Program Overview

The Indigenous Broker Development Program (the "Program") is a two-year pilot program led by IBAS with financial backing of SGI CANADA ("SGI"), designed to support IBAS members in the recruitment, onboarding, and training of property and casualty ("P&C") insurance brokers of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit heritage.

This initiative represents an important milestone in IBAS's and SGI's shared commitment to responding to Call to Action #92 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Types of Supports

FUNDING SUPPORT

The Program reimburses approved brokerages up to $25,000 in eligible costs across three different streams of funding, intended to encompass the full candidate-to-career transitionary pathway:

• Recruitment: Expenses directly related to the intended recruitment of new Indigenous employees as prospective insurance brokers and other capacity-building efforts — to a maximum of $10,000;
• Employee wages: Regular wages or salary to a maximum of $5,000 per month for new Indigenous employees — or Indigenous employees who have started at the brokerage within the preceding three months (these employees must not have previously worked for another Saskatchewan P&C insurance brokerage in the past year); and
• Licensing: Certain costs directly pertaining to the Saskatchewan-based licensing of Indigenous employees, such as course and exam fees, as well as licensing fees for first-time brokers.

SGI has committed a minimum of $450,000 in core brokerage funding through the pilot phase of the Program.

ADVISORY & TRAINING SUPPORT

IBAS has retained OneHoop Indigenous Advisory Services to deliver education, best practices guidance, as well as strategic counsel.

Designated offerings through the Program, including one-on-one advisory support, are available specifically to Program participants; while other offerings — such as Indigenous engagement workshops — are open to all IBAS members.

Contact

Should you have questions about the Program, please e-mail ibdp@ibas.ca.