Legal & Licensing Disclosures

Last updated: August 2026

Who operates this website

groupbenefitsvancouver.com is owned and operated by Ascent Insurance Services Inc., an independent insurance agency with its office at 202-837 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 3N6.

Group Benefits Vancouver is a marketing name used by Ascent Insurance Services Inc. for its group employee benefits practice. It is not a separate business, a separate agency, or a separate legal entity. The same licensed advisors, the same office and the same phone number serve both this site and our main corporate website at ascentinsurance.ca. Contacting us through either site reaches the same team.

Licensing

Ascent Insurance Services Inc. is licensed to transact life and accident & sickness insurance in British Columbia and is regulated by the Insurance Council of British Columbia, the body responsible for licensing and supervising insurance agents, agencies and adjusters in the province.

We work with employers across most of Canada. Licensing in Canada is granted province by province; where advising an employer in another province requires provincial licensing, we confirm that it is in place before proceeding. Our home regulator remains the Insurance Council of British Columbia.

Individual advisors acting on behalf of the agency hold their own licences with the Insurance Council of British Columbia. You are entitled to ask any advisor you deal with for their licence details, and you can verify the licence status of any agency or agent directly through the Council's public register.

Our role: advisor, not insurer

Ascent Insurance Services Inc. is an insurance brokerage and advisory firm. We do not underwrite insurance and we do not issue policies. Every group benefits plan we recommend is underwritten and issued by a licensed Canadian insurance carrier — for example Canada Life, Manulife, Sun Life, Blue Cross, Equitable Life, GreenShield, iA Financial Group, Co-operators, Desjardins, RBC Insurance, Empire Life or a comparable insurer.

Your contract of insurance is with that carrier, not with us. Coverage, exclusions, limitations, waiting periods, maximums and claims decisions are governed by the policy and booklet issued by the carrier. Where anything on this website differs from the policy documents, the policy documents govern.

How we are paid

We are typically compensated by the insurance carrier through commissions and service fees that are built into the premium of the plan you select, rather than billed to you as a separate charge. In some engagements we work on a flat or hourly consulting fee agreed with you in advance. In either case you are entitled to ask us how we are being compensated on your plan, and we will tell you.

We are independent and are not owned by, and do not have an exclusive distribution agreement with, any single insurance carrier.

Information on this website

The content on this site — including descriptions of coverage, plan design, costs and the answers in our FAQ — is general information about group benefits in Canada. It is not insurance advice for your specific situation, and it is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Group benefits rules, carrier products and pricing change, and what suits one employer may be wrong for another.

Please speak with a licensed advisor before making decisions about your plan, and confirm tax treatment with your own accountant. Statistics and client testimonials shown on this site describe past engagements and are not a guarantee of any particular result.

Availability

Products and services described here are available to employers in British Columbia and, where we are licensed to do so, across most of Canada. Nothing on this site is an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not licensed.

Privacy

Our handling of personal information submitted through this website is described in our Privacy Policy.