BFL Canada and Archery Canada are pleased to continue to provide General Liability insurance coverage for Archery Canada’s national team, members and Archery Canada registered participants as well as to introduce Participant Accident Insurance. This insurance coverage is provided as one of the membership benefits for all registered participants of Archery Canada (unless their Provincial/Territorial Association provides its own insurance coverage).
General Liability policy
The primary purpose of the General Liability policy is to protect against lawsuits from individuals alleging that the sports organization and/or its members have negligently caused “bodily injury” to a player or spectator. The policy also covers other types of lawsuits such as “property damage”, “personal injury” (libel & slander) and Non Owned Automobile liability*. Limit of Liability is an inclusive limit of $5,000,000 providing indemnity for clubs, their officials, volunteers, employees and members due to legal liability as a result of injuries or death to persons and damage to property of others arising out of the club operations including the following extensions and/or sub-limits. Legal fees will not affect the limit of insurance. They are over and above the $5,000,000 limit.
Coverage applies to archery activities and includes crossbow usage as well as bowhunting with any type of bow (including crossbows). As well, the policy provides coverage for activities such as fundraising for a club, promotions, demonstrations, tournaments, practices, seminars, etc.
*Applies to vehicles leased under the club’s name (on a corporate account; with written acknowledgement between club and lease for use of vehicle for club business; or on club credit card) for club activities for vehicles leased for less than 30 days.
Participant Accident Insurance (Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance)
The Accident Policy is new to Archery Canada and is designed to reimburse “out of pocket” expenses to a member in good standing who suffers a covered injury/death while participating in an Archery Canada, Member or Club Sanctioned Activity. The Accident Policy is designed to provide coverage to those members who do not have access to another health insurance plan or to supplement existing health insurances. This coverage is applicable in Canada and is secondary to any other government health insurance plan. Participant Accident Insurance is a separate policy and an important addition to our liability insurance program. Claims paid will not affect an organization’s GL experience. The Archery Canada insurance policy applies to registered participants and coaches as well as volunteers acting on behalf of a registered club or involved in an Archery Canada activity.
Directors and Officers (D & O) liability insurance
D&O coverage is an optional policy available to Archery Canada member provincial/territorial associations. If a provincial/territorial association opts into the D&O coverage, this coverage is then extended to the provincial/territorial association’s member not-for profit clubs. Unlike the CGL policy coverage provided by Archery Canada to the provincial/territorial associations, the optional D&O liability insurance coverage is not paid for by the provincial provincial/territorial associations through their provincial/territorial membership dues paid to Archery Canada. Rather D&O liability insurance is paid separately and therefore Archery Canada invoices each participating provincial association. Like the Commercial General Liability coverage outlined above, the D&O policy coverage is in place for the calendar year (January 1st -January 1st).
Request for Proof of Insurance Certificate (Clubs)
Clubs may request a copy of the Archery Canada insurance certificate each year (note – Manitoba and Quebec are not on the AC Policy) . If a certificate is required by the club which specifically names the club as insured, or to add someone as an additional insured on the certificate, a request for the certificate can be made to Archery Canada by completing the 2024 Certificate Request Form available on our Resources Download page and submitting this to insurance@archerycanada.ca.
Travel Medical Insurance (coverage outside Canada)
The Archery Canada insurance provided ongoing coverage for athlete and coaches travelling outside of Canada under its General Liability insurance policy. Archery Canada’s Participant Accident Insurance only provides coverage in Canada for injuries as a result of your sport participation but does not provide coverage outside Canada. For any archer participating in International Competition it is recommended to purchase additional Travel Medical Insurance. This additional Travel Medical Insurance will protect you for emergency medical care in excess of your provincial or territorial plan, due to an illness or accident that occurs while participating in your sport outside of Canada or for non-sport situations. This insurance may be purchased at a special rate through the Archery Canada insurer. For more information visit https://shop.tugo.com/store/BFL501
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does the insurance policy cover us for special events, fundraisers, etc?
The policy provides coverage for activities such as fundraising for a club, promotions, demonstrations, tournaments, practices, seminars, etc. It is recommended that a club maintain a register of all such activities and maintain on file (Name of activity, date, number of participants if applicable). Any such activity that involves archery with non-registered participants should maintain a record of participation of such guest as per the short term member procedure below.
Does the insurance policy provide coverage for guests who shoot at our club?
Yes, the AC policy will provide coverage for guests, or “Short term participants”. Guests are defined as infrequent participants who visit and shoot at a club for up to 3 visits per year. However, all clubs must hold a register of all guests that participate. This register must hold the guest’s full name and the date(s) that he/she participated in the club’s archery activity. On October 31st of each year, all clubs must provide its provincial/territorial office with the total number of guests that were present during the year. Once the information has been collected from all clubs, the provincial/territorial offices will provide the grand total to Archery Canada who will then transfer the information to BFL CANADA. The PTSO will be invoiced annually for the final tally of reported guests.
It is important that the register be kept in a secure place by all clubs in the case that a lawsuit is brought against it. Reasoning: If a 10-year-old child is injured today, he/she has the right to sue once he/she becomes an adult . Should a lawsuit be filed against a club in 10-11 years from now, Insurers will request a copy of the register proving that the child was participating on the specific date of the accident. As a consequence, it is very important that clubs maintain a register of ALL members for the same reason.
My club is privately owned. Will it be covered under the Archery Canada insurance policies?
All clubs (private and not-for-profit) that are registered with Archery Canada (separately or through one of our Member Provincial/Territorial organizations enrolled in the Archery Canada Insurance Program) and their registered participants* or club volunteers are covered under the General Liability policy. All club registered participants are covered under the Participant Accident Insurance (AD&D insurance), however the D&O insurance policy will only provide coverage for not-for-profit clubs. Private clubs may contact BFL Canada should they need insurance to cover its directors and officers. If you are unsure if your PTSO is enrolled in the Archery Canada insurance program please contact your PTSO.
* Registered Participants refers to anyone who is a registered participant of Archery Canada (separately or through one of our Member Provincial/Territorial organizations enrolled in the Archery Canada Insurance Program)
My store has an archery range. Can this be insured under the Archery Canada policy?
If you run club activities on your range you may register as a club and the Archery Canada insurance would apply to all archery related activities as outlined elsewhere on this page. Additional coverage may be required for the store operations. The archery range would need to be operated in compliance with archery Canada safety guidelines and maintain a register of members and guests.
Are volunteers with a club covered by our insurance program?
Yes, club volunteers at club activities are covered by the General Liability and the Participant Accident Insurance (Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance). Note, if a volunteer is acting in a technical capacity they must have obtained appropriate certification such as the Range Safety Officer Training. The club should maintain a register of volunteers who are working on behalf of the club. Any volunteer who participates as an archer would need to be registered with the club.
I'm a registered Archery Canada participant and am a coach at my club. Am I covered under the Archery Canada insurance policy?
When a registered participant who is NCCP trained or certified is coaching on behalf of the club – even when the parent/athlete is paying directly – a coach would be covered under the archery Canada policy as outlined elsewhere on this page. To be considered as acting on behalf of the club, the coach must have a written agreement from the club to coach on their premises. Such an agreement can be in the form of formal agreement as a staff coach or a less formal written acknowledgement that they have permission to coach at the club as a guest coach. In all circumstances the coach must be coaching following AC guidelines and rules. We have provided a Guest Coach Acknowledgement which may be used for this purpose.
My club has a short range (guns). Would this be covered under the Archery Canada policy?
It has come to the Insurers’ attention that some clubs are also running shooting ranges (rifle/gun). This particular sport is excluded from the policy. The insurers have agreed to cover these clubs for archery activities ONLY. Such combined activity clubs must have their own insurance for their rifle/gun activities.
Does the insurance policy cover the use of Crossbows?
Yes. Coverage applies to all archery activities at your club and includes crossbow usage.
Does the insurance policy cover me for bow hunting?
Yes. Coverage applies to all bow hunting with any type of bow (including crossbows).
What do we do in the case of an incident at our club?
Whenever an incident occurs at your club an incident form should be completed and submitted to Archery Canada. As noted regarding the maintenance of a participant register, it is important that all incident forms are kept in a secure place by all clubs in the case that a lawsuit is brought against it. Reasoning: If a 10-year-old child is injured today, he/she has the right to sue once he/she becomes an adult. Should a lawsuit be filed against a club in 10-11 years from now, the insurer will request a copy of the incident report. This should document what actions were taken by the club at the time of the incident which will be relevant to the investigation of the claim.
How do I make a participant accident claim?
In the event of an accident at your club, the club should complete and retain an incident report and follow this procedure:
1. The insured person has 30 days from the date of the accident to submit a claim
2. If you are submitting invoices for physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment, a MD’s referral must accompany the completed claim forms and invoices.
3. The claimant statement must be completed by the insured, his/her parents or guardian.
4. The Administrator Statement must be completed by the Club Administrator.
5. Once the original claim form has been completed, it may be mailed/emailed and/or faxed to the following: Chubb Life Insurance Company of Canada 199 Bay Street – Suite 2500 P.O. Box 139, Commerce Court Postal Station Toronto, Ontario M5L 1E2 O +1.416.594.2627 or +1.877.772.7797 Email: claims.A_H@chubb.com Fax: 416-368-0641
English Administrator Statement-BFL – Club to complete
Chubb Accident Insurance Claim Form-BFL
Claims Management/Expectations
Once the claim forms are received, the initial assessment is completed within 10 business days. At this time we determine if the claim requires additional information or if a claim decision can be rendered. If additional documentation is required, it is requested from the appropriate party. Once the outstanding documentation is received, the claim file is reviewed within 10 business days of receiving the final piece of documentation to render a decision. Once a decision is rendered, the appropriate letter or explanation of benefit is sent to the insured.
Archery Canada will be consulted concerning completed claim by the broker prior to the claim being processed.