When the Economical Mutual Insurance Company of Waterloo Ontario announced in Dec. of 2010 (more than 130 years after its founding) its intention to demutualize it forced the federal government of Canada in the person of its Minister of Finance and his department to do what had previously not been done: come up with a regulatory regime to provide both a method and a framework federally regulated property and casualty (P & C) insurance companies would have to use if they demutualized.
To say that the feds were less than eager to engage with this task is self-evident. Since the Economical Insurance Co. announcement and request more than 4 years ago one federal finance minister (who wisely kept kicking this can down the road) has died and been replaced by a far less politically astute successor who has now allowed/directed his senior mandarins in Finance to produce a draft regulatory regime for public comment.
This was done on Feb. 28, 2015. The draft regulatory regime that, unless amended, will govern the demutualization of any federal P & C mutual insurance company, is detailed on the Canada Gazette website (www. gazette.gc.ca) Vol. 149, No.9, Feb.28,2015: “Mutual Property and Casualty Insurance Company Having Only Mutual Policyholders Conversion Regulations”.
Alastair Rickard –Â RickardsRead – March 15, 2015