CIAA recently raised concerns with the Alberta Insurance Council (AIC) regarding the requirement for all Alberta Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Designated Representative Independent Adjuster license holders to complete the Care-First Case Manager Education prior to renewal. In particular, we were concerned about the potential impact on independent adjusting firms and the industry’s ability to maintain sufficient adjusting capacity during catastrophic events.
As many members know, the Care-First education is approximately 22.5 hours in length and is focused primarily on Alberta’s automobile injury regime. Our concern was that requiring property, commercial, specialty, and CAT adjusters who do not handle automobile injury claims to complete the full course could create a significant time and cost commitment, particularly for commission-based adjusters. We also questioned whether the requirement could discourage some adjusters from maintaining an Alberta license, potentially reducing the pool of experienced adjusters available to respond to major hail, wildfire, flood, and other catastrophe events.
The AIC has provided clarification regarding the rationale for the requirement. The Alberta Independent Adjuster license is not restricted by line of business and permits an adjuster to work in any area of adjusting. The AIC’s position is therefore that the education requirement applies to all Alberta-licensed Independent Adjusters, regardless of the type of claims they currently handle.
The AIC also advised that the Care-First education was developed by the Government of Alberta and must be completed in its entirety. The AIC determined that the license renewal process provides an appropriate point at which to ensure the education has been completed.
Importantly, however, the AIC has provided specific clarification regarding catastrophic events.
Short-term Alberta licenses issued for the purpose of responding to catastrophic events will not require completion of the Care-First education.
The AIC has confirmed that it remains committed to licensing adjusters quickly when their services are required during a catastrophe and that the Care-First education requirement will not apply to short-term license holders brought in for these events.
This clarification addresses an important part of the concern CIAA raised regarding Alberta’s surge capacity. It means that experienced property and CAT adjusters from other provinces can continue to be deployed to Alberta under the AIC’s short-term licensing process without first having to complete the full Care-First education.
For regular Alberta license holders who are not working directly with automobile insurance, the AIC has indicated that the education must be completed by June 30, 2027.
CIAA appreciates the AIC’s response and clarification. We also recognize the importance of continuing professional education and the significance of the changes introduced through Care-First. Our concerns were intended to ensure that implementation of the education requirement does not unintentionally reduce the industry’s ability to respond effectively when Alberta consumers need adjusting resources most.
CIAA will continue to monitor the implementation of this requirement and its practical impact on the independent adjusting community. We encourage members to take the June 30, 2027, deadline into account when planning their Alberta licensing and education requirements.