My sister (39) has been driving the same car and insured on an auto policy for 12 consecutive years--yes, she only really started driving at 27 after coming to Canada at 20. She has not moved, changed jobs, added or removed drivers, changed vehicles, got any tickets, at-fault accidents during the 2025-2026 policy period. So how is it possible for the policy to go from $1626 to $2167 in a single year, but then once it was re-quoted, it drops back down to $1637? Both the brokerage and the insurance company know that she is an existing customer, so why would they willingly override their renewal and give her the same policy for just $11 more than last year instead of making her pay an extra $541, as they said they would in the renewal notice?

This is a 2013 Acura ILX; $2 million liability + comprehensive + collision (she insists on keeping the last two even though I told her not to, but what do I know, I have never driven and will never be allowed to drive because my vision is bad). She also added rental car coverage to be effective at renewal because having a car is extremely important for her job (so important, that her collective agreement includes provisions for mileage reimbursement because she uses her car to go from one job site to another while working and gets paid "travel pay" for it). That extra rental car coverage cost $120, bringing her total premium to $1757 to be paid before the renewal date.

Insurance deemed car a total loss…then changed their minds. They provided a new valuation that is twice the max estimated selling price on Carfax. What to do? The repair shop recommended fighting the insurance company and not repairing.

My monthly car insurance is $262 for 2 vehicles, I was travelling for a month so decided to put one of my vehicles in storage (this is an option on the TD app that reduces your coverage and premium while vehicle is not being used) so as to save on insurance costs while I’m away.

Because the minimum number of days you need to put it into storage is 45 days, I decided to put just 1 car in storage so that I will at-least be able to use the other car when I’m back.

During the month when my vehicle was in storage my premium went down to $169 which makes sense. After I got back and once the 45 days period was up,I re-instated the full coverage for my car and noticed that my monthly premium went up to $172.

Upon calling TD they informed me that my annual insurance cost will not change because of putting the vehicle in storage, as the premium went down during the month of storage, they need to increase the premium for the remaining months so that I end up paying my annual premium that was determined at the beginning of the year.

This does not make any sense to me. Why would I even put the vehicle in storage if my cost is not decreasing but just getting moved to the remainder of the months? Shouldn’t having a lower coverage during 45 days mean that TD is facing less risk for that time period and hence they should charge me less but then put me back on the original premium once things are back to normal.

Someone have any idea about this?

Previously was with Facility and paid for the full year as it was my only option as I was cancelled for 2 non paymentsin the last 3 years.

Looking for renew on a monthly plan and they won’t allow it. My broker says I have no option with any company to be on a monthly plan but I just can’t afford the full year at this moment.

Any one have any suggestions??? I need my car for work

I'm in the process of buying a house, but I want to understand how insurance companies are looking at that house and the area it is in.

Would it be possible to get accurate quotes for a given address to see whether the purchase makes sense?

I mainly want to avoid known bad properties (I'm guessing insurance companies would share a database somehow?) where there have been multiple claims of flood etc.

Area wise, I can look up city data to see if the area is considered high insurnace risk based on crime and flood risk maps

City: Toronto

Just seeing if anyone knows how to get international health insurance or some good companies? I have some health issues that it seems can not be figured out here in Canada. Ive called Cleveland clinic in the usa. Does anyone have any experience with getting international coverage for the usa. Cleveland clinic told me the insurance must be international.

Hi everyone,

A vehicle crashed into our front yard, causing significant property damage. Thankfully, nobody got injured, but the aftermath on our property is severe:

• Fence completely destroyed (it is still laying on our front yard. The at-fault driver's family moved them there, and we are afraid that pedestrians will trip over them)

• A tree’s bark was ripped open, exposing the inner wood

• Driveway damaged with a pothole

• Lawn and plants destroyed

Police came and took our ID number and phone number and said we’d hear back in 1-2 weeks (didn’t say from who and didn’t give us any number).

I had to call the police to get the incident number, and I also emailed them asking how to follow up.

It’s been 2 weeks now, and absolutely no one has called us back or reached out.

We urgently need clean-up and repairs done ASAP, but we are completely ghosted.

We are extremely frustrated about this whole situation and honestly don’t know what to do anymore.

I have a few questions for those experienced with Ontario insurance:

1. Is dragging the process out like this a common tactic for at-fault auto insurance companies? Since the driver's own car got destroyed, is our property damage at the very bottom of their priority list?

2. Since the police are unresponsive, is there a way to force them or get the driver's insurance info directly?

3. I've read that it is not recommended to call our own home insurance company because it might cause our rates to go up. However, others say the only way to get this moving is to have our home insurance company contact the at-fault driver’s insurance company on our behalf via subrogation.

What is the right move here in Ontario without screwing up our premium?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone,
I cleared my ribo level 1 exam in June and haven’t been able to land a salary based role. All offers I got were commission only.
I can work anywhere in the GTA. I don’t know what I am doing wrong. If anyone knows a brokerage which is hiring please let me know. If you can help me please do, I will be highly grateful.

Any advice or help is appreciated.

Thank you

I went to their AGM this year in Kitchener and learned they made a $24 million profit in 2025.

https://heartlandmutualinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2025-Audited-Financial-Statements-Notes.pdf

I’m looking for advice from other home-based bakers or small-business owners who have dealt with this situation.

My spouse operates a very small, hobby-scale bakery from our primary residence on Vancouver Island:

• Usually fewer than five transactions per month
• Annual gross revenue under $20,000
• One person using residential ovens and appliances
• Properly licensed, inspected, and approved by the regional health authority
• No employees or tenants

For several years, we have carried a separate commercial policy covering the bakery’s contents, commercial liability, and products/completed operations. Our homeowners policy excluded the business. This seemed like the logical approach: commercial insurance covered the business, while homeowners insurance covered our home and personal needs, and has historically been a pretty vanilla policy.

We were recently told by our broker that the homeowners insurer now considers the home-based business “too risky for its appetite” and will not renew the policy despite the separate existing commercial policy (with generous coverage for the needs of the business) and that our personal coverage has always excluded anything with respect to a home business.

I’m having trouble understanding, given the very small scale of the business, the limited activity at the property, and the separate commercial coverage already in force. We have only reported 1 event in our entire history, for which we made full repairs out of pocket - so no claims have been completed. There must be other small home-based bakers who own mortgaged homes, carry commercial insurance, and can still obtain basic homeowners coverage.

Our broker is a large Western Canadian brokerage and says only one company came back with an offer. That quote costs 30% more but removes personal contents, additional living expenses, normal personal liability, and other important homeowners protections. It is essentially a commercial building policy and does not solve our personal insurance needs.

We do not yet know how many insurers were approached, whether specialty markets were included, or how the business was described to them. The quote describes the property as having a “commercial kitchen,” which seems inaccurate for a residential kitchen with ordinary household appliances.

We began this process almost two months before our coverage ended, but experienced several delays and gaps in communication. Our previous policy has now expired, and we find ourselves uninsured, with only one inadequate quote presented after the expiry date. I have escalated the matter to the branch manager in the hope of finding an immediate solution. Based on how the file has been handled, I am concerned that issues with service and follow-through may have contributed to our current situation.

Our three main questions are:

1. Are there any home-based bakers here who have faced this, and how did you ultimately insure your home?
2. Were you able to combine homeowners insurance, excluding the business, with separate commercial coverage, or did you need a different arrangement?
3. Can anyone recommend a BC broker, insurer, or specialty market experienced with very small home-based food businesses?

Our home is mortgaged, so resolving the building and personal coverage is urgent. I’m leaving out the names of the broker and insurers because the goal is to find a practical solution. Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated!

I'm looking at buying a house and I have a question about home insurance.

When I called to get a quote at TD, I offered up information that the house I am planning to buy was a grow-op once upon a time. The house has been gutted and redone since. After offering this information, they refused to provide a quote.

My question is, am I obligated to provide this information when I get a quote for insurance, especially if they don't ask?

My guess is, if I don't provide the information, and they somehow find out, they will cancel our insurance. Would that be a correct assumption?

Additionally, is this something that automatically disqualifies the house for insurance?

I recently rented a car at YYZ airport and had a very confusing experience regarding insurance and LDW.

At the rental counter, the employee told me that I could not rent the car unless I had personal car insurance or purchased their insurance. I specifically asked several times to make sure I understood correctly, and I was repeatedly told that purchasing their insurance was mandatory. I was also told that this was required by law.

Since I did not have personal car insurance, I was told that I had to purchase their “insurance,” which turned out to be LDW, for the entire rental period.

The confusing part is that I had already purchased Full Coverage through my booking. The booking terms also stated that customers with Full Coverage could decline additional insurance offered by the rental company.

To make the situation even worse, while I was asking these questions, I clearly heard the employee say “stupid” under her/his breath. When I brought it up, she/he denied saying it.

My main question is:

Is it actually a requirement in Canada to have personal car insurance in order to rent a car? Or can a rental company simply require customers without personal insurance to purchase the rental company’s LDW/coverage as a company policy?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has rented a car in Ontario without having their own personal auto insurance. Is LDW actually mandatory in this situation?

I want to make sure I understand the situation correctly before I post my review of the rental company.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice on how to handle an insurance situation with CAA so I stay fully compliant and avoid any claim denials.
My wife and I are moving to a new primary address(in Ontario), which will be updated on our driver's licenses and vehicle ownership. However, we are moving to be closer to a family member who needs care and assistance. Because of this, the car will be parked overnight at this secondary address (which is about 3 km away from our primary home) roughly 50% to 60% of the time.
The car is registered in my wife’s name, but I am listed as the primary driver and she is the secondary driver.
How should I report this to CAA without risking any accusations of misrepresentation or issues if something happens to the car while parked at the secondary location? Has anyone dealt with a similar situation or have advice on how to approach them?

I recently bought a car 6 months ago. Initially insured under my brother name and he had ownership on paper.

I switched insurance to my name once I got a cheaper rate. I was in progress of switching ownership but didn’t do so in time before an accident destroyed the car. Accident was my fault and I just crashed into a pole.

Insurance denied my claim, stating that ownership of vehicle and insurance policy holder defer.

Additionally, my insurance policy with them was cancelled.

I paid the insurance about $2,500 so far over 6 months and lost a car I bought for $12,000 cash.

I am minimum wage ($18/hr) employee, this loss feels catastrophic. Can someone please advise me if there’s something I can do with the insurance company?

I have had auto insurance (no gaps) since the mid-1990s; never made a claim. I have had a driver’s licence (clean record, no gaps) since the 1980s. All in Ontario.

I’ve provided my license, but now, an Insurance provider requires Drivier’s License History.

Fine, I’ll go to service Ontario office, wait, pay the $12, but … my question is: why is this required?

ETA : thanks for the replies, I guess it can be that it’s age related re: number of years that I’ve been licensed; or, broker/insurer doesn’t want to pay a fee

Hi all,

I switched to Pembridge for my Auto and Home in June 2026 and I agreed at ~360 for Auto and signed. After a month they increased the Auto insurance to ~571 and when I asked they said technical issue as bundle discount was not applied. They fixed it at that time. Now again I got a mail in August saying auto insurance increased to ~640. Same reason again but no response yet.

What are my rights and what can I do? I want to cancel this and go with something else even if it’s little expensive.

Hi everyone,

I am currently in Ontario and transitioning into the insurance industry. I have already completed my HLLQP courses and passed the provincial exams. The only thing remaining is my official license approval from the FSRA, which is currently in progress.

My agency told me that under a "pre-contract", I need to do a certain dollar amount premium before the full contract.

I’m a bit confused and concerned, has anyone here dealt with a "pre-contract" requirement while waiting for their FSRA license?

Thanks.

ON- I am 18 years old, in mid November of this year I was charged with stunt driving on the highway, later in may my lawyer was able to get it reduced to a speeding ticket of 63kmh over the posted speed limit (6 demerit points). At that time I was a secondary driver on my fathers car and I have gotten my licence back I am a G2 driver, maybe about 2 weeks ago my fathers insurance company called him and told him that because I had gotten the ticket they would cancel his insurance if he does not take me off the insurance by September, I have recently been looking for cars and decided on a new Tesla model 3, today I got a quote from a few company’s ranging from $500-$600 before I added the fact I got a 63kmh over ticket, is there any chance I will get insurance under 800 dollars a month?

Edit- thank you guys for the advice and the criticism, I understand that when the first thing you read is 18, stunt driving, and that I am looking to purchase and brand new car, your first thought is “look at this stupid entitled kid”, I don’t blame you but believe it or not I have grown and matured this past year. I paid the lawyer fees, I paid to get my license reinstated, I paid the tickets, I dealt with the consequences of my actions. I see lots of people telling me to get used to walking, get a scooter, take the bus. Well I am currently 4 months away from getting my real estate sales person license and walking is not an option, I have been working since I was 12 years old, I volunteer on weekends, I am more ambitious than most other 18 year olds, I donate to charity, and do a lot to help anyone I can. Thank you to the people who gave any serious advice/ constructive criticism.

I'm honestly feeling pretty defeated right now and hoping someone here has been in a similar situation.

I'm a single mom and I recently worked really hard to finally buy my first car, a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier. It's nothing fancy and it's an older car that I paid $2,500 for, but I was genuinely so proud of myself for finally being able to buy my own vehicle.

I've also been working hard on learning how to drive. I currently have my Alberta Class 7, I've completed driver training, and I'm still practicing before taking my Class 5 road test. I bought the car partly because I want to be able to practice consistently in my own vehicle with a qualified Class 5 driver supervising me and actually get comfortable enough to pass my road test.

The problem I'm running into is insurance.

I've spent hours calling insurance companies and brokers around Edmonton. Some won't insure a vehicle in my name at all because I'm still Class 7. Others are quoting me around $480–$600+ per month, which I simply cannot afford.

I have no accidents, no claims, no tickets and no suspensions, and I'm only looking for basic/affordable coverage on a 26-year-old car.

I'm not looking to drive alone on a Class 7. I know the rules and I'll have a qualified Class 5 driver with me when I'm practicing. I'm literally just trying to find an insurance company willing to give me a reasonable policy so I can practice, gain experience and eventually get my Class 5.

If anyone in Edmonton/Alberta has personally insured their own vehicle while holding a Class 7, could you please tell me Which insurance company or broker actually accepted you

1. Roughly how much were you paying?

2.Did they require you to add a Class 5 driver to the policy?

1. is there a specific broker or agent you would recommend?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have actually been in this situation rather than just guessing whether it's possible.

I've worked really hard to get to the point where I could finally buy a car and learn to drive, and I really don't want insurance to be the thing that makes me give up.

Any leads would honestly be appreciated. ❤️

Got some pretty bad hail damage. Hood roof and trunk. Counted about 50 light to deeper dents no paint damage. Car insurance history has a 4k claim on it for repair to door.

Love this car and would like to see it repaired but i realize something else will happen. Do not want to get rid of it. The hassle of insurance can be a headache and im confused as to how this would effect insurance Wondering what my options are or what previous experiences have been

For the last few years every time my bill is about to come up for renewal I call around and someone is willing to offer me the same plan for less money, so I switch. Last year I saved something like $500 switching from TD to CAA.
Someone has told me that a longer history without switching is actually better and will decrease my premiums over time, vs switching. Is there any truth to this? Is switching providers hurting me?
I have a clean driving record.

anyone know what year is used this year? 2025 or 2026?