if your vehicle is damaged by fire, vandalism, or is stolen), resulting in a premium reduction of up to 80%
• All planned auto rate increases are suspended for the next three to six months, representing savings between 12% and 15%

Policy changes:

• Automatic coverage for customers who volunteer to deliver food or supplies (excluding coverage for paid deliveries such as UberEats)

Billing changes:

• NSF returns suspended until further notice
• Flexible payment arrangements can be made if you contact your broker
• Grace period on renewals and payments have been extended from 30 to 45 days

Contact:

To learn more about your eligibility for Echelon’s COVID-19 relief, please visit their website here. Policyholders are encouraged to contact their broker directly to make payment or policy changes.

Rate reduction:

Economical Insurance is extending temporary rate decrease for Ontario PPV customers.

Effective dates
Economical's temporary rate decrease will be applied to all new business polices written until June 30, 2021 and to policies renewing until August 31, 2021. This discount will be applied until the end of the policy term and then change back to previously approved rates.

Rate impacts
Policies with a PPV risk will see an average overall rate decrease of 5.0%. 

Informing their customers
Economical will mail Ontario PPV customers a letter, informing them about their discounts.

Continued support for Personal Insurance customers
Economical continues to offer relief measures for their customer Ontario on a case-by-case basis:

• Adjustments for different types of use, based on individual needs, e.g., customers who are driving less or not currently driving can temporarily reduce or suspend driving coverage 
• Payment deferrals and waiving Economical’s first non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee for missed payments due to the pandemic .

Contact:

Contact your broker directly to make arrangements for COVID-19 relief.

For more information on billing changes and relief efforts, visit Economical’s COVID-19 page here.

Gore Mutual has introduced what they’re calling a Customer Care Package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides the following:

Auto insurance refunds:

Gore will give a 8% base rate reduction to private passenger auto policyholders in Ontario to support them through the next 12 months.

This is in addition to the 5% announced previously. The new rate relief is effective from April 15, 2021, for new customers, and from July 1, 2021, for renewing customers. The base rate reduction will automatically be applied to all new and renewing personal auto policies. Customers aren't required to complete any actions.

Home insurance coverage changes:

• Offering personal liability and business property coverage up to $5,000 on all existing home insurance policies for customers who are working from home. There is no home premium increase for customers. This measure takes effect immediately and is applicable until July 31.

Billing changes:

• Offering flexible payment options on a case-by-case basis

Contact:

Contact your broker directly to discuss payment flexibility and to learn more about the COVID-19 relief efforts. You can also get more information on Gore Mutual’s COVID-19 relief efforts by visiting their page here.

Rate reductions:

• If you are using your vehicle less than you were before as a result of COVID, you can work with your agent to reduce your premiums

Billing changes:

• Waiving NSF and short-term cancellation fees
• Additional financial arrangements can be made on a case-by-case basis

Contact:

Contact your broker or agent directly to make financial arrangements for your upcoming premium payments. You can also call HTM directly at 905-372-1364 or toll-free at 1-800-263-3935.

Rate reductions:

• iA auto insurance policyholders will automatically get a discount of 20% off their auto insurance premiums, retroactively to April 1st
• Discount is active for two months, though this may be revisited
• You do not need to apply for this discount

Billing changes:

• Payment deferrals can be arranged on a case by case basis for eligible policyholders

Contact:

You are encouraged to contact your advisor to discuss your personal situation. You can read more about iA’s COVID-19 relief measures and eligibility on their website.

Refunds:

• La Capitale is offering a 20% rebate on auto insurance for all auto policyholders
• Effective as of April 1st and will continue until the COVID-19 lockdown comes to an end
• You do not need to apply as it is an automatic rebate
• Your first rebate should arrive in May

Contact:

For more information on La Capitale’s COVID-19 relief measures, visit the company’s website here.

Rate reduction:

• L‘Unique is offering a 20% rebate on auto insurance for all auto policyholders for the duration of the confinement period

Contact:

For more information, contact your insurance broker directly. You can also view the company’s COVID-19 measures here.

Refunds/Rebates:

• If you have an in-force personal line policy with third-party liability personal vehicle coverage as of May 31, 2020, you will receive an automatic 15% premium rebate for the months of April, May and June
• No application is required
• Rebates will be processed beginning June 1, 2020

Rate reductions:

• If you are using your vehicle less than you were before as a result of COVID, you can contact Northbridge to inquire about or arrange potential discounts

Billing changes:

• Offering flexible payments for customers in good standing
• Waiving NSF fees until May 31, 2020

Contact:

Learn more about Northbridge's COVID-19 efforts on their website here.

Rate reductions/refunds:

• Onlia is waiving premiums for the month of May for eligible auto and home insurance policyholders
• To be eligible, you must have opened your policy before March 31st and have made at least one full monthly premium payment
• Onlia is calling this effort a "premium holiday" for policyholders
• This is an automatic measure and does not require application
• Additionally, policyholders that download and activate the Onlia Sense safe-driving mobile app can earn an extra $20 for not driving at all during the month of May. This usage-based insurance app is usually used to provide drivers with monthly auto premium discounts based on your driving habits, but is being offered as an incentive during this time

For more information, read our article on Onlia's COVID-19 relief measures. You can also visit Onlia's COVID-19 support and relief page here for the most up-to-date information.

A subsidiary of Allstate, Pafco is offering:

Refunds:

• On June 08, it was announced that a second “Stay At Home Payment” will be issued to qualifying customers
• Payment is approximately 25% of your monthly auto insurance premium
• Applies automatically to auto policies active as of July 6, 2020
• Payments will be sent out via cheque in August

Policy changes:

• Extending coverage for customers who use their vehicles to deliver food and medicine for commercial purposes. Standard personal auto insurance policies do not typically include this coverage

Billing Changes:

• Waiving NSF fees
• Opportunities to defer your monthly payment
• Opportunity to reduce coverage

Contact:

Contact your insurance broker to arrange for financial assistance. To learn more about Pafco’s COVID-19 relief measures, go to their website here.

A subsidiary of Allstate, Pembridge is offering:

Refunds:

• On June 08, it was announced that a second “Stay At Home Payment” will be issued to qualifying customers
• Payment is approximately 25% of your monthly auto insurance premium
• Applies automatically to auto policies active as of July 6, 2020
• Payments will be sent out via cheque in August

Policy Changes:

• Extending personal auto insurance coverage for customers who use their vehicles to deliver food and medicine for commercial purposes during the crisis

Billing Changes:

• Waiving NSF fees for missed payments as of April 14
• You can also arrange to defer your monthly payment and add it to next month’s payment

Contact:

Contact your insurance broker to arrange for financial assistance. To learn more about Pembridge’s COVID-19 relief measures, go to their website here.

Rate reductions:

• If you are using your vehicle less as a result of COVID-19, you may be eligible for reduced premiums

Billing changes:

• Offering flexible payment options, payment deferrals and additional support
• Waiving NSF fees as of April 1st, 2020

Contact:

Contact your broker or insurance representative to make changes to your auto coverage and/or make arrangements for billing flexibility. RSA's measures will be in effect until June 30, 2020. For more information on RSA's efforts, read the company's COVID-19 bulletin here.

Refund:

• All SSQ auto policyholders will receive a 20% rebate on your monthly premium for each insured vehicle
• Retroactive as of April 1, 2020 and will continue until the end of the COVID-19 confinement period
• First rebates will be issued in May

Billing changes:

• Payment arrangements can be made on a case by case basis
• NSF fees are being waived

Contact:

Contact SSQ’s local telephone numbers to speak to an agent. Learn more about SSQ’s COVID-19 relief measures on the company’s website.

Billing changes:

• SGI Canada, and its affiliate Coachman, issued a declaration of emergency endorsement that was triggered by the states of emergency declared in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan at the onset of the pandemic.
• Specifically, SGI Canada and Coachman suspended the cancellation of policies due to non-payment for up to 120 days.
• As the insurers’ emergency endorsement deadline approaches, it says it will continue to work with customers who may be struggling to pay their insurance bills.

Contact:

For more information, contact your broker or the insurer directly. You can call SGI’s Customer Service Centre at 1-844-TLK-2SGI (1-844-855-2744) to discuss your payment options.

Rate reductions (auto insurance):

• If you have significantly reduced your vehicle usage, you may be eligible for auto insurance premium reductions until August 31 (original expiry date was July 16)
• The relief measures include auto premium reductions for driving less by about 15%

Policy changes (home insurance):

• TD has automatically increased existing home insurance coverage to $10,000 for losses of business-related property at no additional cost
• Applies to losses related to temporarily working from home
• You do not need to apply for this, it is automatically active until August 31, 2020

Billing changes:

• You can refer home and auto payments for up to 3 months if you’re eligible
• TD’s NSF penalties have been eliminated until August 31 (originally July 8)
• Temporarily suspending any home and auto insurance policy cancellations due to non-payment until August 31, 2020

Contact:

Contact TD Insurance by calling 1-866-454-8910 or sign into your TD MyInsurance account to access the online chat to find out what you’re eligible for and to make payment arrangements. You can also read more about TD’s COVID-19 updates and relief measures on their website here.

Refunds:

• Travelers Canada extends their Stay-at-Home Auto Premium Credit Program and will provide customers with an additional 15% credit on one month’s premium. This follows the 25% credit they announced in April. Customers automatically receive eligible credit on a future bill or via a mailed cheque.
• This credit will have no impact on the base commission associated with the policy.
• Processing of the initial 25% credit for most customers began in May, with customers in Alberta and the Territories starting in July. Travelers expect to begin processing the additional 15% credit in August for most customers and in September for customers in Alberta and the Territories.

Contact:

For more information on how to make arrangements, visit Travelers' billing relief guide here. For additional information related to the company's COVID-19 efforts, visit their memo here.

Refunds

• Personal auto insurance policyholders will receive a refund, equivalent to 15% of three months premium effective April 1, 2020

Policy changes

• Unica customers may remove certain coverages to reflect new driving habits

Billing changes

• Unica will allow deferrals on premium payments on a case-by-case basis
• NSF fees are waived until further notice

Contact

Unica customers can contact their broker or visit the company’s dedicated COVID-19 relief webpage for more information.

Rate reductions:

To support customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wawanesa Insurance is offering a 5% rate reduction to all for new business policyholders and renewals for private passenger vehicles and motorhomes. This rate decrease will be applied automatically. Please note that the decrease may vary due to the capping bounds and improvements to the Driving Record 9 rate.

Effective June 15, 2021

Contact:

Contact your insurance broker directly to discuss financial matters related to your coverage and COVID-19, as well as to update them on the usage of your vehicle in order to receive premiums savings. For more information on Wawanesa’s relief measures, visit their COVID-19 updates page here.

Rate reductions:

• If your driving habits have changed as a result of COVID-19, you can work with your insurance specialist one-on-one to arrange for premium reductions

Billing Changes:

• All NSF fees have been waived until May 31, 2020
• Zenith has also introduced some flexibility in regards to billing and payments
• If you're facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, you may be eligible to defer your insurance premiums for one month

Contact:

Contact your insurance specialist directly at the number provided on your insurance policy documents to arrange for premium reductions. For payment flexibility, contact billing@zenithinsurance.ca to arrange adjustments. Please allow up to 72 hours for an email response.

The Government of Canada has introduced a number of measures to help Canadians out financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these measures include:

• The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has implemented measures to allow insurers to provide premium reductions and rebates to drivers for a period of up to one year after the pandemic has ended (read more)
• Banks are allowing mortgage holders to defer mortgage payments for up to six months (read more)
• Canada’s top banks have reduced interest rates on credit cards
• The Bank of Canada has slashed overnight lending rates twice, bringing the current rate to 0.25%, the lowest it's been since 1992 (read more)
• The Government of Canada introduced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to provide Canadians with temporary income support for up to 16 weeks (read more)

If you’re commuting less or not using your vehicle at all as a result of COVID-19, you can likely save money on your car insurance.

• Contact your insurer to find out if they’re offering any rebates or rate reductions in response to the pandemic
• Update your average mileage
• If you drive more than one vehicle, take one of them off the road temporarily
• Reduce your auto insurance coverage
• Increase your deductible

For more information and ways to save, visit: 8 Ways to Reduce Your Auto Insurance Premium During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Renters are in a unique position during the COVID-19 crisis. They’re not eligible for mortgage payment deferrals like homeowners are, but many still face the same financial hardships. Provincial governments are responsible for maintaining, changing and regulating rental agreements in their provinces, so where you live plays a role in the support available to you during this time. To learn more, read: COVID-19: What Protections Do Tenants Have?

Most insurers have implemented measures to maintain the process of filing claims, though many have switched to or are encouraging policyholders to file claims electronically online. Check with your insurer on the preferred method during this time.

Other than that, the process remains the same.

If you are in a car accident in Ontario, for example, proceed as if there were no crisis. If the accident was minor, damages appear to be less than $2,000, and no one was injured, do what you would normally do:

• Take photos/video to document the damage
• Exchange insurance information with the other driver
• Contact your insurance company to report the accident
• Call or visit a collision reporting centre within 24 hours

If the damage was serious or anyone was injured, immediately phone the police.

For more information, read: COVID-19 and Filing Claims: Here’s What You Should Know.

Home inspection isn’t mandatory, but it comes highly recommended when purchasing a home to determine the condition of the house and get a better idea of what additional expenses you might incur should you purchase the property. Since home inspection may not be considered an essential service, or home inspectors may be respecting social distancing, it could be difficult to secure an in-person home inspection.

If you live in Ontario, contact the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors can for assistance finding an experienced, accredited home inspector that can operate within the social distancing measures in place. In Alberta, reach out to the Alberta Professional Home Inspectors Society for guidance.

For more information, read: COVID-19 and Filing Claims: Here’s What You Should Know.