Saskatchewan Government Insurance

Canadian insurance company

Saskatchewan Government Insurance

Company type| Crown corporation
Industry| Insurance, driver licensing, motor vehicle registration
Founded| 1945; 80 years ago (1945)
Headquarters| C.M. Fines Building
Regina, Saskatchewan

Key people

| Honourable Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SGI
Penny McCune, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Owner| Government of Saskatchewan

Number of employees

| 2,400
Parent| Crown Investments Corporation
Divisions| Saskatchewan Auto Fund
SGI Canada
Subsidiaries| Coachman Insurance Company
Website| www.sgi.sk.ca

Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is a Canadian insurance company and a Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Saskatchewan. SGI's operations consist of the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, the compulsory public auto insurance program for Saskatchewan, and its property and casualty insurance division sells additional automobile and property insurance products in five Canadian provinces under the trade name SGI Canada.[1]

SGI also operates the driver licensing and motor vehicle registration system for Saskatchewan as part of its oversight of the Auto Fund. The Auto Fund is financially self-sustaining, operating on a break-even basis over time. The Saskatchewan Auto Fund does not receive money from or pay dividends to the government.

Under the SGI Canada brand, SGI sells property and casualty insurance on properties such as homes, farms, businesses and automobile insurance in five Canadian provinces. It operates as SGI Canada in Saskatchewan; SGI Canada Insurance Services Ltd. in Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario; and Coachman Insurance Company in Ontario.

## History

[edit]

C.M. Fines Building \- SGI Head Office in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

SGI was created by the first avowedly socialist government in North America elected in 1944, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (later renamed New Democratic Party). Under Premier Tommy Douglas, the government began to involve itself in many sectors of the economy, including insurance. The rationale was put forth that Saskatchewan residents were being taken advantage of by companies owned outside the province who set rates too high. Also, at least 90 per cent of the insurance in the province was written by companies established in Eastern Canada.[2] Thus the institution of a publicly owned insurance company was justified by the government on both philosophical and economic grounds.

Working out of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, Michael Allore, the first president, sold the first policy – Fire Policy Number 1 – to Minister O. W. Valleau on May 1, 1945, and appointed its first broker, Oscar Sawby of Maple Creek, on May 17. By the end of 1945, SGI had 60 employees and a small network of private, independent insurance brokers located across the province selling insurance on behalf of the corporation.

The introduction of a state-run automobile insurance was controversial. For the first few years of its existence, other provinces refused to recognize SGI policies as legitimate. One result of such non-recognition was that SGI-insured drivers involved in a collision in Manitoba were either detained or required to post a bond because Manitoban authorities essentially considered them to be "uninsured" drivers.[3]

List of SGI Presidents  # | President | Took position | Left position

|
|
|

1  | Michael Allore  | 1945  | 1953
2  | Herbert Hammond  | 1953  | 1965
3  | Jim Dutton  | 1965  | 1972
4  | John Green  | 1973  | 1980
5  | Murray Wallace  | 1981  | 1982
6  | Don Black  | 1983  | 1985
7  | Alex Wilde  | 1985  | 1991
8  | Bill Heidt  | 1992  | 1994
9  | John Wright  | 1995  | 1997
10  | Larry Fogg  | 1997  | 2004
11  | Jon Schubert  | 2004  | 2008
12  | Earl Cameron  | 2008  | 2009
13  | Andrew Cartmell  | 2009  | 2022
14  | Jeff Stepan  | 2022  | 2022
15  | Penny McCune  | 2022  | present  |

## Corporate governance

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SGI and SGI CANADA are governed by The Saskatchewan Government Insurance Act, 1980, and The Automobile Accident Insurance Act, and are subject to the provisions of The Crown Corporations Act, 1993, which gives the Crown Investments Corporation, the holding company for Saskatchewan's commercial Crown corporations, the broad authority to set the direction of the corporation.

Where required by legislation or policy directive, SGI submits performance management and investment decisions for review and approval by CIC and the provincial cabinet (government). Through its chair, who is an outside director, the SGI Board of Directors is accountable to the Minister Responsible for SGI. The minister functions as a link between the corporation and CIC and cabinet, as well as the provincial legislature.

## Board of directors

[edit]

The board of directors is responsible for setting direction, monitoring and reporting achievement, and analyzing, evaluating and taking corrective action for the corporation. The board is responsible for the stewardship of the corporation in general terms. In meeting this responsibility, the board works with management to develop and approve the corporation's strategic plan, operating goals, annual budget and business plans. It participates in identifying business risk and overseeing the implementation of appropriate systems to achieve a balance between the risks incurred and potential returns.

The board of directors is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The board consists of ten external directors. Both the chair and vice-chair of the board are external directors.

## Structure and functions

[edit]

SGI employs approximately 2,400 people and works with a network of almost 300 independent insurance brokers and about 450 motor licence issuers in Saskatchewan, as well as numerous brokers in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario.

In October 2008, SGI was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Later that month, SGI was named one of Saskatchewan's Top Employers, which was announced by the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post newspapers.[4]

SGI's head office is in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan. It also operates 20 claims centres in 13 Saskatchewan communities, has branch offices in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Toronto, and five salvage locations (auto wrecker, used parts).

## See also

[edit]

* Vehicle registration plates of Saskatchewan
* Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
* Manitoba Public Insurance
* Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Our business". SGI CANADA. "SGI CANADA is the trade name of the property and casualty insurance division of SGI, offering products in 5 of Canada's provinces."
2. ^ Clark, D.; Dyck, J. (1995). "Introduction". Celebrating our 50th Year: A History of Saskatchewan Government Insurance. p. 6.
3. ^ Saskatchewan's Top News Stories: Politics
4. ^ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 Canada's Top 100 Employers Competition".

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* SGI Canada website

* v
* t
* e

Crown corporations of Saskatchewan

* Crown Investments Corporation (CIC)

Current
Crown
corporations|

| CIC-
owned|

* Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan
* Sask Gaming
* SGI
* SaskTel
* SaskPower
* SaskEnergy
* TransGas
* SaskWater

|

Treasury
Board|

* Global Transportation Hub Authority
* Saskatchewan Housing Corporation
* Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
* Saskatchewan Research Council

Former
Crown
corporations|

* Information Services Corporation
* Investment Saskatchewan
* Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
* Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN)
* Saskatchewan Development Fund Corporation
* Saskatchewan Government Airways
* Saskatchewan Government Growth Fund Management Corporation
* Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation
* Saskatchewan Minerals
* Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation
* Saskatchewan Oil & Gas Corporation
* Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation
* Saskatchewan Potato Utility Development Company
* Saskatchewan Transportation Company

* v
* t
* e

Corporations based in Regina, Saskatchewan

Crown Corporations|

* Farm Credit Canada
* Global Transportation Hub Authority
* Investment Saskatchewan
* Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan
* Sask Gaming
* Saskatchewan Government Insurance
* Saskatchewan Grain Car
* Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
* Saskatchewan Research Council
* Saskatchewan Transportation Company
* SaskEnergy
* SaskPower
* SaskTel
* TransGas

Publicly traded corporations|

* Information Services Corporation
* The Mosaic Company's Potash business unit

Private corporations|

* Coteau Books
* Harvard Broadcasting
* Yara Belle Plaine
* SaskFilm
* Viterra

Co-operatives|

* Access Communications
* Conexus Credit Union
* Consumers' Co-operative Refineries
* Sherwood Co-op

* v
* t
* e

Tommy Douglas

* Leader of the New Democratic Party (1961–1971)
* Premier of Saskatchewan (1944–1961)
* Leader of the Saskatchewan CCF (1942–1961)
MLA for Weyburn
* 10th
* 11th
* 12th
* 13th
* 14th
* MP for Burnaby—Coquitlam
* 25th
* 26th
* 27th
* MP for Nanaimo—Cowichan—The Islands
* 28th
* 29th
* 30th

Politics|

* Electoral history
* Saskatchewan Government Insurance
* Saskatchewan Bill of Rights
* Medicare
* Opposition to the 1970 War Measures Act

Elections|

* Saskatchewan CCF leadership
* 1942
* 1943 challenge
* Saskatchewan general
* 1944
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1961 NDP leadership
* Canadian federal
* 1962
* 1963
* 1965
* 1968

Family|

* Shirley Douglas (daughter)
* Donald Sutherland (son-in-law)
* Kiefer Sutherland (grandson)
* Sarah Sutherland (great-granddaughter)

Related|

* Mouseland
* Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story
* Douglas–Coldwell Foundation
* Burnaby—Douglas (federal constituency)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States

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