Westland Insurance Group (Westland) has blamed miscommunication for events that led to a fine being issued by the Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan over an unlicensed agent.
In a statement made to Insurance Business Canada, the group confirmed that an “unintentional communication failure” during the licensing process led to a Westland employee operating unlicensed for a short period last year.
According to a notice by the Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan, Westland violated the Canadian Insurance Act after it employed and compensated the unlicensed individual, identified as Diane Vivian St Marie, between June 8 to October 11, 2022.
The regulator levied a total fine of $500 against Westland for the offence and the broker was told to pay costs of $440. The licensee was also told to pay $940, including a $500 fine and the remainder accounted for by investigation costs.
Westland said it took immediate action to rectify the issue upon notification, including cooperating fully with the insurance council and conducting a thorough review of both the incident and the group’s licensing process.
“We take these matters very seriously, and although it’s not something that Westland intentionally permitted, we regret that it occurred,” the group said in its statement.
“We’re confident that we now have the necessary controls in place to prevent an oversight like this from occurring again.”
Westland stressed that it is “focused on being the trusted insurance provider for our clients across Canada.”
The individual in question was not immediately available for comment.
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