Potential Impacts of the Canada Post Strike

Canada Post National Strike — Advisor Information

The Canada Post national strike may cause some delays in the processing and delivery of documents.

Rest assured that Assumption Life has already put measures in place to minimize the impact of this situation and to ensure you can continue to serve your clients effectively.

Below you will find key information to help you communicate with your clients and identify the best solutions to maintain business continuity.

Underwriting Process

• Paramedical Visits: Most paramedical tests will proceed as usual. However, in remote areas without access to Purolator or other courier services, applications will be placed on hold until Canada Post resumes normal operations. Applicants in these cases will be notified by email. 
• Attending Physician’s Reports (APS): Our paramedical providers will work closely with physicians to facilitate the electronic receipt of medical reports. While every effort will be made to expedite the process, the timeline will ultimately depend on the physician’s practices and preferences. 

Policy Delivery and Amendments 

For MGAs set up with Paper Delivery: 

• Contract Delivery: Deliveries will continue twice a week via priority mail using alternative courier services. Please coordinate with your MGA office to arrange a pick-up or an alternative delivery method for client delivery.
• Amendments: Deliveries will continue twice a week via priority mail using alternative courier services. Please coordinate with your MGA office to obtain a copy of the amendment and contract for client signature. We encourage sending an electronic signature option for the amendment to the client whenever possible. If an electronic option is unavailable, the amendment must be signed in person or sent to the client for signature via an alternative courier method. If this is not feasible, please contact the New Business team at new.business@assumption.ca for a temporary solution. 

For MGAs set up with Electronic Delivery: 

• Contract Delivery: Contracts will be sent electronically as usual to the MGA. Please coordinate with your MGA office to obtain a copy of the contract.
• Amendments: Contracts will be sent electronically as usual to the MGA. Please coordinate with your MGA office to obtain a copy of the amendment and contract for client signature. We encourage sending an electronic signature option for the amendment to the client whenever possible. If an electronic option is unavailable, the amendment must be signed in person or sent to the client for signature via an alternative courier method. If this is not feasible, please contact the New Business team at new.business@assumption.ca for a temporary solution. 

Premium Payments

Clients who currently send premium payments by cheque through the mail are encouraged to switch to alternative methods, such as pre-authorized debit or online banking, to avoid disruptions. 

If clients pay by cheque, they are responsible for ensuring the payment is received by the due date to avoid any interruptions in their coverage. If payment is not received, their policy may be at risk of lapsing after the 30-day grace period, which could result in cancellation. We strongly encourage them to set up pre-authorized debit or online banking to avoid delays and ensure continuous coverage. 

To set up pre-authorized debit or online banking, clients can contact us at 1-800-455-7337, ext. 7590, or at client.services@assumption.ca. 

Claims

• Claims Processing Delays: While we will do our utmost to process claims as quickly as possible, please anticipate potential delays in claims processing due to disruptions in obtaining medical reports from hospitals. 
• Claims Benefit Payment: Claims payments will be sent via priority mail using alternative courier services if direct deposit is not an option for the client. 

Mailing Documents to Assumption Life

If you’ve recently sent us documents by mail, we recommend contacting our client services team to confirm receipt. Moving forward, we encourage sending all documents via email to avoid delays. 

We remain committed to providing you with uninterrupted service and support during this time. Should you have any questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.