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RAC diamond logoWhat is the RAC Affiliated Club Insurance Program?

Note: The following page provides a general description of the RAC Affiliated Club Insurance Program, a list of its benefits for affiliated Amateur Radio clubs and instructions on the application process. If you require additional assistance in completing this process after reading this page, please feel free to contact the RAC Head Office Manager.

The RAC Affiliated Club Insurance Program is an extra-cost service made available to RAC Affiliated clubs as a benefit of affiliation through the RAC Affiliated Club Program. It provides comprehensive liability coverage to protect against liability claims arising from accidents or damage incurred during normal club activities. Liability coverage is often requested by external groups such as businesses, libraries or municipalities as a prerequisite for the organization of (or participation in) public events held in areas administered by other groups.

The RAC Insurance Program operates on a not-for-profit, cost-recovery basis. Fees collected cover the costs of the insurance provided by the insurer; administrative costs associated with the program are absorbed by RAC and are paid for by RAC members’ membership fees.

Clubs participating in the RAC Affiliated Club Insurance Program can also purchase equipment loss/damage insurance coverage for club radio equipment such as repeaters and club stations, allowing them to recoup losses in the event of physical damage to any equipment covered.

All members of a radio club, whether RAC members or not, will be covered for club activities should their radio club choose to participate in the insurance program. Participants in club activities hosted by a radio club are also insured against liability during those activities in the event of accidents or damage, even if they themselves are not club members.

There is an additional feature, however, for active RAC members of an Affiliated Club that is insured under the RAC Affiliated Club Insurance Program: they will also receive the same liability coverage for their own individual Amateur Radio activities at no cost. This individual coverage is limited to RAC members only, but it is automatic and requires no additional applications by individuals.

The fees for this liability and loss/damage insurance coverage are substantially below the cost of comparable insurance available on the open market. It is our hope, by continuing to offer this program, that we extend insurance coverage to a greater number of radio clubs in Canada, at rates which are more affordable than other privately-offered alternatives. To be eligible for the insurance, a radio club must be incorporated and affiliated with the Radio Amateurs of Canada.

Program Description and Coverages

Affiliated Club Coverage

A Canadian Amateur Radio Club that is officially Affiliated with the Radio Amateurs of Canada can apply to participate in the Affiliated Club’s Insurance Policy issued to RAC by Intact Insurance, brokered through AON Risk Management.

The major element of the program is Commercial General Liability insurance providing coverage of $5,000,000 per occurrence with a $1,000 deductible for normal radio club activities such as club meetings, Field Day, club repeater installations, public events and demonstrations. The Insurer will assess each club’s application to determine eligibility and may add a surcharge for clubs that that undertake higher risk activities beyond the scope of normal radio club activities. A smaller element of the club insurance covers several types of financial crime such as computer fraud, forgery, counterfeiting and theft. Depending on the nature of the crime, the insurance covers the club’s loss to a maximum of $10,000 or $50,000 with no deductible.

  1. To be eligible for Affiliated Club insurance coverage, a radio club must be incorporated and also be a RAC Affiliated Club.
  2. Club insurance is offered at extra cost, as a benefit of being a RAC Affiliated Club.
  3. The cost for coverage is based on a fixed annual registration fee, plus a fee per club member and a surcharge per club member who is not a current member of RAC. Additional charges may apply for clubs undertaking activities that are considered beyond the scope of normal radio club activities. Liability coverage does not provide any loss, theft or damage coverage for equipment.
  4. The Affiliated Club must have paid the annual affiliation fee to maintain coverage, as well as any outstanding fees from the previous year if they remain unpaid.

Equipment Loss/Damage Insurance

Radio Amateurs of Canada also offers additional equipment loss/damage insurance coverage for insured RAC Affiliated Clubs that are participating in the liability insurance program. This equipment loss/damage insurance coverage is offered as an extra-cost option to qualifying clubs, as a benefit of affiliation. It is optional and clubs are not required to list equipment for loss/damage coverage should they not wish to do so; clubs would then incur no specific loss/damage insurance fees. Equipment will be insured on an Actual Cash Value (ACV) basis. The Loss/Damage Insurance has a $1,000 deductible.

  1. Loss/damage insurance is offered as part of the larger insurance package, and cannot be acquired as a stand-alone insurance option.
  2. As an optional add-on, loss/damage insurance is not automatic and must be explicitly requested within the insurance application.
  3. Loss/damage insurance will incur extra fees in addition to the fees set for basic liability insurance coverage.
  4. Cost for coverage is scaled to the total Actual Cash Value of all equipment to be insured; the fees are outlined below.

RAC Member Coverage

Members of RAC, who are also a member of an insured Affiliated Club – i.e., a club that is participating in the RAC Affiliated Club Insurance Program – will automatically, and at no additional cost, obtain liability coverage for their personal Amateur Radio activities. This provides the same levels of protection ($5 million limit per occurrence) as the Affiliated Club insurance for their personal station and activities, mobile and portable operation subject to a few conditions. Personal insurance does not cover damage to the member’s home or that of a person also insured under the program.

  1. To be eligible for personal liability coverage, you must be both a current RAC member and a member of an insured RAC Affiliated Club.
  2. RAC members who are not also members of an insured Affiliated Club are not eligible for individual coverage. There is, unfortunately, no option for an individual who is not part of a participating club to receive individual liability coverage at this time.
  3. Liability coverage is offered at no extra cost to qualifying members, as a benefit of membership.
  4. You must be a paid up member of both RAC and the RAC-insured Affiliated Club to be covered.
  5. This coverage is strictly for Liability; at the moment there is no equivalent option of Loss/Damage coverage for an individual’s personal radio equipment.
  6. This individual coverage is an extension of the club’s Liability coverage and certificates of insurance thus cannot be issued for specific individuals.

Annual Insurance Fee Calculation

The overall amount invoiced to a club for participation in the program is calculated through the application of several different components, outlined below.

Exact amounts may change between years. The amounts on this page are the fees as calculated for 2023. In the event of a discrepancy, the amounts on an official RAC invoice should be considered accurate. This page will be updated if and when fees are altered.

Initial Fixed Cost

Every club, regardless of size, will be charged a base fee for participation in the program. This fee was last set at $220.

Variable Membership Cost

Clubs participating in the insurance program will be charged a scaling amount based on the number of members in their club. Every member in a club will contribute to the fee calculation; members may not “opt-out” from club insurance, and fees will be calculated based on total membership numbers.

The variable fee itself has two parts. Every member, regardless of status, incurs a $1.25 “Member Headcount” fee. Additionally, club members who are not also RAC members incur an additional fee of $13; this fee is waived for RAC members as the cost is determined to be met by your annual RAC membership. The additional charge is not applied to club members who are not paying dues for the year – for example, students, honourary or life members.

Optional Loss/Damage Cost

Clubs who wish to receive additional coverage against loss and damage of club equipment will be required to list the equipment they wish to be covered, as well as the total Actual Cash Value of all the equipment to be covered. A fee of 1.3% of the Actual Cash Value will be charged for this coverage.

Additional Named Insured Certificates

Clubs who regularly interact with municipalities or other commercial entities when planning public events may be asked to add these entities to their insurance program as Named Insured. This will often occur during events where another group believes they would also be held equally liable should accidents or damage occur during said event; this is different from simply being asked to provide proof of liability insurance and clubs should communicate with groups who raise this issue to ensure they wish to be added as Named Insured.

The first time that another group is added as Named Insured to a club’s insurance coverage, a one-time fee of $75 is incurred. In subsequent years, if the Named Insured coverage must be re-issued to the same group, there is no additional charge.

Activities Outside Regular Scope

In a few exceptional instances, clubs participating in high-risk activities outside the normal scope of the insurance policy may incur a surcharge from AON Insurance in addition to the fees outlined above. These surcharges will not apply to the majority of clubs, and should they apply the club in question will be contacted by RAC with more details and a breakdown of the additional charge.

Provincial Insurance Premiums

Several provinces levy an additional tax on all insurance premiums charged within their jurisdiction. All Amateur Radio clubs based in such provinces will be charged this tax on insurance specifically, with normal sales tax applying to club affiliation. As of 2023 the provinces and rates are as follows:

  • Ontario: 8%
  • Manitoba: 7%
  • Saskatchewan: 6% 

Club Affiliations

Many clubs opt to combine yearly RAC affiliation and their insurance application into a single transaction. In this case, simply include the RAC Affiliated Club Affiliation form with your insurance application but do not include payment for it, merely fill out the form. The RAC Affiliation fee will be added to your insurance for simplicity. The Affiliation fee for one year is $27.95 plus applicable taxes; clubs who sponsor a school, library, or museum by purchasing a subscription to The Canadian Amateur magazine for them will instead pay $35.95 plus applicable taxes. More information can be found in the affiliation form provided below.

Pro-Rating

For clubs making a new or first- time application for insurance on or after July 1 in 2024, the insurance premium fee will be pro-rated such that the fee will be the proportion of a full year’s fee equivalent to the portion of the year from the application date to December 31. For example, a club applying for insurance in the month of July would pay half the annual fee for a club of their size and composition. This pro-rate will be applied after the total calculation of the insurance fee and all applicable taxes are levied. Applications sent before July 1 will not be pro-rated.

Process for 2024 Insurance

The entire application process is outlined in the following steps.

1) Download the various insurance forms that are provided at the bottom of this article. Ensure that all the forms are on hand. They are as follows:

2) Fill out all forms with all the information they request. The equipment loss/damage form is only necessary if your club is seeking loss/damage coverage. If your club is skipping loss/damage coverage, this form may be safely omitted. Club membership information should be taken from June 2023 if possible, and from current day if not. The club membership form is provided as a convenience; other methods, such as Excel spreadsheets, are valid submissions as long as the same information is included as provided on our provided form.

3) Once filled, the forms must be submitted to the RAC Head Office. This can be done in one of two ways: If the forms were printed out and filled manually, they may be sent by mail to the RAC Head Office at the address provided below. If the forms were completed digitally, or were scanned after being filled in, they may be emailed to the RAC Head Office Manager. Please note that digital submissions must have valid signatures on the insurance forms where indicated, either by having an individual’s signature scanned on the form or by providing a digital signature through a PDF program such as Adobe Acrobat. Forms which do not have the signature of a club representative will be rejected.

4) Once the forms have been received by the RAC office they will be processed and checked for errors and omissions. If any forms need to be resent, the club representative will be contacted; otherwise, that same representative will receive an invoice outlining the total fee for insurance for the coming year.

5) Payment should then be remitted to the RAC Head Office. Preferred methods of payment are to send a cheque made out to Radio Amateurs of Canada to the RAC Head Office, or by Interac e-Transfer to the Office Manager’s email. For alternative methods of payment, please contact the RAC Head Office Manager.

6) In January 2024, AON will provide certificates of insurance for all clubs who have submitted applications. RAC will then distribute the certificates to the designated contact for each club, as provided by the application forms. At this point the process is complete and the insurance will be valid for the entirety of 2024.

This process will remain the same throughout the year, should your club wish to apply for coverage in mid-2024.

Address and Contact Information

Digital submissions, as well as general inquiries about the program, can be directed to the RAC Head Office Manager.

Email:
Phone: 1-877-273-8304 or 1-613-244-4367 

Office hours are 10 am to 4 pm, Eastern time, every weekday.

Physical submissions, or direct mail, should be sent directly to the head office using the following address:

RAC Insurance Program
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
Ottawa, ON
K1G 0Z5

Insurance Forms

The links below will each provide a fillable PDF form necessary for the application process. Please be sure to obtain and fill out a copy of each required form.

Note: Please check the top right corner of the forms after you have downloaded them. If they ask you to open the forms with a different viewer, please select Adobe PDF Reader.

Forward these forms and RAC will invoice the Affiliated Club payment to:

Radio Amateurs of/du Canada Insurance Program
720 Belfast Road, Suite 217
Ottawa, ON
K1G 0Z5

If you have any questions on the application process please contact the RAC Head Office Manager.