Posted October 6, 2025
Renewal customers will start shopping for auto insurance coverage as early as next spring. Brokers and agents must be trained and ready to explain changes to the Statutory Accident Benefit Schedule (SABS), effective July 1, 2026.
To maintain consistently high service standards, licensees must begin preparing now to understand the changes and effectively communicate them to customers.
RIBO licensees will be expected to communicate changes in SABS coverage to their customers as early as April 1, 2026.
To support this, the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), in collaboration with industry representatives, have developed a Communications Toolkit that can be used by RIBO licensees to communicate with existing customers.
Insurer partners may utilize their broker distribution network to communicate these changes using the same template(s), but this does not preclude RIBO licensees from reaching out to existing and new business customers about the changes that are being made.
Depending on the insurance companies you work with, communications may look different. This is why the toolkit materials are fully customizable. You can tailor them to meet the specific needs of your customers.
Materials can also be distributed under your own brand based on your own business practices when it comes to contacting renewal customers and attracting new business.
System updates must be completed by March 15, 2026. Brokers should coordinate early with vendor and carrier partners to avoid disruptions.
Whether you have been selling auto insurance products for a few days or years, ongoing education is essential. Education will provide you with a solid foundation in understanding mandatory and optional accident benefits within the auto insurance framework. Education also prepares you to confidently navigate your customer’s insurance needs by explaining what optional coverages mean.
The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) currently offers a SABS Course with an overview of the current regime. It is free for IBAO members.
Starting in January 2026, the IBAO, the Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC) and the Ontario Mutual Insurance Association (OMIA) are launching a 101 training course that will provide a comprehensive overview of the new optional benefit regime.
The course will be free for the first six months of 2026 and will be RIBO-accredited. The course is expected to take an estimated 1.5 to 2 hours to complete.
It is being designed as a foundation for all other training that will be made available to you. Insurers will be launching products offering specific training and the IIC and IBAO will be updating course texts and creating additional training courses to support the industry.
Considering these changes, RIBO will also be releasing refreshed Take All Comers (TAC) guidance to support compliance with existing rules and requirements when quoting auto insurance.
A strong foundation of knowledge will set your brokers up for success when discussing these benefits in more detail.
While these courses and training will not be mandatory for RIBO licensees, your role as professionals providing advice and risk management has never been more important so formal training is strongly recommended.
Keep current on all industry updates to ensure your brokerage is ready for the changes by checking this page as well as FSRA’s webpage on SABS changes.
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