More Indigenous workers wanted in the insurance industry

Saskatchewan Government Insurance Canada (SGI) and Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan (IBAS), have launched the Indigenous Broker Development Program to remove barriers in order to provide long-term employment outcomes for Indigenous insurance brokers.

“We have acknowledged that people with an Indigenous background are underrepresented in the Saskatchewan insurance industry and we thought this was a way of helping to change that,” said Rick Baylak, regional vice-president of Saskatchewan for SGI Canada. “Both organizations are very committed to Truth and Reconciliation and the Calls to Action, and how we can influence that in the marketplace. We see this is a direct accelerator to economic reconciliation,” he said.

According to Statistics Canada, over the last decade Indigenous workers are entering the workforce at an increased rate especially in the areas of public administration, construction, retail trades, healthcare, and social work.

The Indigenous Broker Development was developed with OneHoop Indigenous Advisory Services.

The consulting firm led by Cadmus Delorme and Thomas Benjoe helped design a program which will give Indigenous people the best chance of success.

The two-year pilot program will support IBAS members in the recruitment, onboarding, and training of insurance brokers of Indigenous heritage. The program will reimburse brokerages up to $25,000 in illegible costs. SGI will be funding up to $750,000 for the two year program.

“Insurance is becoming more and more important, and it’s critical to have professional risk-management services as we start to see increasing severity and frequency of weather events,” said Baylak. “I think there’s areas in Saskatchewan that would be better represented if they had people from an Indigenous background providing those services.”

Cheryl Arcand is thoroughly familiar with the merits of a career in insurance – she’s been in the industry for 32 years.

“The reward for me is meeting all these wonderful people,” said Arcand. “There isn’t a place I can’t go that doesn’t have someone I haven’t served.”

From Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and a resident of Leask, Arcand started off at a small insurance agency in her hometown, working part time and learning as much about the industry as she could.

Her work ethic and dedication to educating herself on the details of the industry has opened doors for her. First, she took a job offer from SGI, working primarily with First Nations. She caught the attention of a Manitoba agency and landed a job with LaRoche McDonald, where she’s been since.

Arcand works strictly with First Nations communities on their property, liabilities, and entities.

“It’s important to have (Indigenous brokers),” she said. “Some of the community members are more relaxed and comfortable because they’re the same shade of brown.”

Arcand said many communities in Saskatchewan are lacking an informed, Indigenous broker.

Doing a job well requires one to visit communities, spend time getting to know the people and the businesses. It’s more than just filling out forms, she said.

“There’s a lot of roles to being a broker,” said Arcand. “You have to paint a picture to the underwriters about what the community is all about. You’re an artist and a detective.”

It’s also a particularly stable industry, she said adding, insurance doesn’t go out of style.

“Everyone requires insurance,” said Arcand. “There’s no reason for you to be laid off from a shortage of work. It brings peace of mind.”

In 2024, for the first time in Canadian history, insurance damage caused by severe weather events surpassed $8 billion, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. The 2024 total was nearly triple the total insured losses in 2023. In 2024, Saskatchewan severe storms cost insurance companies $135 million.

“We see this program as an opportunity to strengthen that voice and increase Indigenous participation both from the brokerage side and increasing the trust at the consumer level,” said Baylak.

Well documented are the common barriers to employment for many Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, including limited access to education and training, transportation, and internet activity. But the insurance industry includes another, unique barrier.

“It has to do with the insurance industry reputation as a whole,” said Baylak. “I think the industry has a sleepy reputation or that it’s not that interesting.”

Those with a variety of skills and interests can find a place in the insurance industry including sales, IT, innovation, communications, marketing, data and analytics, or accounting, he said.

“I think this can help bring people into the industry and get them excited about the opportunities that lie ahead,” said Baylak.

The program runs until March 31, 2027.

To date, IBAS has received 11 applications and all 11 have been accepted in a mix of both urban and rural brokerages from around Saskatchewan.