Ontario Commercial General Liability Insurance
Looking for commercial general liability insurance in Ontario? Bullfrog can help. We keep it easy because we understand running a business takes a lot of time and effort. With us, you can get insured in less than 5 minutes. How? It’s simple:
- Enter your profession.
- Provide some basic contact information.
- Answer a few questions about your business and its operations.
- Choose your insurance coverage.
- Review your Ontario commercial general liability insurance quotes.
- Choose your insurance provider.
- Pay online.
You’re insured! We send you your policy documents and certificate of insurance via email right away. Protect your business with ease and get instant coverage, rockstar treatment and no bull with Bullfrog Insurance.
Why do I need commercial general liability insurance in Ontario?
Although commercial general liability insurance is not required by law in Ontario, it is recommended for businesses for two main reasons:
- Lawsuits are expensive and can financially cripple a business.
- Commercial general liability insurance is often required in Ontario contracts, such as with clients and landlords.
If you can’t afford to cover the expenses of a lawsuit out of pocket, commercial general liability insurance can help protect your Ontario business financially.
It’s also an essential contract obligation in certain industries (such as construction) and commonly found in rental contracts. This coverage protects both you and your contract partners by covering liability.
Ontario Commercial General Liability Insurance Coverage
With Ontario commercial general liability insurance, your legal expenses will be covered if your business is sued for causing bodily injury or property damage to a third party due to negligence.
- Legal Expenses – Includes defense costs, judgement awards, and settlements.
- Bodily Injury – Physical harm to an individual.
- Property Damage – Damage or loss to a third party’s property.
- Third Party – Anyone who isn’t employed by your business such as a client, vendor, service-provider or random person.
- Negligence – Actions that do not reflect due care being taken in a specific circumstance.
All of Bullfrog’s policies are occurrence-based. This means that as long as the incident occurred during your insured period, you’ll be covered if you’re sued, even if the lawsuit comes later.
For example, let’s say you’re insured with us for two years. Someone slips, falls and hurts themselves at the start of the second year. You’ve decided to sell your business, so you’ve cancelled your insurance at the end of the second year. A few months after that, you’re sued by that person who fell. You’d be covered as you were insured when the incident happened.
What isn’t covered by commercial general liability insurance in Ontario?
Commercial general liability insurance is designed to protect Ontario businesses from a specific risk. That means it won’t cover you for:
- Injury to employees
- Damage to company property
- Injury or damage caused by operating a vehicle
- Injury or damage caused intentionally
- Causing financial loss to a third party due to your service or advice
- Cyber liability
There may be other insurance products that are designed to protect your business from such risks.
Your policy documents will outline exactly what’s excluded as well as what’s covered. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to our insurance experts via phone, email, or online chat.
Cost of Commercial General Liability Insurance in Ontario
The cost of Ontario commercial general liability insurance starts at $500 or $1000, depending on the insurance company. Your costs may be higher – it depends on your risk and insurance coverage options.
Here are some cost examples:
- A carpenter with $2 million Ontario commercial general liability insurance has a premium of $500 to $1000 (the base cost depends on the insurer).
- A roofer with $2 million commercial general liability insurance in Ontario pays $2500.
- A grocer with $250,000 in annual revenue each year for $2 million commercial general liability insurance in Ontario would likely pay around $1000.
- A retailer selling kids ride-on-cars with the same revenue and coverage as the grover could pay up to $10,000.
What’s the difference? The likelihood of a lawsuit. There are more likely to be injuries or property damage with a retailer selling ride-on-cars than there is with a normal grocery store. Your premiums will depend on your individual situation and how the insurer considers your risk.
What affects commercial general liability insurance rates in Ontario?
The following factors can affect rates for Ontario commercial general liability insurance:
- Your insurance coverage options
- Your company’s industry
- Your business operations
- Your company’s annual revenue
- Where your business is located and where it operates
- The number of employees your company has
- Your insurance history
Every insurer calculates commercial general liability insurance rates in Ontario differently. This is why we get you quotes from different insurance companies – you get the best price for your protection.
How much Ontario commercial general liability insurance do I need?
The amount of commercial general liability insurance you need in Ontario will depend on a few factors:
- Your industry
- Your business operations
- Your annual revenue
- The number of employees
- Where your company operates and where it’s located
Ask yourself: how likely is it that you will have a lawsuit and how much is that lawsuit expected to cost? That will help you determine how much protection your business needs.
We offer a number of coverage options for commercial general liability insurance in Ontario:
- $2 million
- $3 million
- $4 million
- $5 million
If you’re really not sure how much coverage you need, talk to one of our brokers via online chat, email or phone. They can advise you based on your company’s risks.
Ontario Commercial General Liability Insurance Claims Scenarios
Here are a few examples of claims scenarios for Ontario commercial general liability insurance:
- Bodily Injury – An elderly man walking on the sidewalk outside your business slips and falls. Unfortunately, he is quite injured due to his fall. He sues your business for negligence causing injury as your sidewalk was not properly cleared of snow and ice.
- Property Damage – An employee knocks over cannisters of paint, ruining the floors of a client’s home where you are doing renovations. That client sues you for damages to cover the costs of replacing the floor.
- Reputation Harm – You give an interview about issues in your industry. A competitor sues you for harming their reputation.
- Property Damage – A former client accuses your business of causing property damage while you worked on their property. Even though you’re certain your company didn’t cause the damage, they’ve decided to sue you.
- Bodily Injury – A delivery worker trips over boxes and falls. His employer sues you for negligence causing injury.
Your Ontario commercial general liability insurance would cover your legal costs in these scenarios, whether or not you’re truly responsible for the damages and injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial General Liability Insurance in Ontario
Here are the answers to our most frequently asked questions about commercial general liability insurance in Ontario.
Who can sue my business for negligence causing injury or property damage?
Anyone can sue your business for negligence causing injury or property damage, including:
- Current or previous clients
- Vendors
- Service-providers
- Random passersby
What happens if my business did not cause the injury or damage?
Your commercial general liability insurance will help cover your legal expenses if you’re sued for negligence causing injury or property damage by a third party regardless of if you’re responsible or not. Unfortunately, people can sue and cost you money in defense costs either way.
What counts as a negligent act?
A negligent act is anything that demonstrates a lack of due care. Sounds vague, right? It is. Common examples of negligent acts include failing to clear snow or ice properly, tripping hazards (like a box or cord), slipping hazards (like a pool of water that hasn’t been cleaned up), and dropping or knocking something over.
How to get it
Simply fill out our short online questionnaire and we instantly provide you with multiple online insurance quotes based on your needs. All coverage options are standardized between insurance companies so all you have to do is compare insurance quotes based on price!
Get a Quote NowWhy our customers love Bullfrog
Our customers love Bullfrog because we make insurance simple. Do it quickly online yourself or talk to one of our knowledgeable insurance brokers. We’re responsive and professional and our insurance coverage is quality and competitively priced.
Sev Michaels
White Lilac Inc. / Alberta
Thank you so much for your assistance, you made the process so painless. I have contacted other brokers before and they made it so complicated. Also, you were far more efficient!
Stephen Hammond
Harassement Solutions Inc. / BC & AB
Due to a client’s request, and for the first time, I needed Commercial general liability insurance, but I had no clue where to start. I googled “CGL” and up came Bullfrog Insurance. Even though my needs were relatively small, due to the client needs, they had to be very specific. Every question I asked was answered by the Bullfrog insurance representative, Raman, who was very helpful. And then, when I realized I needed more coverage, she didn’t flinch and let me know she’d get back to me right away. I got great coverage and all of it was done via email. Now I’ll know who to turn to for other small business insurance needs.