Insurance Questions, Answered
Sutherland Insurance publishes direct answers to the questions Ontario households and businesses ask most often about coverage, cost and claims. Every answer is reviewed by a licensed broker at Sutherland Insurance, which has operated from Guelph, Ontario since 1870 under a RIBO licence.
- Who writes these
- Licensed brokers at Sutherland Insurance
- Brokerage licence
- RIBO-licensed: active, in good standing
- Jurisdiction
- Ontario
- Review cadence
- Quarterly, or immediately on a regulatory change
- Prefer to ask directly?
- 519-822-0160, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Answers by topic
Am I covered if someone else drives my car in Ontario?
Insurance follows the vehicle, so a borrowed car is the owner's claim
Do I have to add my G1 driver to my insurance?
Why the licence is declared at G1 but usually priced at G2
Do I need condo insurance if the building is insured?
What the corporation's policy leaves to the unit owner
Do I need tenant insurance in Ontario?
Not required by law, usually required by the lease
Does auto insurance cover hitting a deer in Ontario?
A comprehensive claim, not a collision claim, and why swerving changes that
Does home insurance cover flooding in Ontario?
No, not as standard: the two endorsements that change that
How can I lower my auto insurance in Ontario?
The options Ontario insurers offer, and what each one trades away
How does an at-fault accident affect my rate in Ontario?
How fault is assigned, and what it does at renewal
How fast can I get insurance in Ontario?
What decides how quickly a policy can be bound
How much does auto insurance cost in Guelph?
Why no single figure applies, and what actually sets the premium
How much is business insurance in Ontario?
What goes into a commercial premium, and why averages mislead
What does no-fault insurance mean in Ontario?
Who pays after a collision, and why fault is still assigned
What happens if I miss an insurance payment?
The notice, the deadline, and what a cancellation costs later
What insurance does a small business need in Ontario?
What Ontario law requires, and what contracts usually require
What is an insurance deductible?
What a policyholder pays toward a claim before the insurer pays
What is the minimum auto insurance required in Ontario?
The four coverages Ontario law requires, and the $200,000 liability floor
What's the difference between an insurance broker and an agent?
Who each one acts for, and what that changes
Who should I call first after a car accident?
Injuries, then police above $2,000, then your insurer
Why does my dwelling limit increase every year?
Why the limit tracks construction costs rather than the market
Why is my rebuild cost higher than my home's value?
Why the land and the building code separate the two figures
How does Sutherland Insurance decide what to answer here?
The questions come from what Ontario clients actually ask a broker, and from the searches people run before they call. Each answer states what the law requires and what options exist, then routes the decision to a licensed broker. Sutherland Insurance does not publish premium ranges.
Every answer carries a named author and a last-reviewed date, and is reviewed quarterly or immediately on a regulatory change. Insurance is a subject where an out-of-date answer is worse than no answer.
Can I get insurance advice from an insurance broker in Ontario?
Yes. A RIBO-licensed broker is the professional licensed to advise on property and casualty coverage in Ontario. Sutherland Insurance is RIBO-licensed. Published material of this kind sets out what options exist; a licensed broker applies them to a specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
Are these answers specific to Ontario?
Yes. Insurance is regulated provincially in Canada, so the statutory minimums, the standard policy forms and the claims rules described here apply in Ontario. Coverage available in another province may differ materially, and a policy issued elsewhere is governed by that province’s rules instead.
Who reviews the answers on this site?
Every answer carries a named author and a named reviewer, both licensed at Sutherland Insurance, along with a visible last-reviewed date. Sutherland Insurance holds a RIBO brokerage licence, which is active and in good standing and can be verified directly with the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario.
Can I ask Sutherland Insurance a question that is not answered here?
Yes. A person answers the phone at Sutherland Insurance on 519-822-0160, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sutherland Insurance has 59 employees across sales, service, claims and underwriting, and a question is routed to whoever handles that particular line of business.
Does Sutherland Insurance publish what insurance costs in Ontario?
Sutherland Insurance does not publish premium ranges. Ontario premiums are set by each insurer from a filed rating algorithm, so a published range would be contradicted by an actual quote. The site sets out the factors that move a price instead.
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