Today is National Ombuds Day in Canada…who knew such a day existed?

Have you ever asked yourself, what is an Ombudsman? Maybe not, since it’s a word we don’t use in our everyday conversations.

Thankfully, the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman has a simple answer: an Ombudsman/Ombudsperson assists with the fair and expeditious resolution of complaints in an impartial, confidential and independent manner. Services are free of charge and the Ombudsman/person is not a representative of the person raising the complaint or the organization being complained about.  

General Insurance OmbudService (GIO)  

Here at General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) we aim to provide Canadian consumers of property and casualty insurance, including car, home and business insurance, with a free, independent, and impartial process to resolve your complaints.

To achieve our mission, we are committed to:

• • Making insurance consumers aware of the service we provide;

• • Applying best practices and standards in addressing complaints;

• • Providing access for consumers by toll-free telephone, mail, e-mail, online, and facsimile;

• • Maintaining a knowledgeable and courteous consumer service staff; and

• • Ensuring that all cases are treated in a confidential, balanced and fair manner.

With more than 20 years of operations, we continue to make great strides in supporting consumers and are dedicated to offering top-notch services throughout Canada.

Some of these services include:

• • Providing information and guidance on insurance issues;

• • Interpretation of policy coverage; and

• • Mediating disputes to reach a fair resolution.

Our commitment to fairness and impartiality ensures that all parties involved have their voices heard and that decisions are made based on the merits of each case.

Leadership: Your complaints are in expert hands

You can take comfort in knowing that our CEO, April Schulze, is an Ombudsman and lawyer with over 10 years of experience in this field. When April joined GIO in 2018 as our CEO and Ombudsman, she ensured that significant changes were put in place to improve GIO’s processes, systems, and organizational culture. Under her leadership, GIO was once again found to have achieved its public interest purpose by being compliant with all guidelines in our Cooperation and Oversight Framework by a third-party evaluation – lending to the countless resolved matters and satisfied consumers.

You’d also be pleased to know that alongside April, is her Deputy Ombudsman, Bruno De Sando, who has over 13 years of experience in the insurance industry with his most recent practice as a Corporate Claims Consultant. His experience doesn’t end there: he also has leadership skills from his time as a manager at his previous employment.

What truly makes them unique as Ombudspeople, is their genuine desire for helping others the best way they can – offering free insurance dispute resolution services to Canadians, and ensuring you receive quality impartial assistance throughout our process.

We value our consumers

For our consumers, the value of GIO’s services cannot be overstated. We understand that navigating insurance disputes can be a daunting and stressful experience, but we provide the much-needed support and expertise to help you, our consumers, understand your rights and options.

GIO’s services are available free of charge in English, French and now, with our on-demand telephone translation service, we provide services to the diverse Canadian population who wish to speak in their preferred language that isn’t English or French. These measures and more help us ensure that your complaints are handled fairly, efficiently, and in a timely manner.

To our Ombuds Community

On this day we commemorate all Ombuds people in Canada for their diligence and dedication in the service they provide for consumers. It is no meager task to successfully execute the job of a conflict management professional by ensuring disputes are settled fairly and efficiently.

Our Team and Governance Board

A special thank you to GIO’s Board of Directors and our staff for your diligent work that does not go unnoticed. You all are an essential pillar, not only in this organization but also in our nation’s governance, and a testament to the unwavering importance of Ombudspeople in safeguarding the values that define us.

Interested in learning more?

Now that you have a clearer understanding of what an Ombudsman is and know that GIO can help you with your insurance disputes, take a scroll through our website to find out more about our process, the service we offer, and find out how to contact us