Churchwardens are responsible for:
- the care of the land, buildings, furnishings and effects that belong to the church
- keeping them adequately insured against loss by fire
- maintaining insurance against any other insurable hazard to the church, its property, the incumbents and the churchwardens (Canon 15, Section 4 [10])
As of April 2026, the insurance broker designated by the Diocese is HUB International. Parishes and congregations need to purchase minimum insurance from HUB.
Facility rentals and one-time events
Rentals must have minimum insurance amounts for the Risk and Governance Committee to recommend approval of your License Agreement to Synod Council.
Licensees must have Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance of:
- $2,000,000 per occurrence for low-risk licensees
- $5,000,000 per occurrence for high-risk licensees
The CGL insurance needs to include:
- Tenant’s Legal Liability: coverage of not less than $250,000
- Additional Insureds: “The Incumbent and Churchwardens of [parish legal name]” and “The Incorporated Synod of the Diocese of Toronto” must both be listed on the certificate of insurance as additional insureds
For License Agreements, you can use the standard diocesan Certificate of Insurance template to help you interpret the insurance document you get from a licensee. If you use this form, it must be fully completed and signed/stamped by an authorized representative of the licensee’s insurance company.
It’s also recommended that high-risk user groups carry insurance coverage for sexual abuse with limits as high as is possible to obtain, but this insurance doesn’t form part of the requirements of the License Agreement.
High-risk vs low-risk
Low-risk licensees: includes activities like adult craft groups, adult social groups, AA or NA groups.
High-risk licensees: includes activities involving alcohol, children, youth (under the age of 18) or vulnerable adults, such as church groups, day cares or nurseries, dog training, and physical activities like sports camps or gymnastics groups
To help determine what’s considered “high-risk,” you can:
- refer to the Responsible Ministry: Screening in Faith policy or the Assessing Risk section of that program
- download the Sexual Misconduct Policy
Lease agreements
A tenant’s package insurance must show the following minimum coverage:
- $2,000,000 of general liability coverage
- Tenant’s personal contents coverage
Insurance policies
For insurance inquiries, certificate requests, policy changes, changes in insurance value, deletions or additions to your policy, email Moufin Kayal and copy David McNamara:
Moufid Kayal
Principal Account Manager
613-903-7477
moufid.kayal@hubinternational.com
David McNamara
Senior Vice President and Account Executive
613-806-6691
[email protected]
Dalida Jarbouh
Account Management Associate
613-903-7482
[email protected]
Vacant/unoccupied properties
Buildings that are vacant or unoccupied need to be inspected on a regular basis to ensure their ongoing security and integrity and to maintain insurance coverage. Reporting requirements vary depending on the specific circumstances and season.
Parishes must immediately report all vacant or unoccupied properties to HUB. Then HUB will tell you about the inspection requirements and give you any reporting documentation you’ll need.
Property inspections should be documented in writing. You can use this inspection log. Keep your inspection records on file for reference.
Claims reporting
If your parish needs to report a claim, contact Ecclesiastical Insurance directly:
After-hours
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-693-2253
Fax: 416-484-6352
Property damage:
Email: [email protected]
Copy to:
Tracey Timmoney at HUB International: [email protected], 438-858-5525
Ecclesiastical claims representative: Nick Brigis, [email protected]
Phone: 416-484-3970 / cell: 647-285-5694
General Liability and Directors & Officers (“D&O”):
Email: [email protected]
Copy to:
Tracey Timmoney at HUB International: [email protected], 438-858-5525
Ecclesiastical claims representative: Rui Taborda, [email protected]
Phone: 416-484-3977 / Cell: 647-448-4321
Abuse claims
Report abuse claims directly to Varun Balendra, ODT, Executive Director of the Diocese, at [email protected] or 289-207-8210 (1-800-668-8932).
General FAQs
We’ve leased new equipment and need a certificate of insurance. Is this equipment covered?
Review the limits declared for your church any time values change to make sure there’s an adequate amount. Each parish is responsible for determining its own values. HUB will provide certificates of insurance as requested by you for these contracts
I need a certificate of insurance for my church. Who do I contact?
Contact HUB International for all certificate requests. Note “Anglican Diocese of Toronto Certificate Request – name of parish and address” in the subject line. Include all detail needed by the certificate holder and the coverage they need evidenced.
As a churchwarden, am I covered if I’m personally named in a claim involving the church?
In the event that you as churchwarden are personally named in a claim, such as a slip and fall incident, a wrongful dismissal or an allegation of your negligence resulting in abuse, you are covered by the church’s insurance policy subject to its limits, terms and conditions.
Our church has a $2 million limit for directors and officers liability insurance – is this limit per churchwarden and minister(s) or per claim?
The limit on your policy is the total limit available per occurrence and for all claims made in the policy term. The cost of defense by the insurer is outside of the limit for all covered losses that are not for wrongful dismissal/employment practices liability (for the latter types of claims, defense costs are within the policy limit).
The policy responds to legal liability of the church arising from a wrongful event or allegation of wrongdoing. This is often a statement of claim in the courts, or claims made via a quasi-judicial body likethe Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Churches can choose to buy up to a $5 million limit for this coverage. If you want to talk about directors and officers liability coverage in more detail, get in touch with HUB.