The best contractor insurance companies in Ontario

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Contractor insurance in Ontario varies broadly both in terms of coverage and premiums. Unlike auto insurance, the specifics of contractor insurance are not dictated by regulation.

More than 30 different companies offer contractor insurance in the province, and each has a slightly different combination of coverages, and sets their premiums accordingly.

Did you know?

Mitch can provide a quote from most of the insurance companies selling contractors insurance in Ontario. Give us a call and we’ll save you money AND time.

Some insurers are cheaper than others, some will cover businesses that others won’t, some offer unique add-on coverages that you may want, and some offer better service. When shopping for contractor insurance, you will want to consider a number of factors before deciding which insurance company is right for you:

  • What kind of contracting do you do (general, electrical, plumbing etc.)?
  • How long has the business been around?
  • Do you have employees? Subcontractors?
  • How much experience do you and your employees have in the trade?
  • How much would it cost to replace your business tools and equipment?
  • Do you use a vehicle in connection with your business?
  • How long can your business survive without tools in the event of a theft, fire or other loss?
  • Are you mostly just interested in getting the cheapest insurance possible?

Depending on your answers, there are likely a number of insurance companies that will insure you, but some will be able to meet your needs better than others.

Is my business high risk?

Mitch can provide a quote from most of the insurance companies selling contractors insurance in Ontario. Give us a call and we’ll save you money AND time.

Insurance companies decide which businesses they want to insure according to the level of risk associated with that business, and they set premiums accordingly. Risk in this case is not just risk of someone getting hurt. It’s also risk of causing damage to property. Here are a few things that may make your business high risk:

  • Working at heights
  • Working at or on airports/railways
  • Working with heat sources (welding, roofing etc.)
  • Working with flammable/explosive materials
  • Snow removal
  • Working below ground (mines etc.)
  • Working with toxic material
  • Working with water sources (plumbing, pools etc.)
  • Moving or raising structures
  • Use of a crane
  • Demolition
  • Excavation/tunneling/drilling
  • Logging
  • Working on ships/docks

The above is not a comprehensive list. Speak to one of our brokers to understand what kind of risks are associated with your business and find the best coverage to fit your needs.

Complete list of insurance companies offering contractors insurance:

Different insurance companies specialize in different types of insurance. Just because an insurance company insures contractors, doesn’t mean they will insure any contractor, and they may not sell the type of specialized coverage you need.

For your convenience, we put together the list below based on data from Canadian Underwriter’s insurance product directory. This list may give you a sense of what kind of coverage is available, and from whom.

Insurance companies offering contractors insurance in Ontario
  General liability Contractor’s vehicles Contractor’s equipment (floater) E&O, malpractice, professional liability Pollution Pollution remediation
A.M. Fredericks Underwriting Management Ltd. Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Agile Underwriting Solutions No No Yes No Yes Yes
Approved Surety & Casualty Inc. Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
April Canada Inc. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Aurora Underwriting Services Inc. Yes No Yes No Yes No
Aviva Canada Yes Yes Yes No No No
Burns & Wilcox Canada Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cansure Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
CHES Special Risk Inc. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Chutter Underwriting Services Yes No Yes Yes No No
Coachman Insurance Company Yes No Yes No No No
Eagle Underwriting Group Inc. No No Yes No Yes No
Echelon Insurance Yes Yes No No No No
Economical Insurance Yes Yes Yes No No No
ENCON Group Inc. Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Evolution Insurance Inc. Yes No Yes Yes No No
Frank Cowan Company No Yes No No No No
GROUPASSUR Canada Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
GroupOne Insurance Services Inc. Yes No Yes Yes Yes No
Ironshore Canada Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Liberty International Underwriters No No No Yes Yes Yes
Markel Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Milnco Insurance Broker Solution Centre Yes No Yes No No No
Northbridge Insurance Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
RSA Canada Yes Yes Yes No No No
SGI Canada Yes Yes Yes No No No
South Western Group Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SUM – Strategic Underwriting Managers Inc. Yes No No No Yes Yes
Totten Insurance Group Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Travelers Canada Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Trinity Underwriting Managers Ltd. Yes No Yes Yes No No
Underwriting Solutions LP Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Xpert Underwriting Yes No Yes No Yes Yes

Please note: The above list is not comprehensive. Not all insurers choose to be listed, and there may be insurers that have recently started offering contractor insurance and are not listed yet. Mitch works with most of the above insurers, and others that are not on the list. We would be happy to provide a quote based on the particulars of your contracting business.

Best insurers as rated by other contractors:

In Canada, there are no official ratings for contractors insurance, but if you are considering a particular insurance company, you may be able to find reviews online. (Note: Most reviews will be related to auto insurance. Also, people are much more likely to review a business if they’ve had a bad experience, and insurance does suck sometimes, so take the reviews with a grain of salt.)

Because every insurance company offers a slightly different insurance product for contractors, no one company is going to be the best for every contracting business. However, there will be a few that are the best for your contracting business. As a broker with access to most of the insurance companies in Ontario, Mitch is happy to help you navigate the world of insurance to get you the right coverage at the best possible price.

Contractor insurance

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