The Insurance Council of Alberta is now publishing disciplinary decisions involving brokers and posting them online.
“In keeping with the spirit of transparency and accountability, we as a council felt that the decisions should be available for the public to see,” said Joanne Abram, CEO of the Insurance Council of Alberta.
They should also be available “for other insurance agents, who will get some kind of an idea what type of disciplinary actions are taken by the councils, and what type of situations result in disciplinary actions, and also for insurers who are interested in possibly contracting this individual,” Abram added.
Online publication of the discipline decisions represents the first time the council has published its discipline decisions at all. Any council decisions made on or after April 1, 2013 will be published online.
Thus far, no decisions have been posted.
Abram said the council has been working with the Alberta government “for a couple of years” on a policy concerning the publication of decisions. Once the protocol had been completed, Alberta’s Minister of Finance issued a ministerial order in November 2012 allowing the decisions to be published as of April 1, 2013.
The protocol for publishing the decisions has been posted online.
And no, disciplined brokers will not be able to hide under anonymity. “Agents, brokers or adjusters who are the subject of a decision shall be named in the decision,” the protocol confirms, adding that “disclosure of other personal information will be made only to the extent necessary for the LIC (Life Insurance Council), GIC (General Insurance Council) or IAC (Insurance Adjusters Council)to carry out a purpose in accordance with s. 40 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in a reasonable manner.”
Names of complainants, witnesses, and other third parties will generally be withheld, although they may not if they are necessary to the decision. Proper names would be replaced with initials.
