BIA insurance and information policies

Business Improvement Areas

BIA insurance

It’s recommended that BIAs consult with an insurance professional and seek legal counsel to determine insurance needs. Generally, insurance should be tied to the BIA’s activities and the potential risks associated with those activities.

Some areas to consider for insurance coverage include:

  • injury to persons (physical / personal / reputation / mental)
  • damage to property
  • acts of omission by directors
  • negligence in services provided or activities organized
  • accidents

BIAs can assess liability by anticipating reasonable risks and taking steps to mitigate them. There are different types of insurance that can help cover the areas mentioned above:

  • commercial general liability – covers injury and property damage plus court costs to defend you, your contractors and volunteers
  • short-term insurance coverage for occasional activities/events not covered by commercial general liability
  • property insurance
  • social services professional coverage
  • accident insurance
  • director’s liability insurance – covers damage or loss from wrongful acts, litigation, defense costs, and criminal investigations; does not cover deliberate acts of wrongdoing, prior claims, claims covered elsewhere, fraud, or uninsurable risks
  • errors and omissions
  • indemnity insurance
  • vicarious liability – covers the BIA from any liability while employees are travelling on behalf of the organization
  • cyber breach liability – this insurance may be required if BIA information about its membership falls under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP)
  • Non-owned car insurance

Insurance best practices

We advise BIAs to discuss the following topics with an insurance broker:

  • regularly review and identify possible risks
  • update your broker about any board of director changes
  • prevent/mitigate/limit risks as much as possible
  • obtain insurance to manage remaining risks.

The following steps can also help reduce insurable risk:

  • obtain a contract and insurance certificate/signed waiver for all persons hired
  • notify the Workers’ Compensation Board of all hires

Information policies and best practices

BIAs must abide by both Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) and Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)

Freedom of Information Policy (FOIP)

Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Any decision to make information confidential needs to be justified under the FOIP Act “exclusions to disclosure”.

Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)

Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) applies to provincial private sector organizations, businesses and, in some instances, to non-profit organizations for the protection of personal information and to provide a right of access to an individual’s own personal information.

​​​ ​​​​​

We do regular research with businesses to better understand the outlook and viewpoint of the business community. If you are a business owner, leader or manager, join our online business research panel, Business Perspectives.

Join the Business Perspectives Panel
undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null,undefined/null