We recently brought to light the introduction of virtual care into the mainstream of the healthcare world. While that piece served as more of a summary for those unfamiliar with virtual care, it is now time to go more in-depth.

The International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans recently conducted a survey and the findings were quite spectacular. Even though a third of the surveyed employers stated that they offered telehealth and/or telemedicine prior to the pandemic, an additional 19% stated that they added it during the pandemic. Moreover, a further 17% have stated that the prospect of virtual care is in strong consideration.

This has had a further impact on group employee benefits plans as, according to this survey, 9% of employers have eliminated cost-sharing for virtual care services and a further 9% are currently considering following suit.

One of the major aspects of this pandemic has been a focus on mental health as people remain quarantined and in isolation for extended periods of time. This has been reflected in current industry trends as 28% of employers have added elements to their current mental-health benefits plans while another 24% are considering the same.

Virtual care has been front-and-centre of mental-health benefits plans as 10% of employers have added virtual mental-health elements to their existing structures with 15% on the verge of doing the same.

The pharmaceutical industry is feelings the effects of these changes as well. According to this survey, employers are reducing barriers to prescription drug access – with 25% of respondents saying that they have waived prescription drug premiums for members; albeit temporarily.

Julie Stitch, the vice-president of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits, stated that “Employers across Canada have made changes to their plans to adapt to the new reality,” further adding that “We’re seeing employers make decisions to ensure not only the health and well-being of their workforce but also the financial stability and long-term success of their organization.”

One thing is for certain, virtual care will play a significant role in employee benefits plans going forward. If you are part of an organization that is unaware or unsure of implementing virtual care in your plans, now is the time to act.

Contact one of our licensed brokers today at 905-696-9090 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss your virtual care options.

As the country continues to follow the path of opening back up, some of us have started to adjust back into some of our old responsibilities and activities.

With some of our customers possibly heading back to work or establishing a ‘new normal’ for themselves and their families, we wanted to reach out to remind you that if you have made changes to your policies over the past few months it could impact your coverage if things have now changed again.

To ensure our customers are sufficiently covered as their situations evolve, we wanted to make that if you made changes between March and mid-June they may need to be amended if they were related to the pandemic for example.

Whether its changes to your mileage or temporarily removing a secondary vehicle in response to the lifestyle changes that the pandemic brought.

For more information, contact one of our licensed experts today at 905-696-9090 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

It may not have been a mainstream term in 2019, but the turn of the year has seen the popularization of Virtual Care. Aided by the pandemic, virtual care is quickly becoming the new normal and it is here to stay. So, what is virtual care?

Virtual care encompasses any interaction between a patient and their healthcare provider done remotely. If this seems rather broad, that’s because it is supposed to be. Though methods such as telehealth have been around for a long time, technology hasn’t allowed for the full integration of virtual care – until now.

Now that virtual care is here, it is here to stay.

A survey conducted by The Canadian Medical Association suggests that of all patients who have engaged in virtual care during the pandemic, 91% of them are happy with the care they have received. This is a staggering 17 points higher than in-person emergency room visits.

In fact, virtual care has proved so popular since the turn of the year that 46% of patients now prefer virtual care to in-person care.

Dr. Sandy Buchanan stated that “Physical distancing measures designed to keep Canadians safe during our fight against COVID-19 have led to the adoption of virtual care out of necessity”, adding that “We need to build on this momentum. Canadians should be able to access health care in a timely and convenient fashion.”

All-in-all, the future for virtual care seems rather bright – with half of those involved in this survey believing that not only will virtual care positively impact the cost of healthcare, but also that it would improve access to specialists and the timeliness of test results.

Virtual care is only as good as the technology around to implement it – which is why it has taken a long time for it to become noticed by the mainstream. However, in the modern day, technology advances exponentially and that is great news for all those involved in virtual care.

As virtual care gains momentum, the insurance surrounding it is evolving as well. In fact, virtual care is becoming and increasingly important part of group employee benefit plans. If a company hasn’t revised their employee benefits in the past 12 months, now is the time to re-evaluate with an emphasis on virtual care.

According to experts, the next steps are for the government to get involved and facilitate a pan-Canadian framework so that provinces an territories can help improve and expand virtual care. While this may seem like it’s some time away, it will undoubtedly become the norm quicker than we all expect.

One day in the near future, going to see a doctor in-person may seem as old-school as sending a fax. We live in an increasingly virtual world and there is no reason to suggest that healthcare won’t go down the same path.

If you want to learn more about virtual care and to see if you can get aboard this train before it leaves the station, call one of our experts today at 905-696-9090 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Directors and officers play important roles in businesses across that country as they form the management team of a corporation. These are professionals who supervise important business affairs and are responsible for making decisions (Directors) as well as overseeing the daily aspects of the organization (Officers).

As these professionals are crucial parts of corporate governance and decision-making, it is imperative to make sure there is a safety-net in case mistakes are made. This is where insurance comes in.

As stated by Southwestern Insurance Group, “D&O Insurance provides coverage for defence costs and damages from wrongful acts allegations and lawsuits brought against an organization’s board of directors and/or officers. This includes negligence, omissions or misleading statements made by the directors and officers that result in a lawsuit being filed against the corporation.”

Not convinced? Here are 4 more reasons.

Negligence & Breach of Contract

Ultimately, the responsibility lies at the helm of the directors if there is a breach of corporate statutes dealing with income tax, environmental concerns, as well as other reasons.

Moreover, the corporate world is a minefield of litigation and small print which leaves directors vulnerable to general laws of breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation as a result of their actions.

Having D&O Insurance allows for the directors of an organization to be safeguarded against such fine margins.

Conflicts of Interest

As mentioned above, Canadian corporate law requires extremely careful navigation to ensure that there is no malpractice. An example of this is the Canadian Business Corporations Act which requires directors to disclose any and all conflicts of interests between themselves and the boards that they serve.

This can then mean that a director who has disclosed such a conflict may need to refrain from voting on matters that directly affect the interest in question.

In fact, in some Canadian provinces, the laws are even stricter and prohibit directors in this situation from even attending meetings in which any of those interests may be discussed.

Duty of Care

Duty of care perhaps is the simplest one to understand – under Canadian statutes, all directors must exhibit the care, diligence, and skill that a reasonable person would exercise in similar circumstances.

In other words, duty of care laws exist to ensure that directors don’t go rogue. Moreover, it adds extra responsibility to the directors of a corporation to educate themselves and take the appropriate steps to make the best decisions they possibly can.

Fiduciary Duty

Directors serve as the fiduciaries of the organizations that they serve. This means that they have to take into account the interests of the various shareholders when making decisions – as well as the interests that best serve the company.

However, the interests of the corporation must always outweigh those of individual shareholders. This means that it is the responsibility of a director to disclose any significant information that has been sourced from others whilst also being obliged to maintain the confidentiality of a corporation’s sensitive information.

With D&O Insurance, directors and officers find themselves protected against the pitfalls of corporate law. Given D&O liability “pays on behalf of individual directors, officers, trustees, volunteers, employees, and members of any duly-constituted committee damages and expenses in the event they are sued in conjunction with the performance of their duties with the corporation.”

This means that D&O Insurance doesn’t just protect the directors and officers, but it protects the organization as a whole. It pays out on behalf of the corporation and further provides full entity coverage.

D&O Liability Insurance is an absolute must-have in the modern day so contact your Hubbard Insurance Advisor at 905-696-9090 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today to discuss which options are best suited for you and your organization.

What a summer this has been already. Severe heat warnings have become the norm and the only relief we may feel comes in the form of severe thunderstorm warnings. We touched upon how climate change has been affecting insurance in the past and it seems like a more relevant topic than ever before.

At the time of writing this, there are once again severe weather warnings in Ontario in the form of thunderstorms – so here are some ways to look after your car with the elementals being as volatile as they are.

Make Sure The View Is Unimpeded

When the rain is lashing down on your windshield and the clouds make sun disappear, visibility can be a real issue. The last thing you would want with limited visibility is a dirty windshield or side mirrors that further debilitates your ability to see. Not only does this make driving more challenging, it also greatly increases the likelihood of being in an accident.

Moreover, make sure that your headlights, taillights, emergency lights, and indicators are working in top condition. The tires should also be checked to ensure that they have the right amount of tread so that your car doesn’t end up in a ditch.

Do Not Use Your Brights

While it is important to make sure that your headlights and taillights are turned on in a storm, it’s important to stay away from the full-blast of the brights. The high-beams on a car during a storm not only doesn’t help, but it makes visibility actively worse.

This is because the light reflects off of wet surfaces and bounces back into the drivers eyes – all the while blinding those coming the other direction.

Take Your Time, Don’t Rush

This really should go without saying but a surprising amount of drivers don’t alter their driving style based on the conditions that they are faced with. If you’re caught up in a storm, slow the car down. Driving in the rain in the same manner as driving on a sunny day is a sure-fire recipe for disaster.

Take your time, don’t rush, and make smart decisions!

Watch Out For Deep Water

A good rule to follow when driving in the rain is this: if the water is over 3 inches deep and covering the road markings, do not go for a drive. Studies show that once roads are covered in 3 inches of water, there is a greatly increased chance of losing control of the car and having a crash.

On top of that, larger vehicles may drive past and push water underneath your car – something that can very easily stall the engine and cause a lot of unnecessary damage under the hood.

Just Stay Inside

Ultimately, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. While restrictions are slowly being lifted, we still need to be cautious and careful – staying inside and avoiding unnecessary trips is the way to go. Add onto this the added risk of a severe storm and it makes sense to keep the car in the garage for the next little while.

Make sure to keep an eye on the weather forecasts and plan accordingly. Being as risk averse as possible is the best way to handle this!

To learn more about how you can keep your car safe, contact one of our licensed experts today at 905-696-9090 or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.