Engineers Canada insurance plans
Insurance built for your profession, with an advisor on your side.
As a member of a participating engineering, geoscience or technology association, you have access to the Engineers Canada insurance plans, underwritten by Manulife. Garrett Agencies is the exclusive authorized advisor for these plans in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and New Brunswick, and our advice comes at no extra cost to you.
- 300,000+
- members of the profession are eligible
- 80,000+
- professionals are covered today
- Since 1943
- Engineers Canada and Manulife, and its predecessors, working together
Source: Manulife
Engineers Canada-sponsored insurance plans, underwritten by Manulife
The plans
Find the plans that apply to you
- Life and incomeTerm to Age 85 Life InsuranceProtects the people who depend on you, with coverage you can renew to age 85.
- Life and incomeTerm 20 Life InsuranceA premium that stays the same for 20 years, renewing to age 90.
- Health and dentalPrime Health & Dental PlanYour own health and dental coverage, wherever your career takes you.
- Health and dentalProfessional Health & Dental PlansThree health and dental plans, with a way in whatever your health.
- Life and incomeDisability Income ProtectionReplaces part of your income if a disability stops you working.
- BusinessBusiness Overhead ExpenseKeeps your business running if you can’t work because of an accident or illness.
- Life and incomeCritical Illness InsuranceA lump sum if you’re diagnosed with a covered critical illness.
- Life and incomeMajor Accident ProtectionFunds to help with the immediate costs of an accident.
- Life and incomeChild Life & Accident InsuranceBasic life and accident coverage for your children.
Who’s eligible: members of engineering and geoscience associations (such as APEGA, EGM and APEGNB), technologist associations (such as ASET, CTTAM and NBSCETT), and the Manitoba Association of Architects.
Our advice on the Engineers Canada plans comes at no additional cost. How we are compensated
How the program works
A group program that goes where you go
Engineers Canada holds the master policy, underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife). Garrett Agencies is an independent brokerage authorized to advise members on the plans.
Diagram of how the program works. Engineers Canada holds the master policy and your association endorses it. Manulife insures and administers the plans. You, the member, hold a certificate in your name that isn’t tied to an employer. Garrett Agencies advises you on the plans, at no extra cost to you. A share of plan revenue goes back to Engineers Canada and the associations.
Priced like group insurance
Because the program covers a large group of professionals, it benefits from the economies of scale of group insurance.
Portable like an individual policy
You apply on your own and your certificate is in your name, not an employer’s, so your coverage can stay with you as your career changes.
How it compares
Group pricing, coverage that follows you
| Workplace group plan | Engineers Canada program | Individual policy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Group rates | Group-scale pricing | Priced for you alone |
| Who holds the policy | Your employer | Engineers Canada holds the master policy. Your certificate is in your name. | You |
| If you change employers | Usually ends | Stays with you | Stays with you |
| If you move provinces | Depends on your employer | Stays with you | Stays with you |
| When you retire | Most coverage ends | Stays | Stays |
| If your membership lapses | Does not apply | Coverage continues. You only need to be a member when you apply. | Does not apply |
| Health questions to apply | Usually none | Usually required | Usually required |
| Changes to coverage or premiums | Your employer and insurer can change or end the plan | Possible, but only for everyone in the plan, never for you alone | Premiums can be guaranteed |
| If the program ends | Coverage usually ends | If it isn’t replaced, Manulife offers you an individual policy, whatever your health | Does not apply |
Why the health questions? A workplace plan covers most employees automatically, so it doesn’t need to ask. Engineers Canada plans are voluntary, so most ask health questions, which keeps pricing fair for everyone in the group. Disability coverage ends at retirement, since there is no longer an income to insure.
Why Garrett Agencies
Why use an advisor for the Engineers Canada plans?
Advice is already in the price
Insurance in Canada is priced to include the cost of advice. When you apply through us, you use a service you would otherwise leave on the table.
Independent by design
We are an independent brokerage working with more than 30 Canadian insurers. Being the authorized advisor for these plans means we know them in depth. It does not mean we recommend them when something else suits you better.
Getting it right from the start
We help you choose the coverage amount and elimination period, coordinate with any group plan through your employer, and complete an accurate application. Most insurance problems start with the application and only show up at claim time.
A second line of support
You can always contact Manulife directly. When a claim is delayed, a return-to-work plan gets complicated, or an underwriting decision needs explaining, our office steps in to help.
With you for the long run
From your first licence to retirement, your coverage should keep up with your life. We follow up on time-sensitive plan features like Future Increase Option offers and Guaranteed Re-Entry, and review your coverage as your career and family change. Garrett Agencies has been doing this since 1966, and is now led by its third generation.
Applying directly or through us
The plans are the same. What differs is the service around them.
| Applying directly | Through Garrett Agencies | |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Plan rates | Same plan rates |
| Access to Manulife service | Yes | Yes, you keep direct access |
| Access to other insurers | No, one plan | Yes, more than 30 insurers |
| Needs analysis and written recommendation | Varies | Yes, every time |
| Help completing the application | Limited | Yes |
| Advocacy with claims and underwriting | On your own | Yes, when you need it |
| Proactive reminders (FIO, GRE, age bands, age 65) | Mailed notices | Personal follow-up |
| Relationship | A service centre | A named advisor, family firm since 1966 |
Garrett Agencies is compensated by the insurers whose products we place. How we are compensated
Common questions
Questions engineers ask us
Isn’t it easier to just apply online?
Applying online is quick. Getting the right amount, the right elimination period and a clean application is what takes expertise, and it costs you nothing extra to have us check it.
You’re the authorized advisor for these plans. Aren’t you biased toward them?
Fair question. We are an independent brokerage first. Our compensation is disclosed on our website, and our job is to recommend what fits, including commercial options when those are better. We put our reasoning in writing so you can judge it.
I already have coverage through work.
Group coverage often stops when you change jobs and may not replace enough of your income. The Engineers Canada plans are designed to be portable, and a top-up can fill the gap. We can show you the numbers.
Can I still call Manulife myself?
Yes, always. We are an extra layer of support, not a gatekeeper.
I’m not in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba or New Brunswick.
Our authorized representation for the Engineers Canada plans covers Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and New Brunswick. Wherever we are licensed (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories), we can still help as independent advisors: an honest second opinion on your coverage, access to the full market of major Canadian insurers for life and living benefits, tax and estate planning, and solutions for your business.
From our articles
Related articles
- Disability insurance7 minute readEngineers Canada disability insurance: why association members can save thousandsEngineers Canada disability insurance can deliver significant long-term savings and extended protection compared to typical commercial coverage, especially for women and smokers.
- Disability insurance6 minute readNavigating your return to work with the Manulife Engineers Canada disability insurance planLearn how to navigate disability claims and return to work smoothly with essential insights for those covered by the Engineers Canada Disability Income Protection plan (underwritten by Manulife).
- Disability insurance6 minute readUnderstanding the Future Increase Option (FIO): Manulife Engineers Canada disability planEverything you need to know about the Future Increase Option (FIO) in the Engineers Canada Disability Income Protection plan (underwritten by Manulife).
A question about your coverage? Ask us.
No obligation. We’ll tell you plainly what we think of your coverage, including when you already have what you need.