Canada: Insurance Laws and Products

A serious traumatic brain injury can affect far more than a person’s physical health. Many people experience ongoing problems with memory, attention, fatigue, emotional regulation, relationships, and work. In the most severe cases, these impairments may qualify as a catastrophic impairment under Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (“SABS”).

Notre bulletin du 29 avril 2025, Nouvelles normes en matière de conduite automobile : un aperçu de la gouvernance des véhicules autonomes et connectés[1], décrivait l'architecture réglementaire applicable aux véhicules autonomes et connectés (les « VAC ») au Canada, dans l'Union européenne et aux États-Unis, y compris les six niveaux d'automatisation de la Society of Automotive Engineers (la « SAE ») et le partage des compétences entre Transports Canada et les provinces.

Our April 29, 2025, bulletin, Driving New Standards: An Overview of Automated and Connected Vehicle Governance, outlined the regulatory framework governing connected and automated vehicles (“CAV” / “CAVs”) in Canada, the European Union, and the United States, including the SAE International’s Six Levels of Driving Automation and the division of jurisdiction over CAVs between Transport Canada and the provinces. Regulatory compliance, however, is only one piece of the puzzle.

Many business owners view lease agreements as simple occupancy documents — something signed once and filed away. Your commercial lease can directly impact your insurance coverage, liability exposure, indemnity obligations, and even whether a claim gets paid properly.

The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that fees received by insurers for surety products written in Ontario are subject to the 3% premium tax under the Corporations Tax Act. This decision clarifies the tax treatment of surety bonds by interpreting ambiguous statutory language through reference to federal Income Tax Act provisions and legislative history. Insurers licensed to write surety business in Ontario should review their premium-tax reporting practices in light of this ruling.

Summer is one of the busiest travel seasons in Alberta. Families head out on road trips, motorcycles return to the highways, construction zones increase, and more drivers spend extended hours on the road. Unfortunately, summer also brings a noticeable rise in motor vehicle accidents across the province.

Miss the deadline to file a third-party notice in British Columbia and you lose your right to recover damages from a party who contributed to the harm—no discretion, no second chance. Insurers who rely on contribution and indemnity claims to offset liability risk are making a critical but avoidable mistake through careful claims management.

Quebec's Bill 30 introduces significant regulatory changes affecting automotive dealers who sell creditor and replacement insurance. The legislation prohibits single-premium creditor insurance structures and removes dealers' ability to sell replacement insurance directly, requiring compliance by specific deadlines in 2026 and 2027.

In Small v Northbridge General Insurance Company, 2026 ON LAT 21072, the Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal (“LAT”) held that an insurer cannot justify an additional in-person independent examination (“IE”) simply...