Consumer Advisory Panel Members

Sharon Altman-Leamen
Kristian Bonn
Anish Chopra
Rhona DesRoches
Hitesh Doshi
Roger Gauthier
Harold Geller
Laura Tamblyn Watts

FSRA Management and Presenters in Attendance

Mark White – CEO
Huston Loke – EVP, Market Conduct
Glen Padassery – EVP, Policy and Chief Consumer Officer
Judy Pfeifer – Chief Public Affairs Officer
Erica Hiemstra – Head, Market Conduct – Insurance Conduct
David Bartucci – Director, Policy – Pensions and Consumer Office (Acting)
Joel Gorlick – Director, Policy – Market Conduct
Melissa Hogg – Director, Corporate Communications
Sharon Laurie – Director, Communication Services
Daniel Padro – Director, Policy – Credit Union
Elissa Sinha – Director, Litigation and Enforcement and Deputy General Counsel
Swati Agrawal – Senior Manager, Market Conduct – Licensing and Market Conduct Division
Lydia Boni – Senior Manager, Market Conduct – Complaints and Risk Assessment
Victoria Lesau – Senior Manager, Policy – Auto Reform
Beata Morris – Senior Manager, Market Conduct – Market Conduct HSP
Michon Trapman – Web Design Initiatives Lead
Shamaila Mian – Senior Policy Analyst, Policy – Auto Reform

Summary

  • The Panel and FSRA discussed a wide array of topics from across FSRA’s regulated sectors.
  • FSRA offered the Panel an opportunity to provide feedback on the Panel’s 2021 Work Plan.

Discussion Topics of Focus

Welcome and Meeting Overview

  • FSRA welcomed Panel members to the second official Consumer Advisory Panel meeting of the 2021 term.
  • FSRA provided a brief overview of the agenda for the meeting.

2021 Work Plan

  • FSRA provided an overview of the Panel’s Work Plan for the 2021 term. The 2021 Work Plan has two aims:
    • To provide a description of the topics that form the Panel’s policy agenda; and
    • To outline expectations for Panel involvement with each of the topics on the policy agenda.

Overview of FSRA’s Complaint-Handling Process

  • FSRA delivered a presentation on its complaint-handling process for the regulated sectors. The topics included:
    • The nature and volume of complaints received across regulated sectors;
    • FSRA’s service standards for complaints resolution; and
    • Regulatory action that FSRA might pursue in response to complaints, such as administrative monetary penalties and licence removals.
  • The Panel suggested that it is important for consumers to have access to clear information about the complaints resolution process and functions, including:
    • Information about the roles and responsibilities of different entities (e.g., regulated entities, OmbudServices, FSRA); and
    • Information about what outcomes consumers should expect from the process.

MGA Supervision

  • FSRA provided an update on its L&H Insurer-MGA Relationship Review, which analyzed each step in the journey that MGAs take when onboarding to an insurer, including:
    • The process for the review and the concerns that prompted the review;
    • The in-scope elements of the review, including insurer-MGA agreements and delegated functions; and
    • Key observations and themes from the review.
  • The Panel and FSRA discussed the role of this review in strengthening FSRA’s market conduct efforts and promoting consumer protection in the insurance industry.

P&C Insurance: OCF-1 Research

  • FSRA provided an overview of consumer research undertaken on the Accident Benefits Application Package (OCF-1) and the experience of claimants.
  • The Panel provided feedback on the OCF-1 research and the insights gathered from the experiences of accident claimants in the study.
  • The Panel raised some issues for FSRA to consider in the context of upcoming OCF-1-related policy work, such as data collection transparency and accountability of insurers to provide a timely response for claimants.

Public Affairs

  • FSRA provided an update on three Public Affairs-led initiatives:
    • FSRA’s plain language efforts to improve readability of FSRA material so that it is easy to understand for both the general public and industry stakeholders;
    • FSRA’s work to enhance the navigation and look of its consumer web pages to serve information in a user-friendly way; and
    • FSRA’s Consumer Education Framework and strategy to use brand partnerships, life moments and the Annual Business Plan to inform annual education activities.
  • The Panel provided feedback on FSRA’s progress in these three areas, including considerations to ensure that FSRA’s communication and education efforts are accessible and consumer focused.

Transparency in Communicating FSRA Enforcement Actions

  • FSRA provided an overview of its new approach to transparency for enforcement actions, including a comparison between its new approach and old approach.
  • The Panel supported FSRA’s progress in this area as a means to deter bad actors in the sectors and encouraged the use of shareable data analytics to inform consumers.

Next Steps

  • The Panel’s next meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2021.