SGI rolls out commercial insurance coverage in British Columbia

Saskatchewan Government Insurance announced Thursday it is now offering commercial insurance in British Columbia.

SGI operates Saskatchewan’s compulsory Auto Fund and already writes property & casualty insurance in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba under the trade name SGI Canada.

In B.C., SGI Canada now “has commercial products designed to suit the insurance needs of B.C. small business owners and retail operators, as well as contractors and construction firms, oil and gas servicing companies, and the transportation industry,” SGI stated July 2 in a release.

The B.C. market “fits well” with SGI Canada’s “particular expertise in Western Canada’s construction, transportation and oil and gas industries,” president and CEO Andrew Cartmell (pictured) stated in a release. “Combine that with strong population growth and a stable economy, and it just makes good business sense to be doing business in B.C.”

SGI also provides p&c insurance in Ontario through Coachman Insurance Company.

SGI announced in October, 2014 it received a licence allowing it to write P&C in B.C. Last year, SGI sold its 75% ownership stake in the Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island (ICPEI) to Mississauga, Ont.-based EGI Financial Holdings Inc., which operates Echelon Insurance.

The other 25% of ICPEI is owned by Cooke Holdings Inc.