Strathcona County provides general liability insurance for community groups operating in the County under the master municipal insurance policy via the Additional Named Insured (ANI) program. This general liability coverage comes at no cost to the community groups. Other types of insurance may be available directly from Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) insurance agencies at preferred rates.

Eligibility

To qualify, community groups must:

• Be a recreational, historical, cultural or agricultural society
• Be located in Strathcona County, offering programs or services that benefit our community
• Receive other forms of support from Strathcona County, via grant or license agreements
• Be incorporated as either a registered society or nonprofit corporation in Alberta and have proof of status 
  AND
• Sign off on a Letter of Understanding containing requirements for obtaining and maintaining Additional Named Insured (ANI) status.
  Letter of Understanding/Agreement (230.6 KB)

If your organization meets the eligibility requirements but is not currently on the Additional Named Insured program, contact insurance@strathcona.ca for guidance and next steps.

Coverage

Under the general liability insurance, community groups under the Additional Named Insured (ANI) program are also covered for “administrative errors and omissions”. This is a type of directors’ and officers’ liability coverage tailored to the public sector. It protects board members and volunteers against individual liability while acting on behalf of the organization.

• Community halls or centres
  Strathcona County owns and insures the community halls themselves (the buildings and property area).
   
• Community group property
  Any contents owned by community groups that is kept at a hall or centre are not covered.  Each group is responsible to insure their belongings.
   
• Events
  General liability insurance provided by Strathcona County under the ANI program covers most events hosted by the group within the hall or centre they operate. This includes host liquor liability.

We encourage you to purchase additional event insurance if your community group will be hosting a large event such as a beer garden, music festival or a marketplace with multiple vendors. In addition to peace of mind, this also enables covering vendors so you do not need to collect insurance from each one.

• Rentals
  Third parties renting a hall or community centre must provide liability insurance for their event. (Exceptions may be made for meetings and non-physical activities, at the discretion of the hall or centre operator). Event liability insurance can be purchased through RMA’s Instant Risk portal or other event insurance provider of their choice. 
   
• Alcohol
  If you are booking space in Strathcona County's community halls, recreation centres or senior centres and your function will have alcohol, you are required to purchase Host Liquor Liability Insurance in the amount of $2 million, as well as obtain any needed licenses or permits from Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC). Host liquor liability insurance is typically included in event insurance if the service of alcohol is disclosed upfront. 

For answers to common questions about risks, coverage and the Additional Named Insured (ANI) program, please refer to RMA’s insurance FAQs.

Buying additional insurance for your community group

Community groups can access preferred rates through RMA's insurance agencies. Consider purchasing insurance coverage for property (to insure group’s belongings), against crime and for larger events.

• Reach out to RMA Insurance Agencies directly to get quotes and buy insurance.
  Contact RMA insurance

Community groups or renters can buy insurance for events including host liquor liability through the Instant Risk portal, or other provider of their choice. When using Instant Risk, names and addresses of facilities in Strathcona County are pre-populated and searchable within the portal. In addition, the County is automatically included as additional insured, although renters must add the hall operator group manually. 

• To obtain quotes and purchase event insurance, login or create an account on
  RMA’s Instant Risk portal.

For help using the portal, please see:

• How to guide: video demonstrations
• Quick guide: using Instant Risk's portal (1.0 MB) .

Renewals

Policies renew every year on November 1. The County will email a copy of the current certificate to the community group contact on file mid-November.

Every year (or two years in some cases) your organization will need to complete an insurance application outlining planned activities and reporting any changes in operations. The County will contact each registered organization in late summer.

More information