IBC's Consumer Information Centres are staffed with trained personnel who have many years of experience in the insurance industry. They operate independently and answer tens of thousands of consumer inquiries each year, covering topics such as:

• the technicalities of policy wordings and coverage
• how insurance companies handle claims
• tips for buying insurance
• advice and direction for how to proceed with complaints

When you make your complaint:

• Make it clear what your concern is and state clearly and simply what you expect.
• Have all the pertinent information and documentation available.
• Allow time for your insurer to investigate and to answer your complaint.
• Make sure you keep a record of whom you talked to and what was said.

Most federally licensed insurers and several provincially incorporated insurers are members of General Insurance OmbudService (GIO). GIO helps you and your insurance company to resolve your differences in a fair, independent and impartial environment. GIO works to resolve disputes about claims-related matters and about interpretation of policy coverage.

If your matter is not resolved with your insurer's complaint liaison officer, ask for a final position letter and call GIO.

At the federal level, there is the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), which monitors the financial strength and investment policies of all federally licensed insurers. This is to ensure that insurance companies are financially healthy and able to meet their obligation to pay claims. Insurance company insolvencies are very rare in Canada, but when they do occur, customers are protected by the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACICC).

Also, the federal government's Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) protects and educates consumers in the area of financial services. They provide consumer information and oversee financial institutions to ensure that they comply with federal consumer protection measures.

Each province and territory has a Superintendent of Insurance and regulates insurance through its own rules and regulators. Provincial regulators work together on common issues through the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR). They also monitor the solvency of insurers that are only incorporated in a province.

The main focus of provincial regulators is market conduct - ensuring that insurers' pricing, underwriting and claims handling practices are fair. Provincial regulators:

• handle complaints, mediations and arbitrations
• issue fines

Therefore, they are your next option if your dispute has not been resolved by GIO or if your insurer is not a member of GIO. In Quebec, you may go straight to the provincial regulator, Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), as an alternative to GIO.

Provincial governments in Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador also have provincial rate boards to regulate auto insurance prices. These boards seek to guarantee that the price for auto insurance is related to the costs of providing this insurance.