FAQ

Anyone who has an insurable interest in a crop can purchase insurance.

Insurance premiums are dependent on the land location and the type of crop being insured. Rates vary by township so you will have to contact your local broker/agent for a specific rate quote.

Insurance limits purchased should be adequate to replace only the value of the crop.

Palliser Insurance is sold through your local insurance broker / agent. If you are not sure who that is, call us at 306.955.4814 for this information.

Cheque, Money Order, Bank Draft, Visa, or MasterCard. We also accept postdated cheques to August 15th for the cash premium and October 1st for the premium plus a 5% carrying charge.

Coverage begins 12:00 noon on the day following the date of purchase and all policies end at midnight October 31st of the same year.

You can buy additional policies up to the maximum of $500 per acre. Applications late in the season may not be accepted. This coverage limit is based on the land location, not the owner. i.e. If there are two people with insurable interest in the crop, each could purchase $250 coverage so that the total does not exceed $500 per acre in total. Any combination adding up to $500 would be acceptable.

When your policy arrives you should review it thoroughly to ensure that:

1. you understand and are familiar with the terms and conditions of the policy;
2. and the description of the crops insured, legal location and number of acres insured are correct.

If there is a mistake, it is much easier to correct at this time than after a loss. You will also receive a Notice of Loss form with your policy. This form will be completed by you or your designated Power of Attorney after an actual hail claim.

One of the requirements of your hail policy is that a written Notice of Loss must be filed with the hail insurance company within three days of the storm that caused the loss or damage. If you plan on being away you should consider appointing someone to act as your Power of Attorney in the event of a loss occurring in your absence. The form you must sign to do this is included in your Notice of Loss. If you appoint someone to act for you as your legal representative, that person is authorized to file a Notice of Loss in your name within the required three day period, as well as to represent you if adjustment commences before your return.

There is no rule requiring a set number of inspections of these crops. Remember, however, that the Notice of Loss must be filed with the hail insurance company within three days of the storm causing loss or damage. Small localized storms do occur and for that reason alone, you or your representative should inspect, or make arrangements to have these crops inspected, periodically.

It depends. Contact your local broker/agent for a specific case by case determination. They will need to contact us to obtain permission prior to sending in a submission.

You must complete a Notice of Loss. This can be done through our online form or via fax, email or regular mail. Please visit Submit a Claim for further instructions.

All persons adjusting hail losses are licensed by the Hail Insurance Councils or are in the employ of a licensed insurance company. Adjusters are required to comply with education requirements, adhere to conduct and trade practices and adjust claims using the “Crop Hail Adjustment Manual” as a guide. All adjusters use the same basic adjusting procedures to determine the amount of hail loss or damage. Generally, you can expect the following steps to be taken:

1. Actual plant counts will be taken from representative parts of the field. On larger fields, more counts are required to ensure accuracy.
2. In assessing the loss, the adjuster will consider various factors depending on the type of crop and stage of growth of the crop. The adjuster repeats the adjustment process throughout various parts of the field. When the required number of counts has been taken, all the counts are added together and averaged to arrive at a final percentage of loss.
3. With early storms the farmer and the adjuster may agree to defer the adjustment until a more accurate assessment of the loss can be later determined.

The adjusters are paid a per diem rate, independent of the outcome of any claim. All hail adjusters must be provincially licensed with the Hail Insurance Council of Saskatchewan, Alberta Insurance Council, and Insurance Council of Manitoba and are guided by a mandatory education requirement and the applicable bylaws.

The Statutory Conditions listed on the back of your insurance policy contain specific loss settlement provisions. Stage 1 – Adjustment Process The insurance company and farmer (or their representatives) will together determine and agree upon the percentage of loss or damage sustained by hail on the acreage of the crop or any portions thereof, insured under any item of the policy. If the insurance company and farmer cannot agree upon the percentage of loss on each insured crop, the dispute will advance to the appraisal process. Stage 2 – Dispute Resolution If a disagreement as to the percentage of damage from hail to any of the crops occurs, either the insurance company or the farmer may request, in writing, a dispute resolution. Time restrictions for notifying and appointing a dispute resolution representative exist. It is therefore critical that you familiarize yourself with Section 15 of the Statutory Conditions relating to the dispute resolution process. The insurance company and farmer are removed from the process once the dispute resolution representative(s) are appointed. If only one dispute resolution representative is appointed, the percentage of hail damage will be estimated and determined by that dispute resolution representative. The dispute resolution representative(s) expenses are incurred by the insurance company and the farmer respectively. If only one dispute resolution representative is appointed, then the expenses will be incurred equally by the insurance company and farmer. In the event the dispute resolution representatives cannot agree on the percentage of damage, an umpire will be appointed. Stage 3 – Umpire Process The dispute resolution representative(s) may appoint an umpire, however, if an agreement cannot be reached, an umpire will be appointed by the Superintendent of Insurance. The umpire is limited to inspecting the hail loss and making an award based on the percentage determined by one of the two dispute resolution representatives. The umpire does not become a third dispute resolution representative who provides a new estimate. The umpire’s decision will be final. Both the insurance company and the farmer are equally responsible for paying the expenses of the umpire.

No, it is not recommended that an individual act in the dual capacity of an adjuster and dispute resolution representative due to the conflict of interest this presents.

We are still the same local businesses focused on providing you the best hail coverage to protect your hard work. We are now Western Canada’s largest network of adjusters and we are combining our experience and knowledge to better serve you. For more information please visit our Palliser Merger page.

You still have the agent you worked with prior to the merger. Please Contact Us or call: 306.955.4814.