Why get travel insurance? Travel coverage protects you and your loved ones if an accident occurs while you’re out of the country or out of province.

British Columbians are beginning to make their travel plans for the upcoming season. As you plan for your flights, accommodations, rental cars, and other important elements of travel, there’s one thing you MUST be sure not to leave home without – travel insurance.

Most provincial or territorial health insurance plans only cover expenses within your home province or territory. With travel insurance, you’re protected no matter where you go.

Insurance that goes beyond your provincial medical plan

Whether you’re taking a quick trip across the border, or planning an extended stay to escape the cold winter months, buying travel insurance is an essential part of planning your trip.

It’s important that you understand how British Columbia’s provincial health plan may only cover a fraction of healthcare expenses incurred outside Canada and limits coverage when traveling to another province. These expenses have the potential to be seriously overwhelming financially.

Other types of coverages include Emergency Hospital and Medical Single trip Insurance, Snowbird coverage, Family Plans, Visitors to Canada, and non-medical plans including Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption, Flight Accident, Baggage coverage and more.

Be prepared for the unexpected. And that includes a weekend trip to the USA!

A new report from Allianz Global Assistance Canada (AGAC) suggests that Canadians are choosing to forgo travel insurance when they embark on quick getaways. For the small savings, the risks can be huge!

The data in AGAC’s report shows that less than 1.4% of single-trip policies purchased by Canadians were for trips lasting a couple of days when Statistics Canada identifies that this year over 12.5 million Canadianstraveledd to the US for at least one night.

That’s a lot of people traveling with inadequate travel coverage, particularly given the costs associated with American medical care.

As Holiday season approaches, and the Black Friday sales beckoning Canadians south of the border, quick trips to the United States will surely be up. Travelers complacency regarding travel insurance for quick cross-border getaways could leave them vulnerable in the event of the unexpected.

Your provincial health care will cover a small percentage of medical expenses in the United States, but it won’t come close to the thousands of dollars that can be incurred. Forget the cost of serious injuries requiring hospital stays, or what might be required in the event of an auto accident, simply a few stitches in a hospital south of the border could cost upwards of $3,000, a sprained ankle around $2000.

To ensure you’re protected from costly medical bills abroad or outside of the province, let us obtain the coverage you need.  As a broker, we have access to many different insurance companies, through whom we can offer different types of coverage options including:

Emergency Medical Insurance: Includes licensed ambulance, emergency dental expenses, prescription drug reimbursement, emergency medical transport, family transportation expenses, board and lodging for the insured person(s) or the traveling companion while confined to a hospital, escort home of insured children and more.

All-Inclusive Holiday Package: Emergency Medical Insurance – Worldwide, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption, Baggage Insurance.

Non-Medical Package: Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, Baggage Insurance.

Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance: Unexpected sickness, injury and/or death of the insured traveler or traveling companion, the insured traveler’s immediate family or the traveling companion’s immediate family; natural disaster, travel advisory, subpoena, involuntary job loss, missed connection, the non-issuance of a travel visa.

Additionally, Emergency Hospital, Annual Multi-trip Insurance, and others, as well as various trip lengths to choose from.

We can also provide coverage that lets you travel around the world as often as you wish, provided that your trip duration does not exceed the maximum number of days selected.

Are you relying on credit card insurance?

Credit card plans often have limited benefits and coverage. Our travel insurance gives you the best coverage for your needs.

Trips are meant to be enjoyed! It’s impossible to predict what might happen while traveling and it’s important to consider all the potential risks associated with travel, no matter how long or short the trip!

Let us meet your specific needs, provide you the peace of mind, and an affordable way to protect against the cost of an unexpected emergency medical expense.

Planning a trip, near or far? Contact us or call 250-365-3368 for more information. Or get a FREE QUOTE.

Insurance and the steps you take in effective loss prevention work together to help keep you, your employees, and your business safe in the case of fire loss to your business.

As a business owner, you need to know the risks you potentially face. By understanding common risks and taking action to effectively mitigate those risks, you can prevent potential significant losses. 

Some risks are obvious, while others are unearthed by a qualified professional, someone who knows where to look and what questions to ask. To learn more about the various means of loss prevention, talk with your broker to identify trouble before it happens and suggest ways to control, reduce or eliminate risks altogether.

Fire is certainly catastrophic when it destroys the physical property of your business. However, a lesser known and often more significant risk is the damage it can do to your business operation due to fire loss. 

Closing operations even temporarily, moving to an interim location and significant inventory loss following a disaster can threaten to shut down your organization permanently. In fact, as many as 40 percent of businesses forced to close following a disaster never open their doors again.

The most common causes of business interruption (BI) loss are fire and explosions, accounting for over 59 percent of BI claims worldwide. And, most of these are due to human error or technical failure, making workplace fires often avoidable.

Property owners and managers can both reduce their risk of  explosion or fire loss, and at the same time, secure better property and business interruption insurance, terms, conditions and pricing with the following tips:

1. Plan for the unthinkable. Be sure that you have developed a comprehensive emergency response plan. A thoroughly thought out response plan will provide communication guidance procedures for fire, emergency personnel, and local utilities. The plan should be drilled periodically, with emergency exits clearly labeled, paths well-lit and unblocked. Don’t forget, too, to outline an emergency vendor list, including the following: your insurance broker claims representative, a disaster restoration/remediation contractor, a fire protection contractor, an electrician, a plumber, and other relevant and qualified professionals and trades.
2. Practice regular housekeeping. Don’t let dust or dirt accumulate on electrical equipment or motors and store flammable/combustible liquids in UL or FM approved cabinets. Designate outdoor smoking areas at least 20-ft. from the facility, ensure all combustibles are kept at least 36-in from electrical boxes and panels and maintain 18-in. of clearance from the top of storage units to the automatic sprinkler heads.
3. Prioritize preventative maintenance. Have a licensed electrician perform routine inspections and maintenance and inspect your facility for visible electrical deficiencies on a routine basis. Open or damaged electrical panels, use of extension cords as permanent wiring, electrical tape repairs to wiring and missing ground prongs are common fire hazards that can easily be addressed.
4. Ensure “hot work” is kept cool. Welding, grinding, brazing, and cutting tend to be common causes of workplace fires. Establish a formal permit system that indicates the scope and location of hot work and conduct pre- and post-work inspections to identify potentially hazardous conditions in the work area. Provide a fire extinguisher within 25 feet or less of the work area, and implement a dedicated fire watch during all hot work and one hour past work completion.
5. Keep your fire suppression and protection equipment up-to-date. Proper inspection and maintenance of your automatic sprinkler system are the most effective protective measures in preventing fire damage. Make sure they are installed and serviced by a licensed, insured and qualified contractor in accordance with regulatory standards. Similarly, monitor the system with central station alarms attended to 24/7/365.

Businesses don’t think twice when securing fire and general liability policies to protect their property. But, not everyone thinks about backing their business entity, which still needs to run even if your facility is burned to the ground.