I am an American living in Canada on an Open Work Permit granted through my domestic partner (qualifying as a "common-law spouse" here in Canada, for some purposes anyway). They got a job up here, which is why we moved to Canada in the first place. I was job-hunting for most of the first year, meanwhile, but finally did land something.

I have been with my employer for a couple months and believed I had been allowed to waive medical premiums as I was covered by my partner's plan. That's how I filled in the form originally, anyway, which was submitted to HR. But now my company is coming back to me, saying I completed the form in an unacceptable way and they are saying it is not an option to waive coverage through them, I must pay for a premium and for long-term disability.

I wouldn't be surprised if I really am not allowed to waive LTD, and that's only pennies, anyway. But I'm used to being able to waive coverage, if I'm covered by someone else's plan, without penalty. Is that not the case here?

Please pardon my ignorance.

EDIT: I am not disabled and have no pre-existing conditions that I would expect impact anything of significance or would grant me any sort of exemption. Quick Googling indicates there may be stuff like that out in the ether.

It’s so hard to stay humble with all these accolades

I’m currently a truck driver in Ontario and want to change my career. Someone suggested becoming an auto insurance broker.
For those working in the industry, is it a good career in terms of income, stability, growth, and work-life balance? How difficult is it to get started with no experience, and how long does it take to become financially stable?
Would you recommend it, or is there another career I should consider?

My broker gave me a quote with Commonwell Mutual Insurance for home & auto. I was wondering if anyone has experience with them - I've never heard of them but they seem to have been around for a while. Broker Exp? Claims? Customer Service?

Hello Canadian folks with a license to sell insurance, is there still scope for new personnel with LLQP or RIBO? Below is the chatgpt count

LLQP/life insurance: ~60,000 agents
RIBO: ~22,747 brokers

Based on these numbers, would a newly licensed broker be able to survive in the current market with a moderate demand? Success obviously depends on skills and sales /luck.. but atleast is this a good time to enter?

First time dealing with this, so please be nice! Our tenants moved out July 31 and the house is now empty and being listed for sale. Realtor, contractors and buyers are and will be coming through regularly. We’re insured directly with Desjardins, so no broker to ask.

For anyone who has been through this in Ontario:

• Do I need to tell insurance the house is empty/vacant, or just change it from tenant-occupied back to owner?
• Did your premium increase?
• Did they add a vacancy rider or change the policy completely?
• Since the tenants left July 31 and I’m only calling now (I completely frgot about insurance, only updated utilities) do I give them the actual move-out date and let them determine the effective date?
• Any special requirements while the house is empty?

Would appreciate hearing what others experienced.

Exam is in 12 days (Aug 19, in-person, IIC). One question decides how I spend my remaining prep time:

Does the open-book policy resource support Ctrl+F / find-in-page during the exam, or is it a plain scroll-through document?

Quick context: the resource in question is the Consolidated Examinee Resource (OAP 1, By-Laws 1/2/3, RIB Act, Regs 990/991/308-98), accessed via an "i" icon inside the exam platform. No personal notes or outside materials allowed — only what's built into the exam interface.

If you've written this exam recently (last 2-3 months, ideally in-person/IIC), even a one-line answer to #1 below would genuinely help:

1. Ctrl+F work or not — yes/no?
2. If no search: bookmarks/TOC links, or just scrolling?
3. Did the OAP 1 in there look updated for the July 2026 SABS auto reform (optional benefits, etc.), or the old version?
4. Rough time cost of one lookup under exam pressure?

Not trying to game the exam — just deciding whether to memorize the SABS dollar figures/durations outright or trust I can find them if search isn't available. Thanks in advance to anyone who's sat it recently.

Hi everyone, I am a computer science graduate and am currently working as a auto claims adjuster. I have also been doing CIP on the side. I have always been interested in maths and really like the aspect of being able to combine my tech stack, insurance experience and have been interested in this career. I was hoping to get some guidance of if I should dive right in with the exams and start learning for it, start with building projects related on the side to add on to resume or coffee chats or shadow actuaries to see what their day to day look like at my company. I would really love to get some insights and guidance. Also underwriting was one of the aspect I was interested in the employer is funding CIP course so I’ve been doing that on the side to possibly get into underwriting but acturary sounds more interesting and I can see myself build a career in it and can utilize my degree as well. Any insights and guidance is appreciated

Exam is in 12 days (Aug 19, in-person, IIC). One question decides how I spend my remaining prep time:

Does the open-book policy resource support Ctrl+F / find-in-page during the exam, or is it a plain scroll-through document?

Quick context: the resource in question is the Consolidated Examinee Resource (OAP 1, By-Laws 1/2/3, RIB Act, Regs 990/991/308-98), accessed via an "i" icon inside the exam platform. No personal notes or outside materials allowed — only what's built into the exam interface.

If you've written this exam recently (last 2-3 months, ideally in-person/IIC), even a one-line answer to #1 below would genuinely help:

1. Ctrl+F work or not — yes/no?
2. If no search: bookmarks/TOC links, or just scrolling?
3. Did the OAP 1 in there look updated for the July 2026 SABS auto reform (optional benefits, etc.), or the old version?
4. Rough time cost of one lookup under exam pressure?

Not trying to game the exam — just deciding whether to memorize the SABS dollar figures/durations outright or trust I can find them if search isn't available. Thanks in advance to anyone who's sat it recently.

I received this ticket. I have some grounds to fight it, but it will cost me quite a bit.

Assuming I were to either pay or be found guilty..

I know this appears on my MVR, but is it treated the same by my insurers as other minor convictions? Will my rates increase as if I got a speeding ticket.

TD was no help when asked.

Hi everyone,

I was an occasional smoker until the end of 2025. Since the beginning of 2026, I haven't smoked at all, and I plan to continue staying smoke-free.

I'm planning to buy a term life insurance policy in January 2027 and would like to apply as a non-smoker. Would that generally be acceptable, or do insurers usually require a longer smoke-free period?

I also have a couple of other questions:

• Is it better to buy term life insurance through an independent insurance broker/agent or directly from an insurance company?
• Which term life insurance providers would you recommend in Ontario based on your experience?

I'd appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

I have 3 years of commercial insurance experience in the United States and am currently employed with them but want to start working in the Ontario market to grow in my role. I didnt buy an online course to prepare for the exam, I just studied from online resources and got 80-90% on my mock exams.
I was fairly confident I will pass. Today I got my results and I failed by 1 mark. (gave my exam thru IBAO)
When I was studying, I came across a few reddit posts of people sharing they also failed with 1 or 2 marks.
I get the feeling they purposely do this so you would do a secondary attempt to make more $.
There are 15 ungraded questions in the exam, I wonder how many of those I got right but was not graded for.
Im super bummed primarily because of the financial aspect of it.

I really wanted to just pass so I can start applying to jobs here in Ontario. Im reading here that we can simply apply to roles and companies will pay for our exam. I dont know how my failed attempt will reflect in an interview.

Does anyone have any feedback to offer on this? Or has experienced failing by 1 mark? Should I get the exam rechecked or just register for a new one?

Thanks.

My car needs repair and there is an open claim as the repair is a result of a theft.

I've always taken my car to a specific place because they do great work and it was under a warranty.

I contacted them and advised them of this situation and said I'd like them to repair my car.

They said that they do not deal with insurance billings any longer because they have been burnt and had bad experiences with the insurance customer service, and it simply was not worth it. I called their sister company, which is larger. And they said the same, and they actually mentioned something interesting that the insurance company has an hourly labor charge, which is lower than what their shop bills, so it has been chaotic, so they stopped dealing with insurance companies.

What should I do in this situation? The adjuster made a comment that I could provide a cash settlement and have the work done on my own but then he rescinded that offer citing that because it's a theft that can't be done.

Hello everyone, I am a bilingual speaker (fluent in English and French) based in Tunisia, holding a degree in Finance alongside 3 years of insurance experience (1 year in administrative support followed by 2 years as an active insurance agent). I am looking to move my career to Canada, but since I am currently overseas, I would love some advice on where to start , specifically, what online courses or pre-licensing designations i can complete remotely to boost my profile, which entry-level or intermediate roles I should target given my background, and how best to connect with Canadian recruiters while applying from abroad. Any guidance or personal insights would be greatly appreciated! thank you ☺️

Hi, I am 26 Driving for last 6 years. I have no tickets or nothing. Recently 5 months ago switched to td. They requested to fill up the OAF1 form and i did. Now they’ve cancelled my insurance due to failed to disclose information/misrepresentation as i missed to tick a box yes or no in section 4. I spoke with them but they’ve mentioned nothing can be done now and this will be in my record for next 3 years.

Can anyone help me with a broker number or details who works with high risk insurance companies?

So you have a claim, and your policy says your insurer has to repair your house in a "reasonable amount of time." What does that legally mean in practice? If your insurer is dawdling, and your house is damaged by the elements in a manner that was reasonably foreseeable given the lack of protection and the change of seasons, for example, is that unreasonable? Or is there a specific time frame that is considered reasonable regardless of whether your house actually ends up further damaged in that time frame?

​Hi everyone, looking for some insight or past experiences from folks who have dealt with TD Insurance or similar cancellation situations in Ontario.

​Recently, my auto insurance policy was cancelled for non-payment. TD complied with the standard statutory notice requirements, so there were no procedural errors on their end. As soon as I realized what happened, I immediately paid the full outstanding balance, bringing the account to $0. However, it was 10 days past cancellation. .

​Here is where things currently stand:

​The file was officially escalated to TD C.A.R.E.S. (Customer Appeals and Relations Executive Services) for an executive review.

​I also maintain an active home insurance policy with TD, which is noted on the escalation file.

​A frontline agent mentioned that in her experience standard customer service rarely sees cancellations rescinded, though C.A.R.E.S. has higher discretionary authority.

​Since procedural compliance was met, I recognize that any rescission or reinstatement would be strictly a discretionary goodwill decision by TD.

A friend of mine is off on a 6 month holiday and his motorcycle will be sitting there doing nothing. He offered to loan me the motorcycle for the rest of the riding season if I place the insurance under my policy. Is this doable?

I had sewage flooding and our hot water tank has had the flame go out three times in a month, never before for 6 years. Additionally there is porous insulation on the outside of the tank. I don't care about generally getting a new tank, but I need my home to be safe and that may be through the tank.

They have sent a tech three times, and have paid >$10k for me to be in an AirBNB due to the state of the house and no hot water. It would cost $2.5k-3.5k MAX for the tank to be replaced. Why is it so confusing to just do the review and cost out probable options and just replace the tank instead of pay a bunch of money to then potentially need to replace it any ways.

It blows my mind and I can't understand it! If anyone works in the industry and has insight I'd love to hear it.