Rod Finlayson

In recent months, I along with other Council and Senior Staff members traveled to other parts of the province to attend local broker functions. Meeting and speaking directly with brokers at these events offers us tremendous value as it provides us with first-hand knowledge of the issues concerning brokers in each particular region. We hope to continue this practice and welcome your invitations.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

I strongly advise you to take the time to read through this edition of the Bulletin. Inside you’ll find a number of important items including the following:

Continuing Education – Raising the Bar
As you will read in the Qualification and Registration Report, we are raising the minimum number of Continuing Education Hours required. This small increase will bring us closer to educational requirements in other provinces and help enhance consumer perception of the broker profession.

Also included along with this issue is a copy of the Continuing Education Summary for each individual member. Once again, this includes an overview of the entire program. It is important to keep this in your records for future reference. I encourage everyone to get their hours done early to avoid any suspensions of licensing.

Renewal Information
Beginning this year, brokers will be able to process their renewals online. Please see the 2004-2005 fee structure for more information on the renewal process.

RIBO Election
The chance to become a member of the RIBO Council is offered through the fall election where there will be three seats available on RIBO Council. The commitment currently required of a successful candidate averages about one to two days a month and includes service on one or more sub-committees of council. All council members participate in the qualification and registration committee, which usually meets before the monthly board meeting on the second Wednesday of each month. In addition to regular board meetings, some directors sit on a complaint panel, requiring them to attend two to three hearings a year.

Nomination details are provided along with highlights of the specific regulatory requirements. These requirements are taken directly from the regulations of the RIB Act and Bylaw 21. All nominations are due at the RIBO office no later than 4 p.m. on September 15. A photograph and a brief biography of no more than 100 words should also be included with your nominations.

I encourage anyone interested in running for election to contact a director listed on the back of this bulletin. We would be happy to speak with you.

I wish you all a safe and relaxing summer!

Yours truly,

Rod Finlayson

 

Jack Baizana
Chairperson

I hope you had a lovely spring and look forward to a long and warm summer.

As an independent broker for many years and most recently as a member of Council, I have witnessed a great deal of transformation within our industry. One of the more positive changes to enhance our profession and increase public confidence was the introduction of the Brokers’ Continuing Education Program (CE).

The CE Program has been in effect for Principal Brokers and Deputies since October 1, 1993 (11 years) and for all other individuals since October 1, 1996 (seven years).

RIBO is a member of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations (CISRO). Part of the organization’s mandate is to streamline and harmonize regulatory practices, wherever possible, throughout all Canadian jurisdictions. This provides consistent consumer protection and avoids duplication for brokers practicing in other provinces.

In January 2004, the Qualification and Registration Committee directed a sub-committee to review RIBO’s entire Continuing Education Program and report back with their findings and recommendations to bring forward for Council approval.

The Committee began the process by reviewing the Continuing Education Requirements of all other provincial regulators. They were satisfied that the process and standard of RIBO’s Continuing Education Program were acceptable and adequate with one exception, Ontario had the lowest hourly requirements of any jurisdiction. The requirements varied from six to 15 hours on an annual basis. The Committee agreed that in order to maintain and further increase brokers’ professionalism in the eyes of the consumer a recommendation was made to increase the number of hours. I am confident that the following changes will enhance our ability to provide quality service to the public and reinforce our commitment to self-regulation.

Effective October 2004, to September 2005, RIBO Council approved the following amendment:

Principal Brokers and Deputy Principal Brokers Continuing Education Requirement Hours will increase from seven and a half (7.5) to ten (10) hours with a minimum of 50 % (5 hours) in the Management Category. Please note, Personal Skills Hours do not qualify as Principal Broker or Deputy Principal Broker Requirements.

All other requirements for individual brokers will increase from six (6) to eight (8) hours of Continuing Education Hours.

All other aspects of the program remain the same.
I am confident that brokers understand that now, more than ever, it is important for them to continue to develop in knowledge and expertise. The public demands informed brokers and it is our intention to meet this expectation through an increase in the minimum number of hours spent in professional development.

Over the last three months, the Qualification and Registration Committee reviewed 43 requests for secondary business exemptions. The exemption breakdown was as follows: six individuals were granted exemptions to sell financial products, 37 individuals were granted other secondary business exemptions.

Have a safe and happy summer for you and your family.

Yours truly,

Jack Baizana

Notice is hereby given that the annual election of council members will be held on Monday, November 1, 2004 at which time three council members are to be elected for a term of three years. Registrants have the opportunity to nominate candidates, including incumbents if they agree to have their names put forward for election to serve another term. A nomination form with instructions is enclosed in this edition of the Bulletin. Eligibility for election is set out in RIBO By-law No. 21, Section 1 (2) as follows:

Each person who is an individual member of the corporation (RIBO) and,
a) who is qualified to vote at an election of Council, (a person is registered under the Act and not in default with respect to payment of fees),
b) who is a Canadian citizen ordinarily resident in Ontario or a permanent resident within the meaning of the Immigration Act, 1976 (Canada) and ordinarily resident in Ontario, except a permanent resident who has been ordinarily resident in Ontario for more than one year after the time at which they first became eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship,
c) who is nominated in accordance with Section 8,
d) whose conduct is not the subject of a complaint referred to the Discipline Committee, or the subject of disciplinary proceedings before the Discipline Committee,
is eligible to stand for election to the Council in accordance with this Regulation.
Nominations, a brief biography (under 100 words), outlining professional qualifications and record of community service, and a photograph must be received in writing by the Manager at the RIBO office no later than 4:00 p.m., on September 15, 2004.
In early October, each registered insurance broker will receive a list of nominated candidates. The nomination sheet will be accompanied by a ballot form and a return envelope to be delivered to the RIBO office to the attention of the Manager, no later than 4:00 p.m. on the date of the election, November 1, 2004.

Renewal applications for all active individuals and firms will be forwarded to the address of the brokerage firm. Principal Brokers must make sure renewal applications are distributed to all brokers operating in or outside of the main office.

It is the Principal Broker’s responsibility to ensure that the renewal application forms for their business are properly completed and submitted on time. In addition, they are expected to ensure that all individual brokers associated with the brokerage firm comply with the continuing education requirements and renew their registration.

It remains the responsibility of each individual member to ensure that his or her registration is renewed. Please contact RIBO if you do not receive your renewal application form by July 31, 2004.

Below are the categories for registration renewals:

Sole Proprietors, Partnerships & Corporations: The renewal form must be completed and signed by the Principal Broker. For Partnerships and Corporations, any changes to share information or partners not previously reported, must be presented at this time.

Individuals: All individuals must complete and sign the renewal form. Please make sure that the continuing education question is answered in order to confirm compliance.

“Inactive”: Brokers registered as “inactive” must renew their registration and complete their continuing education requirement in order to maintain their status. Forms will be mailed directly to the address RIBO has on file. Please make sure that RIBO has your current address on file.

Non-Active Firms: All Non-Active Firms will receive an application to renew their registration.

PLEASE NOTE: Cheques may be post–dated up to August 31, 2004.

CORPORATIONS  $450
PARTNERSHIPS  $450
SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS  $400
INDIVIDUALS   $150
NON-ACTIVE FIRMS  $150

FEE DISCOUNT

RIBO will allow a $25 early payment reduction in the 2004-2005 renewal fee for all RIBO members, both individuals and firms. Please note that payment must be received by August 31, 2004 in order to qualify.

PENALTY FEE

Brokers who allow their registration to lapse are required to pay a $150 penalty fee to have their license reinstated. This is in addition to the registration and reinstatement fee.

Coming Soon: Online Registration

Brokers will soon be able to process their renewals, file position reports and access their individual files online. Detailed information is included as an insert in this Bulletin.

Advanced Notice

The 24th Annual Meeting of members of the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario will take place on Thursday, November 4 at 2 p.m. at the Grand Hotel in downtown Toronto. A formal notice of meeting, annual report and proxy will be mailed to each registrant in good standing in early October. All registrants are eligible to attend and to vote on matters properly brought before the meeting.

Decisions Of the Discipline Committee

CAUTION: While the information contained below is public, members should take caution that inappropriate use of this information may be considered to be an act of misconduct.

Lynn Brown
Registration Number: D01346
Mount Forest, Ontario

MISCONDUCT: Ont. Reg. 991, s. 14(1), 16(5)

PARTICULARS OF THE COMPLAINT

· Lynn Brown failed to discharge her duties to clients, members of the public, fellow members and insurers with integrity.
· On a number of occasions, Ms. Brown led clients to believe that she had bound coverage on their behalf, but did not submit applications to the insurer for issuance of a policy.
· In addition, on a number of occasions, Ms. Brown accepted premium monies from clients, but did not remit these monies to her employer brokerage or to the insurer.

DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE’S DISPOSITION (03/04/04)

· The Discipline Committee found Lynn Brown guilty of the alleged misconduct.
· The Certificate of Registration of Lynn Brown was revoked effective March 4, 2004.

Petrela, Burns & Associates Inc.
Registration No. A00250
Ottawa, Ontario

Leslie Domonkos
Registration No. R03085
Ottawa, Ontario

MISCONDUCT: Ont. Reg. 991, ss. 16(4), (5), (6); 15(1)-13

PARTICULARS OF THE COMPLAINT

· Petrela, Burns & Associates Inc. did not at all times maintain trust account money sufficient with its funds receivable, excluding premiums that have been receivable for more than 90 days, to meet all its trust obligations.
· Leslie Domonkos as Principal Broker of Petrela, Burns & Associates Inc. knowingly concurred in the misconduct of the corporation.

DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE’S DISPOSITION (04/15/04)

· The Discipline Committee accepted a plea of guilty by Mr. Domonkos personally and on behalf of Petrela, Burns & Associates Inc. to the allegations of misconduct and found that there was sufficient evidence in support of his plea of guilty.
· The Discipline Committee was satisfied that problems had been corrected by Mr. Domonkos and accepted the following terms of a joint submission from RIBO and Mr. Domonkos, and ordered:

(i) That Petrela, Burns & Associates Inc. shall file with RIBO monthly position reports in Form-1 for a period of one year, all of which position reports must reflect that the brokerage is maintaining its net trust position in compliance with Ont. Reg. 991, ss. 16(4), (5) and (6);
(ii) That Petrela, Burns & Associates Inc. shall subsequently file with RIBO quarterly position reports in Form-1 for a period of one year, all of which position reports must reflect that the brokerage is maintaining its net trust position in compliance with Ont. Reg. 991, ss. 16(4), (5) and (6).

Interglobal Insurance and Financial Services Inc.
(formerly Youngs All Trade Insurance Group Ltd.)
Registration No. A02708
Concord, Ontario

Gerry Gentile
Registration No. R04125
Concord, Ontario

MISCONDUCT: Ont. Reg. 991, ss. 16(4), (5), (6); 15(1)-13

PARTICULARS OF THE COMPLAINT

· Youngs All Trade Insurance Group Ltd. (hereinafter known as Interglobal Insurance and Financial Services Inc.) did not at all times maintain trust account money sufficient together with its trust funds receivable, excluding premiums that have been receivable for more than 90 days, to meet all its trust obligations.
· Gerry Gentile as Principal Broker of Interglobal Insurance and Financial Services Inc., knowingly concurred in the misconduct of the corporation.

DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE’S DISPOSITION (04/15/04)

· The Discipline Committee accepted a plea of guilty by Mr. Gentile personally and on behalf of Interglobal Insurance and Financial Services Inc. to the allegations of misconduct and found that there was sufficient evidence in support of the plea of guilty.
· The Discipline Committee was satisfied that the problems had been corrected by Mr. Gentile and accepted the following terms of a joint submission from RIBO and Mr. Gentile, and ordered:

(i) That Interglobal Insurance and Financial Services Inc. shall file with RIBO monthly position reports in Form-1 for a period of one year, all of which position reports must reflect that the brokerage is maintaining its net trust position in compliance with Ont. Reg. 991, ss. 16(4), (5) and (6);
(ii) That Interglobal Insurance and Financial Services Inc. shall subsequently file with RIBO quarterly position reports in Form-1 for a period of one year, all of which position reports must reflect that the brokerage is maintaining its net trust position in compliance with Ont. Reg. 991, ss.16(4), (5) and (6).

Edward William Belisle
Registration No. D24792
Belleville, Ontario

MISCONDUCT, Ont. Reg. 991, ss.14(1); 16(4)

PARTICULARS OF THE COMPLAINT

· Edward Belisle failed to discharge his duties to clients, members of the public, fellow members and insurers with integrity.
· On more than one occasion, Mr. Belisle misappropriated trust funds of his employer brokerage.

DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE’S DISPOSITION (04/29/04)

· The Discipline Committee found Edward William Belisle guilty of the alleged misconduct.
· The Certificate of Registration of Edward William Belisle was revoked effective April 29, 2004.

CONSENT BEING RECEIVED IN THE FOLLOWING MATTER, THE DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE MADE THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

Patricia Jean Smith
Registration No. D15702
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

MISCONDUCT: Ont. Reg. 991, ss.14(1); 16(4)

PARTICULARS OF THE COMPLAINT

· Patricia Jean Smith failed to discharge her duties to clients, members of the public, fellow members, and insurers with integrity.
· Ms. Smith bound automobile coverage for a client but did not submit the application for processing to the insurer resulting in a gap of coverage.
· In addition, Ms. Smith accepted premium monies from this client, but did not submit these monies to her employer brokerage nor to the insurer.

DISPOSITION OF THE DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE (03/04/04)

· The Discipline Committee approved a consent agreement between Ms. Smith and RIBO, and ordered:

(i) That the Certificate of Registration of Patricia Jean Smith be revoked effective March 4, 2004.

DECISION OF THE QUALIFICATION AND REGISTRATION COMMITTEE

Zacarias Gabriel Joao Sapato
Toronto, Ontario

The Qualification and Registration Committee of RIBO, on April 14, 2004, confirmed the Manager’s Proposal to Refuse Application for Certificate of Registration to Operate An Insurance Brokerage on the grounds that Mr. Sapato did not meet the requirements of RIBO’s Application for Insurance Business Registration.

The Committee heard evidence that Mr. Sapato did not have contracts with at least two standard insurance markets, thus being unable to provide any choice of product to a consumer.

Based on that unrefuted evidence, the Committee confirmed the Manager’s Proposal to Refuse Application for Insurance Business Registration.

Provincial Licensing Telephone Numbers

Recently Zurich Canada sent notice to all brokers who handle multi-provincial risks, including national programs. This will confirm that regardless of where the associations head office is located, brokers must be licensed in each and every province when dealing with any member of the public.

For your reference, the following are the provincial licensing telephone numbers:

Alberta (780) 421-4148
British Columbia (604) 688-0321

Manitoba (204) 988-6800

New Brunswick (506) 453-2512

Newfoundland (709) 729-2595

Nova Scotia (902) 424-6331

Northwest Territories (867) 920-8056

Nunavut (867) 975-5808

P.E.I. (902) 368-4564

Quebec (418) 525-0337
Montreal (514) 395-0337

Saskatchewan (306) 347-0862

Yukon (403) 667-5257

ADDITIONS
3110	ALLEGIANT INSURANCE BROKERS INC.	OAKVILLE
DELETIONS
1118	KEIL INSURANCE BROKERS (WINGHAM) LTD.	WINGHAM
	REPPERT INSURANCE SERVICE
1829		TORONTO
2649	PINEWOOD INSURANCE BROKERS INC.	WOODBRIDGE
2921	CAPRI INSURANCE & BONDING INC.
		CONCORD

 

President	Past President
Rod Finlayson CG & B Group Inc. 120 South Town Centre Blvd. Markham, ON L6G 1C3 Tel: (905) 479-6670 Fax: (905) 479-9164 Email: finny@cgbgroup.com	Arthur Langley Tel: (705) 474-2420 Demarco-Lucenti Insurance Brokers Limited 669 Cassells Street North Bay, Ontario P1B 4A1 Fax: (705) 474-9089 Email: d-linsurance@on.aibn.com
Vice President	Secretary
Jack Baizana Tel: (613) 225-7722 Jack Baizana Insurance Brokers Ltd. 1390 Prince of Wales Dr. Ottawa, Ontario K2C 6N6 Fax: (613) 226-2781 Email: jack@baizanainsurance.com	Toots Everley Tel: (807) 727-3336 Canada Brokerlink (Ontario) Inc. 179 Howey Street, Box 39 Red Lake, Ontario P0V 2M0 Fax: (807) 727-3750 Email: twoee@nwconx.net, teverley@brokerlink.ca
Treasurer
Bonnie Warder Davis & McLay Insurance Brokers Limited Box 12, R.R. #1 2845 HWY #6 Lion's Head, Ontario NOH 1WO Tel: (519)793-3322 Fax: (519)793-3901 Email: emclay@amtelecom.net
Members
Caroline Anne Benedict PSA Insurance Services Limited 7699 Yonge Street Thornhill, Ontario L3T 1Z5 Tel: (905) 889-4933 Fax: (905) 889-0205 Email: cbenedict@psains.com	Barry Downs Tel: (416) 366-5243 Partners Indemnity Insurance Brokers Ltd. 10 Adelaide St. East, Suite 400 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1J3 Fax: (416) 862-2416 barry@partnersindemnity.com
*Al J. Hawco Tel: (613) 826-2804 3311 Warner Way Osgoode, Ontario K0A 2W0	*Hassan A. Jaffer Tel: (905) 415-2511 2750 Fourteenth Avenue, Suite 307 Markham, Ontario L3R 0B6 Fax: (905) 415-2011 hassan@nvcallp.com
Byron Moffitt Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd. 30 Queen St., P.O. Box 2670 Kitchener, Ontario N2H 6N2 Tel: (519) 579-4270 Fax: (519) 745-5607 Email: byron@erb-erb.com	*Gloria Shan Tel: (416) 365-1900 ext. 202 P.O. Box 45, 401 Bay Street, Suite 1200 Simpson Tower, Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4 Fax: (416) 365-7664
Joanne Brown Tel: (416) 394-4503 Marsh Canada Limited 70 University Ave., Suite 800 Toronto, Ontario M5J 2M4 Fax: (416) 815-3361 Email: Joanne.C.Brown@marsh.com

*Public members are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council to represent the public interest.