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Co-Operators General Insurance Company

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FY2022 Annual Report · Co-Operators General Insurance Company
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Purpose   
built for a   
better future 

Integrated Annual Report 2022 
The Co-operators Group Limited 

About this report 

An  integrated report  
for an interconnected 
world 

We exist in a dynamic and ever-changing society. Our strength 
as a co-operative is inherently linked to the state of our economy, 
the health of our environment, and the well-being of our people. 

Our Integrated Annual Report tells a comprehensive 
story of our 2022 performance. From our greatest 
challenges to our biggest successes, it shows how 
Co -operators has created environmental, social and  
financial value for our key stakeholders over time and 
discusses our relationship with the issues and trends 
that matter most to them. 

This report is our Public Accountability Statement, 
weaving together our sustainability, governance 
and financial reporting. It is an integral part of our 
full reporting suite, which is available online at 
cooperators.ca/reports. 

Learn more about our climate-related risk online 
Co-operators 2022 Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report contains 
detailed disclosures on climate-related milestones, governance, strategy, risk-management 
and targets and metrics. This report is available online at cooperators.ca/reports. 

Land 
acknowledgement 

The corporate headquarters of The Co-operators 
Group Limited is in Guelph, Ontario, on the Between 
the Lakes Treaty (No. 3) territory, the traditional land 
of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, 
and the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabe, 
Haudenosaunee and Attawandaron peoples. 

Our organization was founded in 1945 in Regina, 
Saskatchewan, on Treaty 4 territory, the traditional 
land of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Lakota, and 
Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis peoples. 

Today, our co-operative exists in communities   
from coast to coast to coast. We recognize that   
the many places where we live and work are  
home to past, present, and future First Nation,  
Metis, and Inuit peoples, who have cared for this  
land since time immemorial. 

We acknowledge this rich history as part of our 
journey, support for, and ongoing commitment 
to Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. 

We’ve developed a land acknowledgement 
guideline that provides resources and guidance 
for our workforce to learn more about land 
acknowledgments, understand how to deliver 
them respectfully and appropriately, and to 
foster their own Truth and Reconciliation journey. 

More information on our commitment to 
Truth and Reconciliation and progress made 
in 2022 can be found on pages 75 and 76 of 
this report. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
Guide to the 
2022 Integrated 
Annual Report 

Use this guide to access 
the information you need 

Browse (pages 10 to 17) 
Looking for quick performance data 
points? Take in the numbers with an 
at-a-glance dashboard of our 
strategic performance. 

Read (pages 19 to 101) 
Dive into commentary surrounding the 
year in review, including our successes 
and challenges, and gain new insights 
through stories of our people, 
members and clients. 

Analyze (pages 103 to 128) 
Learn how we’re aligned to the UN 
Sustainable Development Goals. 
Delve into our risk-management 
discussion and analysis and our 
financial statements. And discover how 
we determined the priority reporting 
issues of our Integrated Annual Report. 

More information is available at  
cooperators.ca/reports, including: 

• GRI Content Index* 
• Supplementary Disclosures
• Archived reports

*This report has been prepared with 
reference to the GRI Standards.

Table of contents 

04   Letters to Stakeholders 
06   2022 Issues and trends 
08   How we create value 
10   Our corporate strategy 
14   Strategic performance dashboard 

19   Client Engagement 
20   Our Financial Advisor network 
24  
26  
30   How we handle claims 
33   Digital transformation 

Investments and financial advice 
Insurance solutions for Canadians 

35   Co-operative Identity 
36   Supporting members and Canadian co-operatives 
38   Social impact 
43   Co-operators in your community 
44   Climate action and advocacy 
48   Sustainable investing and impact investing 

55   Competitiveness 
56   Financial performance 
58   Transformation, profitability and growth 

65   Workforce Capability 
66   Employee engagement 
71   Return to office and the future of work 
74  

Inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) 

Legend 
Look for these symbols, which point to key information 
throughout the report: 

Key challenges 
These are areas where we have encountered 
difficulty in achieving our objectives, either internally 
or externally. 

Sustainable Development Goals 
These are some highlighted areas where we are 
impacting targets and/or indicators of the United 
Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. 

79   Create the Future 
80   Emerging business models 
81  

Innovative products 

87   Our Governance 
88   Structure and processes 
91   Board of Directors 
92  
IDEA in governance 
94   Member organizations 

97   On the Horizon 
98   Our 2023 to 2026 corporate strategy 

103  Additional Report Information 
104   United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 
108   Our 2022 strategic performance 
114   Financial statements 
118   Risk management and analysis 
121   Report materiality process 
124   About the Co-operators Group Ltd 
127   Additional information about our workforce 
128   Public Accountability Statement 
129   Supplementary disclosures 

Discover more online
View our Integrated 
Annual Report summary at 
integratedreport.cooperators.ca.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2  Co  operators 

-

Investing in our 
future. Together. 

 
 
 
About Co-operators 

Our story 

Our purpose 

Financial security for Canadians and our communities. 

Our vision 
We will be a catalyst for a resilient and sustainable society. 

Our values 
Our co-operative identity comes to life through our values. 

•  Responsibility: We balance our care for society and the 

• 

• 

environment with our business success. 
Integrity: We treat all our members, clients, employees, 
advisors, and partners with honesty and respect. 
Inclusion: We achieve success by embracing the diversity 
of all Canadians. 

Our co-operative principles 
The seven global co-operative principles — as outlined by the 
International Co-operative Alliance — guide our decision-making. 

Learn more about our co-operative governance on page 87. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report   3 

Who we are 
A leading financial services co-operative helping Canadians 
build their financial security. 

Where we’ve been 
In 1945 we were founded by a group of farmers, credit union 
leaders and social pioneers wanting to care for themselves 
and their communities, at a time when traditional insurers 
couldn’t meet their needs. Today, the spirit of our roots 
remains: we put the needs of our clients, our members 
and our communities first. 

Where we’re headed 
We will continue innovating and evolving to ensure we can 
provide Canadians with the products, solutions and advice 
they need to feel confident about the future. That means 
helping them protect what they have today, while preparing 
them for what comes tomorrow. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4  Co-operators 

Message from President and CEO Rob Wesseling 

Driven by purpose 

Four years ago, we imagined our co-operative on a precipice of change. 
Looking to the future, we saw a landscape marked by profound changes 
that would impact our industry and organization. Our 2019 to 2022 
strategic plan became an ambitious blueprint to build a bridge to this 
new reality. 

Consumer preferences continue to evolve. Meeting our clients where 
they are to serve them in whatever manner they choose — whether in 
person, on the phone, or online — is essential. This evolution has been 
further accelerated by conditions of the pandemic, and while we faced 
challenges amidst the disruption, we successfully launched an effective 
digital platform where clients can obtain quotes and purchase their 
home and auto insurance online. 

Importantly, this does not come at the expense of the human relationships 
at the heart of our client experience. Our digital transformation enables 
our network of Financial Advisors to increase their focus on providing 
advice that propels our clients toward financial security. To support all 
Canadians regardless of financial status, our no-and-low-fee mutual funds 
have expanded the investment and wealth management solutions we can 
offer our clients. At the same time, we’ve increased our focus on meeting 
the emerging needs of businesses operating in a rapidly changing world. 

Behind our progress is the heartbeat of our purpose — financial security 
for Canadians and our communities. We work to achieve this in ways that 
transcend our products and services, understanding that issues like 
climate change and social inequality are direct threats to this security. 
Through our investments and advocacy, we’re driving positive change. 
By the end of 2022 we had invested 23.6% of our assets into impact 
investments, representing $2.69 billion. Committed to going further, 
we will increase our impact and climate transition investments to 60% 
of our portfolio by 2030, directing our capital strength to build more 
climate-resilient communities. 

Of course, our journey through change has had 
its share of challenges, which have impacted the 
people to whom we owe our success. We must do 
better to engage and support our people and foster 
a culture of belonging and recognition as we navigate 
through the future of work, and bring our strategy of Inclusion, 
Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) to life. 

Our financial strength enables us to support our people, strengthen our  
communities and provide financial security for our clients over the long-term.  
We have sharpened our profitability and have a robust balance sheet as a  
result, despite ongoing volatility. In 2022, our strong capital position and  
net income of $309 million well-positions us to navigate ongoing  
uncertainty with confidence. 

We know uncertainty isn’t going away. We are living through volatile times, 
and the road ahead won’t always be smooth. Yet I have no doubt the people 
in our co-operative will rise to the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

We will harness the resilience and commitment that has brought us this far. 
We will stay the course to create the future we envision — one that benefits our 
co-operative as well as our members, clients and communities. 

Robert Wesseling 
President and Chief Executive Officer, 
The Co-operators Group Limited 

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Message from Board Chairperson John Harvie 

Guided by our co-operative identity 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  5 

Many of this year’s stories were marked by uncertainty. Geopolitical 
instability, the climate crisis, high inflation, and the pandemic made 
frequent headlines as challenges in our midst. When confronted by 
these challenges as individuals, we might be tempted to despair. 
Yet through our co-operative business philosophies, we gain the 
strength and resilience required to face them together. 

I firmly believe co-operatives are well-positioned to support our 
communities and the economy through difficult times. We have 
become very good at working together to develop meaningful, 
collaborative long-term solutions to complex challenges. 

At Co-operators, we are strengthened by a diversity of perspectives 
that coalesce around a common purpose. Our 46 member organizations 
bring the interests of millions of Canadians to our governance tables. 

Through our employees, Financial Advisors and client-facing staff, we’re embedded in 
communities across Canada. Our co-operative is strengthened by coalitions, partnerships and 
co-operatives that span industries, sectors and political stripes. Together, we are stronger. 
We embrace and leverage our differences, rather than use them as justification to move 
further apart. 

2022 marks the final year of our 2019 to 2022 strategic plan, and in this period, we strengthened 
our co-operative and reinvested that financial strength into the organization, while also 
investing in the sustainability and resilience of our members and communities. Of course, 
we have faced many challenges, and have identified areas in which we must work hard to 
do better — and these areas for strategic improvement are highlighted throughout the 
pages of this report. 

We made national headlines supporting our communities through devastating climate events 
like Hurricane Fiona on Canada’s east coast, where we were the first insurer to offer coastal 
flooding from storm surge. 

We continue to invest in the social well-being, environmental resilience, and inclusive 
economies of our communities, and championed the co-operative movement, contributing 
3.9% of our pre-tax profit to Canadian co-operatives, non-profits and charities. 

This was also a year to imagine and design our future. The Board of Directors worked 
alongside Co-operators management team and key departments to develop and ultimately 
approve our strategic plan that will carry us forward over the next four years. At the same time, 
we remain oriented to a set of enterprise long-term goals that are aligned to the United 
Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These long-term goals will help us deliver on our 
purpose and bring our vision of being a catalyst for a sustainable, resilient society to life. 

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and heartened by the opportunities ahead. 
Our employees, Financial Advisors, members, and community partners have worked 
in concert to navigate uncertainty and develop imaginative solutions, and we’ve arrived 
today stronger than ever. And while we do not know what lies ahead, I am confident that 
together, we will resolutely face the future, and continue moving forward with a mindset 
of co-operation. 

John Harvie 
Chairperson, Board of Directors, 
The Co-operators Group Limited 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6  Co  operators 

-

2022 issues and trends 

We meet the needs of Canadians 
living in a changing world 

We monitor and consider societal trends and issues to ensure we’re relevant and effective in fulfilling our purpose. 

The climate crisis 

High inflation 

In 2022, climate-related events 
caused $3.1 billion in insured 
losses in Canada, with the total 
cost estimated at three to four 
times that amount, in addition 
to immeasurable social and 
emotional impacts endured 
from coast to coast to coast. 
In our roles as a business, 
an insurer, an investor and a 
co-operative, we’re working to 
address the greatest existential 
crisis of our times. Learn more 
about our climate action and 
advocacy on pages 44 to 47. 

—
—
—
—

A convergence of factors in 
2022 drove inflation in Canada 
to its highest levels in years, 
putting increased financial 
pressures on many Canadians. 
The high inflation environment 
has led to increased cost of 
living  and has put the 
short  and in some cases, 
long-term financial security of 
our clients and communities in 
jeopardy. As a financial services 
co-operative and as an insurer, 
it’s critical we stay focused on 
supporting our clients and 
meeting their needs through this 
time of volatility. 

Shifting consumer 
preferences 
A focus on digital engagement 
is accelerating across sectors 
and industries. Alongside this 
is a shift in the way consumers 
might think about procuring 
their insurance products, with 
insurance being embedded 
at the point of purchase. It will 
also shift how many consumers 
seek out financial advice and 
investment products. To stay 
competitive, we must keep 
pace with the level of digital 
experiences that our clients 
and all Canadians have come 
to expect online. To learn more 
about our digital transformation, 
see page 33. 

Conflict and 
polarization 
The Russian invasion of Ukraine 
shook the world in early 2022, 
sending stock markets, oil prices 
and global supply chains into 
a state of increased volatility. 
As this conflict continues, 
geopolitical instability has kept 
global economies in continued 
uncertainty. Meanwhile, a rise 
in polarization on key issues in 
Canada has created significant 
barriers to long-term 
collaborative solutions to 
pressing issues. We bring 
our co-operative principles, 
values and purpose to bear 
when we invest, partner, 
innovate, and advocate for a 
better, more co-operative 
and sustainable world. 

The changing nature 
of work 
The pandemic has accelerated a 
shift away from traditional modes 
of working. It has changed both 
where and how people work, 
as well as what people expect 
from a workplace and the culture 
it fosters. By seizing opportunities 
presented by this transformational 
moment, we have reimagined the 
nature of work to become more 
flexible, collaborative, and inclusive. 
We have embraced and will 
continue to encourage a variety 
of hybrid work models to align 
with the work being done. 
More on the future of work can 
be found on pages 71 to 73. 

Emerging issue: Biodiversity loss 
Accelerated by habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and over-harvesting, an alarming trend of biodiversity loss is posing an increasing risk to ecosystems and current and 
future generations. In 2022, we elevated biodiversity loss on our emerging risk radar, and will continue to explore our relationship with this key issue going forward. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  7 

Top reporting issues 

What matters to our 
stakeholders, matters to us 

The issues and trends discussed throughout this report are a direct reflection 
of what matters to the people in our organization, our members and our 
clients and communities. 

Client and member 
financial security 

Financial 
performance 

Climate change and  
the net zero economy 

Community 
resilience 

Inclusion, Diversity,  
Equity and Accessibility  

Workforce 
engagement 

Investing for positive 
impact and sustainability 

Environmental 
footprint 

Innovation and 
digital trust 

Co-operative 
governance 

Future insights 

For a full list of our priority reporting issues, read the "Additional Report Information" section of this report, on page 103. 

 
 
 
8  Co-operators 

How we create value 

We’re creating a virtuous cycle of financial 
security for Canadians and our communities 

We provide investments, insurance and advice to meet the needs of our members, clients and communities. Over time the 
solutions we provide lead to positive impacts and outcomes that improve the financial security, sustainability and resilience 
of those key stakeholders. 

Our key   
stakeholders: 

Inputs 

Outputs 

Outcomes 

Impacts 

Our stakeholders are the  
people for whom we create  
value.  These groups overlap  
and interact in relationship  
to one another in complex  
systems. 

Our stakeholders provide key 
insights, financial capital, 
partnerships and resources 
that we require to develop 
products, services and 
solutions to meet their needs. 

We offer advice and solutions 
that help build our clients’ 
financial futures. We invest in 
the financial, environmental 
and social value of our 
communities.

Our relationships, products 
and services, investments, 
and workplace culture lead 
to positive outcomes for 
our stakeholders. 

In pursuit of our vision 
to catalyze a resilient, 
sustainable society,we strive 
to create positive,long-term 
environmental,social and 
financial impacts.

•  Clients
•  Members
•  Communities 
and partners

•  Workforce (employees,
Financial Advisors and
client-facing staff)

•  $5.45 billion in direct 

written client premiums
•  46 member organizations  
send 125 delegates to  
nominate 22 directors who  
govern our organization. 
•  Community partnerships 
provide on-the-ground 
insights into  unmet 
needs in communities 
across Canada.* 

•  6,962 employees and over
2,800 licensed insurance 
representatives, including 
429 exclusive Financial
Advisors, work to deliver 
on our purpose.

•  $2.39 billion in claims and
benefits paid to clients
• $32.6 million in Member

Loyalty payments
distributed to members
• 3.9% pre-tax profit donated
to charities and non-profits
•  $759.0 million total in salary,
benefits and employee
incentive amounts paid
to employees.

• Our advice, products and

• Our clients and

services meet the needs of
our clients and build trust
in the community.

their families have
financial security.
•  The strength of our

•  96% Member

Engagement Score
•  Community partnerships

increase access to
mental-health supports,
healthy environments,
and meaningful
employment.
•  We are attracting
and retaining top
employee talent.

members supports a
thriving co-operative
sector in Canada.

•  Canadian communities
are becoming more
sustainable and resilient.

•  Our workforce is

engaged, diverse,
inclusive and supported
in living healthy and
fulfilled lives.

*For a full list of our memberships, affiliations and partnerships see our Supplementary Disclosures at cooperators.ca/reports.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  9 

The value we  
create thrives in  
an ecosystem of  
relationships. 

 
10  Co  operators 

-

Our 2019 to 2022 corporate strategy 

Our four-year strategy was  
designed as a bridge to the future 

2022 marked the end point of a four-year strategy developed in anticipation 
of the changes that will impact our organization and our stakeholders. 
Putting the needs of our members, clients, workforce and communities 
at the forefront, the successful execution of our strategy has strengthened 
our organization, and positioned our co-operative for a more sustainable,  
resilient future.   

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  11 

A strategy designed for a world of change 

Our 2019 to 2022 corporate strategy contained five key focus areas: Client Engagement, Co-operative Identity, Competitiveness,  
Workforce Capability, and Create the Future. In each area, we emerged strong, laying the groundwork for the next phase of  
our journey. From our position of strength, we can ensure our co-operative and the people we serve can thrive.  

Client Engagement 

Co-operative Identity 

Competitiveness

Workforce Capability 

Create the Future

We will be the leader  
in client engagement  
within the financial  
services industry. 

Being a co-operative  
is core to our identity  
and our business.  
We will continue to  
be invaluable to the  
co-operative system. 

We will relentlessly  
pursue operational  
excellence, which  
will allow us to grow  
profitably and capture  
market share.

Our people are the 
main source of our 
competitive advantage  
in a rapidly changing  
business environment. 

We will ensure that the client is  
at the centre of our decision-
making and solution delivery,  
providing a consistent and  
seamless experience across all  
interaction points. We will offer  
advice and solutions for holistic  
financial security, while  
continuously working to  
understand client needs and  
preferences. We measure our  
Client Engagement through   
our digital trust and online  
engagement, client satisfaction,  
and how we’re catalyzing  
sustainability, all of which   
can drive client growth. 

See page 19 for a full discussion 
of our performance. 

We will deliver relevant,  
compelling solutions to our  
member organizations and  
champion the advancement  
of the co-operative system.  
We will lead with initiatives  
that address Canadians’  
unmet economic, social and  
environmental needs, and build  
their resilience.  We will integrate  
co-operative and sustainability  
principles into all areas of  
our business.  We measure  
our Co-operative Identity  
through support for members,  
co-ops and communities,  
and by integrating sustainability  
into our operations and  
investment decisions. 

See page 35 for a full discussion  
of our performance. 

We will modernize our    
products and services to align    
with changing client needs,    
while focusing on collaboration  
and operational efficiency.    
We will invest in our core  
capabilities, including the use    
of data and analytics, and we    
will partner with like-minded  
organizations to provide  
competitive, holistic offerings    
to a diverse range of clients.    
We measure our  
Competitiveness through    
our top-line growth in key  
business lines, efficiency ratios  
and profitability performance,  
and strategic partnerships.  

See page 55 for a full discussion  
of our performance.

We will empower an adaptable  
workforce by identifying and  
removing barriers to achieve  
a diverse, inclusive workplace.  
We will develop, attract and  
retain the brightest and best  
people, while strengthening  
our culture of innovation.  
We measure our Workforce  
Capability through engagement  
surveys, mental health indexes,  
diversity and inclusion metrics,  
and employee and Financial  
Advisor development. 

See page 65 for a full discussion  
of our performance. 

The business landscape 
is changing, and we 
need to be ready. 
We will explore and 
invest in far-reaching 
new business models 
and capabilities to 
ensure future success. 

We will prepare the organization 
for industry transformation by  
developing innovative solutions  
and new business models that  
address changing client needs. 
We monitor the development,  
adoption and performance of  
our emerging business models.  

See page 79 for a full discussion 
of our performance.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12  Co-operators 

Four years ago, we saw opportunity in change.  
Today, we’re living our transformation. 

Our four-year strategy was designed for a future less focused on delivering individual products and transactions, and more 
focused on the holistic financial needs of our clients — from investments to insurance to financial planning and advice. 

Four years ago,  
we predicted several  
dramatic changes would  
disrupt our industry over  
the next 10 years,  
including transformations  
to personal transportation,  
client expectations and  
technological capabilities.  
We responded with an  
ambitious plan that would  
successfully transition us  
into this new reality.  
Today, we are well-
positioned to continue  
our strategic journey of  
building a bridge to  
the future. 

We digitized key products and services. 
In 2019, we set out to digitize auto insurance.  We surpassed this ambition, and now clients can receive quotes  
and complete insurance transactions online for both home and auto insurance. For more, see page 33. 

We have grown our advice-based lines of business.  
Growth in advice-based lines to meet the holistic needs of our clients was critical to our strategy.  We have seen  
significant growth in commercial business lines and wealth management assets under management,  and we  
created Co-operators Financial Investment Services,  which has enabled us to expand our offering of compelling  
investing solutions that build the financial security of our clients. For more, see page 58. 

We renewed our focus on addressing emerging and unmet needs. 
Rapid change is exposing emerging and unmet needs in our communities.  Addressing these needs are core 
to our purpose.  With our 2019 to 2022 strategy, we became one of most accomplished impact investors in the  
world, with over 23.6% (over $2.69 billion) of our invested assets in verified impact investments.   For more,  
see page 50. 

We strengthened our capital position. 
Continued strength in our capital base is largely driven by profitability in our core operations and strong  
investment performance.  This solid foundation prepares us to manage new uncertainties and deliver on our  
organization’s purpose over the long-term.  For more on our financial performance and position, see page 56.  

We continue to champion the global co-operative community. 
We continue to have positive member engagement and our co-operative business volume continues 
to grow. B  eing a co-operative and doing business with other co-operatives makes our organization  
stronger.  Our vibrant network of member organizations makes our communities and the co-operative  
movement stronger. For more on how we support and engage co-ops, see page 36. 

Our vision of success  takes a long-term view 

Our long-term goals drive us toward our purpose to provide financial security for Canadians and our communities,  
build resilience in the face of evolving risks, and support a sustainably and inclusively prosperous society. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  13 

We must act and contribute in ways that support a resilient and sustainable society. Our 2030 Enterprise Goals are aligned with the UN  
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we’ve developed a framework for how we contribute to them as an insurer, investor, business,  
and co-operative. By achieving our 2030 goals through our successive four-year strategic plans, we will maximize our impact how and  
where we can, working to make a meaningful contribution to communities within Canada and globally. For more on our SDG framework  
and highlights of how we’re impacting or contributing to the SDGs through our strategic performance, see page 104.  

Our 2030 Enterprise Goals 
By 2030, Canada is … 

Financially secure 

Resilient against risks 

Sustainably and inclusively prosperous 

We have contributed to increasing 
financial security in Canada and  
among our members and clients. 

We have helped make Canada more 
resilient and less vulnerable to risk. 

We have helped build inclusive and 
sustainable prosperity for Canadians   
and Canadian communities. 

To achieve these goals, we will: 

Inform and Influence 

Incent 

Invest 

Advocate for better public policies and 
financial frameworks. 

Promote positive behaviors for risk 
reduction, while also helping Canadians  
make sustainable and healthy choices. 

Use our influence to promote better  
environmental, social and governance 
performance, including increasing   
the representation of women and  
other under -represented groups   
in leadership roles. 

-

Provide insurance solutions at rates  
that balance being affordable and  
reflect the true cost of the risk. 

Harness our investments to finance 
the growth of a sustainable, resilient, 
equitable, low -carbon society. 
-

Enable and incent clients to contribute 
to sustainable communities through our 
insurance and wealth solutions. 

Partner with governments, businesses,  
community groups, and other 
stakeholders to co-develop solutions  
-
that advance sustainability. 

Build the innovative and collaborative 
capacity of our organization and  
partners to co -create solutions to  
societal challenges. 

-

Model leading operations,   
including achieving carbon -negative   
-
and environmentally restorative 
operations and ensure the composition 
of our workforce and leadership ranks 
reflects the face of Canadian society. 

 
 14  Co-operators 

2022 strategic performance dashboard 

Client Engagement 

Find out how our clients rate us and discover the ways we’re growing and evolving our business to meet the needs of a wider 
range of clients. 

Digital trust and   
online engagement 
Percentage of households that  
have signed up for Online Services 

52% 

Client growth 
Total client households insured 

Client satisfaction 
Pollara Annual Study Ranking 

Group Benefits Client Experience 
Index 2022 (biennial) 

950,174 

2021: 946,585 

2021: 47% 
Target: 40% by the end of 2022 
Status: exceeded 

Catalyzing sustainability 
Revenue from sustainable  
products and services 

Number of Home and Auto 
transactions completed online 

28.2% 

446,802 

389,851 

2021: 22.6% 
Target: 20% by 2022 
Status: exceeded 

2021 

2022 

78% 

Auto* 

Home 

Target: Achieve a ranking of third  
or above for both Home and Auto 
Status: achieved 
*Tied for first 

2020: 77% 
Target: 80% by the end of 2022 
Status: not achieved 

Overall Net Promoter Score 

Credit Union Client Experience  
Index 2021 (biennial) 

+22 

2021: +20 
Our strong result of +22 on this  
scale (-100 to +100) demonstrates  
the willingness of clients to 
recommend us. 

79% 

2018: 79% 
Target: 80% by the end of 2022 
Status: not achieved 

For full details and descriptions of our strategic performance, including historical trend and management discussion and analysis, please see page 108. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  15 

2022 strategic performance dashboard 

Co-operative Identity 

The ways we support and engage our members, champion the co-operative movement, and invest to improve the environmental,  
social and economic well-being of our communities are key to our identity. 

Supporting members 
and co-ops 
Member Engagement Score (2021) 

Total member and co-operative 
business volume 

Investing in a sustainable, 
resilient future 
Percentage of Co-operators invested  
assets in impact investing 

Sustainability integration 
Percentage of senior leadership with   
SMART goals related to sustainability   
or co-operative identity 

96% 

2019: 98% 
Target: 85% 
Status: exceeded 

Total amount contributed to  
co-operatives in 2022 

$2.5  
million 

2021: $1.6 million 
Target: $1.5 million each year 
Status: exceeded 

$1.372  
billion 

2021: $1.279 billion 
Target: $1.388 billion by the end of 2022 
Status: not achieved 

Supporting our communities 
Percentage of pre-tax profit contributed  
to Canadian co-operatives, non-profits  
and charities 

4.1%  3.9% 

1% 

23.6%
23.6% 

98% 

2021: 21.2% 
Target: 20% by the end of 2022 
Status: exceeded 

2021: 95% 
Target: 100% each year 
Status: not achieved 

Environmental impact 
Carbon footprint reduction 

2021  2022 

Imagine Canada 
benchmark 

100% 

Target: Exceed Imagine Canada’s  
benchmark of 1% each year 
Status: achieved 

2021: 100% 
Target: Maintain carbon neutrality 
Status: achieved 

Corporate Knights “Best 50 Corporate  
Citizens in Canada“ ranking 

#14 

2021: #3  
Target: Remain on the list 
Status: achieved 

For full details and descriptions of our strategic performance, including historical trend and management discussion and analysis, please see page 109. 

  
 
 
 16  Co-operators 

2022 strategic performance dashboard 

Competitiveness 

The financial strength and stability of our co-operative is paramount to meeting the needs of our members and clients,   
investing in the resiliency and sustainability of our communities, and supporting our people. 

Expense ratio for P&C operations 

P&C combined ratio 

Return on participating policyholders’ 
(par) equity 

Retail Wealth assets under 
management and administration 

2022 

2021 

32.4% 

2022 

95.2% 

2022 

32.4% 

2021 

89.2% 

2021 

3.0% 

6.7% 

$2.24  
billion 

Target: At or better than the industry 
by the end of 2022 
Status: not achieved 

Target: 98% by the end of 2022 
Status: achieved 

Target: 4.5% to 6.5% each year 
Status: not achieved 

2021: $2.31 billion 
Target: $3.0 billion by the end of 2022 
Status: not achieved 

Efficiency ratio for Life operations 

Return on members' equity 

Retail Wealth sales growth 

2022 

2021 

18.0% 

2022 

21.5% 

2021 

Target: 17.7% by the end of 2022 
Status: not achieved 

Target: 8 to 10% each year 
Status: achieved 

21%  

8.5% 

compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

14.2% 

Target: 36.4% compound annual 
growth rate through 2022 
Status: not achieved 

Individual insurance new annual 
premium growth 

(1.9%)  

compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

Target: 7.0% compound annual 
growth rate through 2022 
Status: not achieved 

For full details and descriptions of our strategic performance, including historical trend and management discussion and analysis, please see page 111. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  17 

2022 strategic performance dashboard 

Workforce Capability 

Our people are our greatest strength.  They engage with our clients from coast to coast  
to coast and are essential to the success of our strategy. 

Competitiveness continued 

Revenue growth in consolidated 
P&C commercial lines of business 

Representation of women in 
senior leadership 

Aggregated Employee 
Engagement Score 

Mental Health index 

10.4%  

compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

Group Benefits premium growth 

6.5%  

compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

Target: 7.3% compound annual 
growth rate through 2022 
Status: not achieved 

38% 

71% 

78% 

2021: 34% 
Target: 35% by the end of 2022 
Status: achieved 

2021: 80% 
Target: Maintain 80% or  
better each year 
Status: not achieved 

2021: 80% 

For full details and descriptions of our strategic performance, including historical trend and management discussion and analysis, please see page 113. 

 
 
 
19 

Strategic performance summary  

Client  
Engagement  

Our clients are a diverse range of   
individuals, families, businesses,   
co-operatives, credit unions  
and investors.  While the products,   
advice and solutions we offer  
are wide-ranging, the way we  
serve our clients helps to secure  
their financial security,   
resilience and  
overall well-being.  

 20  Co-operators 

Client Engagement: Financial advice for Canadians 

Advice that starts with you, in your community 

Our network of Financial Advisors is embedded in communities from coast to coast to coast.  As members of the community,  
they have built meaningful relationships with our clients — relationships that enable them to provide tailored advice and 
solutions that fit their unique needs. 

Service Review Panel 
We involve clients to help resolve claims disputes.  A panel of client volunteers work collaboratively and determine 
the fairest outcome in dispute-resolution cases. Co-operators is bound by the panel’s decision, but the client still 
has the right to pursue external avenues of appeal.  The first of its kind in Canada, this panel is an embodiment of  
our co-operative difference within the industry. 

Service Review Panel 

A community-based approach 
With Financial Advisors in towns, cities and rural communities across Canada, Co-operators operates on the principle  
that knowing the fabric of our local community and the people who live there provides the insights and ability to  
serve our wide diversity of clients. Our Financial Advisors support clients in building financial security and resiliency,  
through tailored financial advice and insurance and wealth products that build long-term security and peace of mind.  
Our personalized approach is designed to help people find solutions that work for them and their own life complexities,  
rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to insurance or wealth planning. 

34

Total 
appeals 

Our client commitment 
Through our Claims Guarantee, our clients can contact us, identify their loss, and assess their damages and premium  
impacts before deciding to pursue a claim; the decision not to proceed won’t affect their policy. Some exclusions  
may apply.  You can find full details of our Claims Guarantee at cooperators.ca/claims. 

We lead in client satisfaction 
In 2022, Pollara Strategic Insights surveyed home and auto insurance clients across the country to determine how  
likely consumers are to recommend a business. For the second consecutive year, we are ranked in the number one  
spot in both home and auto.  

#1  
Home 

#1  
Auto 

(Tied for first place) 

1
Agreed with 
the client 

30
Agreed 
with us

3 
Reached a 
compromise 

  
 
 
 
  
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  21 

Feature story 

A community-based approach 

Our Financial Advisors are a part of the local community and 
understand the unique needs of their clients.  We spoke with 
Co-operators Financial Advisor Bill Bachra about building 
relationships of trust and bringing a sense of purpose to 
life in his business and his community. 

How would you describe the Co-operators difference when it comes to the client experience? 
Bill Bachra: We take the time to get to know our clients to ensure we are providing the best services and  
products possible.  We go the extra step to get to know our clients so that we can make sure their needs and risks  
are considered before making a recommendation on the best coverages for their unique needs.  These needs change  
over time and by focusing on ongoing support and building relationships with our client reviews we can make sure the  
advice and guidance we provide is best suited for the stages of life they’re in. By being able to provide support to clients in  
different aspects of their life, whether it be insurance, investments, or advice, we become a one stop shop for all their financial  
questions and concerns. 

What does it mean to take a community-minded approach to meeting the needs of our clients? 
With a community-minded approach we immerse ourselves in our local community.  This enables us to build relationships, trust,  
and understand the unique needs of our community. Getting involved helps our community get to know us better. Our community  
knows they can reach out to us when they are in need.  This involvement builds a strong reputation and trust with our clients. 

How do you bring our purpose — financial security for Canadians and our communities — to life? 
When we meet with clients to discuss their financial needs, it is important to ensure their goals are clear.  We help clients clarify their goals   
and work towards accomplishing these goals by sharing advice, education, and helping them understand any risks they may face based on   
their unique situation. By ensuring our staff feels confident in asking the right questions to our clients at the right time, we can help our clients  
ensure they have the right plans in place to ensure their financial security.  The biggest impact we can have is having the courage to ask the  
next question and using our knowledge and advice to educate those around us. 

“I enjoy what I do because at the end of the day I am helping my clients  
in their time of need, supporting them in reaching their financial goals.  
I know the impact my advice and experience can have on a family  
and their needs.” 

Bill Bachra (pictured), Financial Advisor and Mutual Fund Representative 

 
 
22  Co-operators

Client Engagement: Our Financial Advisor network

We serve clients from coast to coast to coast

In over 370 towns, cities and rural communities, we are there to cultivate, champion and celebrate our clients’ 
financial success.

Contact centre locations

Claims office locations

Financial Advisor Offices by 
Province/Territory:

Northwest Territories

Yukon Territory

British Columbia

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Manitoba

Ontario

Quebec

New Brunswick

Prince Edward Island

Nova Scotia

1

1

48

127

33

14

304

19

27

9

18

Newfoundland and Labrador 19

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  23 

“Our clients choose us because  
they want a personalized  
financial solution that fits who  
they are as people.  They come  
to us because of the human  
relationships we’ve built with  
them.  We understand how  
their financial goals will help  
them achieve financial security  
and move them along their  
personal journeys.” 
Senthu Punithavel, Mutual Fund Investment Specialist  
and Financial Advisor  

 
 24  Co-operators 

Client Engagement: Investments and financial advice  

Investing made easy that puts people first 

We offer a myriad of products, solutions and advice that meet the far-ranging investment and wealth planning needs of our 
clients. In all cases, we strive to build the long-term financial prosperity and stability required to navigate times of uncertainty 
and recover with strength when challenges arise.  

Key challenge 
Raising awareness of our wealth 
management offerings 
Amid a volatile economic and investment 
landscape in 2022, introducing and 
highlighting our wealth management  
offerings — investment  products  and  
services and financial representatives 
well-equipped to build a fulsome financial 
plan — was a significant hurdle. The resolve 
to overcome this challenge resides in our  
long-term goal to provide a complete  
advice-based service that caters to clients’ 
individual goals, with solutions tailored  
to meet their needs. We will continue 
promoting these offerings and educating  
clients on our expertise in this area. 

Building prosperity of Canadians  
Regardless of their level of wealth, all clients can benefit from financial advice. Our Co-operators-branded mutual fund  
dealer and suite of mutual fund products are delivered through 664 Mutual Fund Investment Specialists across Canada  
to build their clients’ wealth and help them plan ahead. Our range of quality mutual funds from Canada’s leading fund  
managers, as well as Sustainable Investment Portfolios, Segregated Funds,  Variable Rate Option and Guaranteed Rate  
Option Accounts, and Annuities help meet our clients’ wealth planning needs.  We strive to ensure our products,  
services and advice don’t leave lower-income Canadians behind, so we do not require account minimums to invest  
(aside from small minimums on select third party mutual funds).  That means Canadians can access wealth planning,  
investments and advice, regardless of their current financial status. By the end of 2022, we had over $2.2 billion in retail  
wealth assets under management and administration. 

Enhancing our group retirement and savings offer and expanding distribution 
In 2022, Group Retirement & Savings continued to strengthen our offerings by expanding our investment fund 
line-up, improving services for plan sponsors and members, and developing solutions-to-market in the third-party 
distribution channel.  We ended the year with $2.8 billion in group wealth assets under management and administration.  
To enhance our fund line up, we added a new suite of index-based and global funds; launched a deferred profit 
savings plan to close a competitive gap in our solutions; and produced a series of online educational videos to help 
members with their retirement income planning. 

Managing the invested assets of Canadian organizations  
Through our asset management company,  Addenda Capital, we managed $34.2 billion in assets of high-net-worth  
and institutional investors in 2022. In early 2022, a fixed income fund actively managed by Addenda for Evolve Funds  
Group Inc. was recognized by the industry for outstanding fund performance at the 2021 Fundata FundGrade A+ Awards. 

SDG 1: No poverty | Target 1.4 – Equal access to financial services 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  25 

Feature story 

Sustainable investing aims to  
build wealth for a better world 

We catalyze sustainability through our investments by leveraging our 
financial strength to fund solutions to environmental and social challenges.  
In this way, we secure our long-term prosperity. Now, we are inviting our clients  
to join this effort, through investment portfolios that integrate sustainability,  
lending deeper meaning to our tagline, “Investing  in  your  future.  Together.”  

Launched in 2022 in partnership with Addenda Capital, our new suite of mutual funds offer our retail investing  
clients a suite of investments that take environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into account.  Through these  
investments, clients can make decisions that build their personal wealth in ways that align with sustainability principles and  
mitigate many of the risks associated with increasing environmental and social challenges. 

In addition to their in-house analysis,  Addenda works with external research providers and ESG specialists, looking closely at how  
ESG factors may affect overall investment performance.  The five portfolios include funds managed by Addenda Capital — a leader in  
sustainable investing and our own asset manager — and are available exclusively through Co-operators Mutual Fund Investment  
Specialists.  To learn more about Addenda’s sustainable investing approach and our impact investing efforts, see page 48. 

“How money is invested matters.  Whether at an institutional or individual  
level, it signals to businesses the expectation to pay attention to social and  
environmental performance as a pathway to long term financial success” 

Monika Freyman, Vice President of Sustainable Investing, Addenda Capital 

 
 26  Co-operators 

Client Engagement: Insurance solutions for Canadians  

Protecting our clients in a rapidly changing world 

From climate change to health concerns, today’s risks are dynamic and emerging.  Through change, we offer peace of mind 
and protection. Our group of companies offer Canadians a variety of insurance products and solutions that meet their unique 
and evolving needs.  

Key challenge 
Navigating inflation and shifting 
economic impacts 
Rising costs due to supply chain 
shortages, inflation and wage pressures 
have led to higher payouts for home 
and auto claims and longer wait times 
for repairs. Growth in the auto portfolio 
was challenged by reduced inventory 
of new vehicles. Vehicle prices  
have surged due to manufacturing 
delays and chip shortages, which has 
decreased auto purchases and stifled 
growth in auto policies.  At the same 
time, real estate volatility is shifting 
home ownership trends and revealing 
an emerging insurance need in the 
rental market.  We continue to monitor 
these trends and seek opportunities 
to support our clients. 

Flood insurance for a changing climate  
Our Comprehensive Water product is Canada’s only product to provide access to flood insurance for all Canadians,  
even those at highest risk. It was also the first product in Canada to cover storm surge — an ill-met need in our coastal  
communities that made headlines with the impacts of Hurricane Fiona.  This product now covers 672,674 Canadian  
households. Because insurance protection is only one part of the resilience equation, we also encourage clients to  
take steps to prevent losses, offering up to $5,000 to help cover costs related to protecting premises during an  
imminent flood warning.  

Supporting clients who are new to Canada  
In 2022, we introduced additional features and support for clients who are new to Canada, including the New to  
Canada driving credit, which allows clients who have been previously licensed and claims free outside of North  
America to receive three years credit on their policy ratings.  These features reflect our co-operative identity and help  
drive towards inclusive and equitable access to products and services that build financial security.  They are one way  
in which we strive to meet the needs of communities and individuals who may be coming to us during a transitional,  
and often difficult, period. 

Enhancing life insurance offerings for long-term needs  
Participating whole life insurance provides permanent coverage as well as opportunities to grow financial security  
through dividends and cash accumulation in the policy. Enhancements made to our Whole Life product have resulted  
in year over year sales growth of 72%. 

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | Target 11.5 – Reduce losses from disasters 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  27 

Client Engagement: Catalyzing sustainability and resilience 

We support mindsets of  
resilience and sustainability  

We aspire through our advice, products and solutions to support  
our clients in their personal resilience and to catalyze sustainability  
in our broader society.  

Advice and solutions to build client resilience 
We don’t just provide peace of mind through the insurance products we offer; we equip clients with advice and  
information that fosters a mindset and practice of resiliency and sustainability. For Isabel Delaney, partnering with our  
clients to build individual and community resilience is paramount to conversations about financial security, especially in  
times of change. 

Promoting sustainability and resilience through our insurance products 
We offer products, services and discounts that catalyze sustainability in our communities. Our Hybrid and Electric Vehicle 
discount, our Envirowise™ discount for owners of eligible Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified  
homes, and our Enviroguard™ coverage, which incentivizes eco-friendly and sustainable repairs or energy-efficient retrofits, 
all encourage sustainable and resilient decision-making.  A full list of all products and services with a sustainability feature is 
available at cooperators.ca. 

Promoting home fire safety across Canada 
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week, we expanded our partnership with the National Fire Protection Association  
in 2022 in support of Fire Prevention Week in collaboration with 200 Financial Advisors across Canada to provide fire prevention kits to local  
fire departments to encourage residents to prepare and practice their home escape plans with all members of their households. 

“We’re in this business to support our clients, especially on their worst days.  
It’s important to review clients’ coverages and make sure we’re taking care  
of their risks, like with our Comprehensive Water coverage. Being able  
to offer storm surge protection to our coastal clients is making a  
real difference.” 

Isabel Delaney (pictured), Financial Advisor, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island 

 
 28  Co-operators 

Client Engagement: Insurance and group benefits solutions for Canadian organizations 

We meet the needs of businesses so  
they can meet the needs of their clients 

Canadian businesses and organizations have unique risks to navigate in fast-evolving operating 
environments.  We provide a range of tailored insurance, group benefits and risk management 
solutions that meet their needs, across industries and sectors. 

Preventing losses in Canadian farm operations 
Working in partnership with PrevTech Innovations Inc, we’ve enhanced the protection of Canadian farm operations  
through electrical monitoring devices that can be installed in barns and other farm structures to detect and prevent  
structure fires. First offered in Ontario and Quebec, this program expanded nationally in 2022, and is now available  
to over 40,000 of our farm clients across the country.  

Exploring Indigenous perspectives in group benefits 
Co-operators Life Insurance Company (CLIC) has partnered with the Many Nations Community Education Fund,  
designed to support increased First Nations participation in the financial services industry.  We will continue to  
explore opportunities to broaden and improve group benefits programs from a First Nations’ perspective. 

Risk management services enhance the security of Canadian credit unions  
We continue to focus on risk management services for our credit union clients, providing tools, resources and  
training to assist our credit union insureds to manage their risk exposure, at no extra cost.  Through risk bulletin  
updates and alerts on topics like property risk, climate risk and more, as well as education sessions, site visits and  
direct engagement, we support Canadian credit unions in understanding, monitoring and responding to risks. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  29 

We’re passionate about 
protecting Canadian 
businesses and the 
communities they 
serve. We recognize 
that achieving this 
takes more than quality  
insurance products and  
risk solutions. It starts 
with living by our values 
and being driven by  
our purpose. 

 
 30  Co-operators 

Client Engagement: How we handle claims 

Embedding sustainability into our  
claims processes  

There is opportunity to catalyze resilience and sustainability in how we handle claims after an event occurs, by using more 
environmentally-conscious practices, encouraging our clients to build back stronger with more resilient materials and 
helping to mitigate the impacts of waste created through the claims process. 

Key challenge 
A growing storm of external factors are 
impacting claims process 
From late 2021 to the end of 2022, 
we saw three of Canada’s top 10 largest  
major events in history, impacting our  
clients and communities, increasing  
claims volumes, and putting pressure 
on vendors and partners. At the same 
time supply chain issues, slowdowns in 
the legal system due to the pandemic, 
and heightened inflation all added cost 
and complexity to the claims process. 
We’re addressing these challenges  
through our strong network of trusted 
preferred vendors, sourcing recycled  
parts or alternative products, settling 
disputes outside of regular channels, 
and communicating expected supply  
chain and labour market corrections. 

Reducing the environmental impact of claims  
Construction and demolition waste is one of the largest contributors to municipal solid waste in Canada,  
and 45% of global carbon emissions are generated through the manufacture of new products.  As well, 98% of  
insurance waste goes to landfills in North America and the overwhelming majority of rebuilds use traditional,  
emissions-intensive materials. In 2022, we launched two resilient and sustainable claims options for Co-operators  
clients in Edmonton and Calgary, which we intend to roll out nationally in 2023.  These options include: 

Drying-in-place 
Instead of ripping out wet drywall, if it was dampened by clean water, we bring in high-powered fans within   
72 hours to begin the drying process. This prevents mould, drastically lessens disturbance and inconvenience   
to clients, reduces environmental impact, and saves money.  

Soft contents cleaning 
Instead of throwing away furniture, clothing, and other soft material items, special cleaning equipment can be used  
to return the items to their original state — or better.  

For more on how we’re reducing waste and promoting the circular economy through our claims processes 
and partnerships, see page 39. 

Sustainable claims solutions 
Following a claim, we supply a list of vendors, contractors and repair shops committed to energy conservation,  
emissions reduction and more. This ensures that clients have the option of rebuilding with sustainability in mind.  

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production | Target 12.5 – Reduce waste generation 

 
Total amount paid to clients in claims and 
benefits in 2022 

$2.39 billion 

2021: $1.89 billion   2020: $2.04 billion 

Claims and benefits paid by type to clients 
in 2022 

Property damage (42%) 
Fire (30%) / Water (28%) / Wind, 
Hail, Ice (25%) / Theft, Vandalism 
(12%) / Other (5%) 

Collision repair (24%) 

Injuries (15%) 

Death and disability (9%) 

Other (6%) 

Medical and dental (4%) 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  31 

“We’re committed to finding  
creative, sustainable solutions  
to how we handle claims.” 

Karen Flamand (pictured),   
Associate Vice President,  
National Claims.  

 
 32  Co-operators 

Client Engagement: Climate risk and loss prevention 

Helping Canadians build climate resilience 

We conduct research, partner with organizations and support initiatives that help build awareness among Canadians of  
the risks they face and ensure they are well-supported with access to tools and information that can help prevent losses. 

Modeling climate scenarios to improve our products and services   
Through our Climatic Hazards and Advanced Modelling (CHARM) platform, we can estimate climate risk concentration and accumulation in our portfolio.  
We have also developed a dashboard that uses our climate-scenario modelling capabilities to better understand and predict anticipated impacts of climate  
change on our clients and our business for several natural hazards, including floods, hurricanes, and extreme weather. In 2022, we improved the accuracy  
and sophistication of our storm surge models, which enable us to provide Canada’s most comprehensive coastal storm surge insurance coverage.  We also  
developed a set of wildfire simulations for the cities of  Whitehorse,  Thunder Bay and Grand Prairie, which modelled wildfires from ignition to dispersion, and  
predicted estimates of the damages.  The successful prototypes are encouraging in terms of our ability to model this type of natural hazard.  

Sharing climate risk expertise  
We share our leading-edge climate-risk modelling capabilities and expertise with others, through consultations that further other organizations’ 
understanding of their own climate-related risks and exposures. In 2022, our CHARM team of climate experts conducted a pilot project to develop  
flood and wildfire risk reports for a large Canadian credit union to determine the climate-related risk exposure of their lending portfolio. This credit  
union now performs a quarterly assessment of their portfolio using these tools. 

Supporting community wildfire resilience 
We’re a founding member of  Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (WCPD), a national program launched in collaboration with FireSmart Canada,   
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and various provinces and territories. Co-operators  
contributed $25,000 towards participating WCPD communities across Canada to help support 161 events and activities to increase home,  
neighbourhood and community resiliency to wildfire.  

Improving resiliency against extreme weather  
In 2022, we sent 302,043 Weather Alerts to clients in advance of extreme weather events and other seasonal weather patterns that may put their  
property or safety at risk.  These messages help clients prepare and protect their belongings to mitigate losses and stay safe.   

Working in collaboration with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, we helped raise awareness through our advisor network of a City of  
Calgary-based roofing rebate program, which offered homeowners a rebate in the installation of impact-resistant roofing to help mitigate severe  
weather damage to homes.  We also advocated for Ontario building code improvements to ensure homes can better withstand wind-related climate  
events like the high-impact derecho event that swept across Ontario and Quebec in 2022, causing an estimated $875 million in insured losses across  
the industry, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification (CatIQ).   

SDG 13: Climate action | Target 13.3 – Awareness raising on climate change impact reduction and early warning 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  33 

Client Engagement: Digital transformation  

We are accelerating on our digital journey 

The world is increasingly digital. Clients expect digital options, through self-serve capabilities, in their journey 
and interactions with us. By investing in our internal and external digital platforms and processes, we create 
capacity for advisors to increase their focus on advice-based financial services and for client-facing staff to 
better tailor their client interactions. 

Further digitizing our Home and Auto insurance 
In 2022, we accelerated our ongoing work to deliver the digital experience clients have come to expect from online  
points of interaction, making it easy and convenient to get a quote for home and auto products, and purchase  
insurance either online, over the phone, or in person, depending on their preference. This milestone in our digital 
transformation will help to further grow our core business lines while opening entry points into more holistic financial  
planning conversations with our clientele. 

Greater client convenience in life insurance underwriting  
To ensure accessing life insurance is an easier and more convenient process for clients, we’re providing more options 
that work for them. With the new Life Portal, our clients can choose to answer personal history questions through an  
external medical professional via phone call, with their advisor, or directly via their own device. To date, 46% of clients  
completed personal health questions online individually or with their advisor. 

Keeping client information safe and secure  
With an increase in digital engagement, it’s imperative that we keep clients’ information secure. We continuously  
monitor the threat landscape, educate and train our employees and clients on cyber security, and invest in new  
technologies, processes and talent to ensure the information of our clients is protected. For more details, 
visit cooperators.ca/PublicPages/security. 

Building trust through privacy  
With growing awareness of privacy concerns, proper collection, use and disclosure of personal information is essential. 
We ensure transparency and accountability by providing clear language on the purposes for processing personal 
information in our business operations and that employees are trained on effective privacy practices.  For more 
information, visit  cooperators.ca/privacy. 

 
35 

Strategic performance summary  

Co-operative  
Identity  

Our co-operative identity anchors 
our decision-making to who we are 
as an organization and pushes us to 
go further to create positive change.  
It gives shape to our community 
engagement, drives our support for 
members and co-operatives,   
and furthers our efforts to invest  
in a better, more sustainable  
and resilient future. 

 
 36  Co-operators 

Co-operative Identity: Supporting members and Canadian co-operatives  

We support Canadian co-operatives to  
enrich the fabric of our communities 

We are governed by 46 member organizations, and we work with them to provide broad benefits to our members 
and their members, clients and communities.  Through the unique solutions and services we offer, we aim to 
strengthen a sector that is working in pursuit of a common goal to build a better, more sustainable future. 

Bringing benefits to Canadian co-ops and their members 
We provide our members with an annual payout through our Member Loyalty Program, which is based  
largely on member business conducted with our company, and subject to the approval of our Board of  
Directors. In 2022, we delivered $32.6 million to members,
co-operative relationship. 

 a strong reflection of the mutual benefits of our  

Across Canada, co-ops and credit unions provide food, housing, goods, services, meaningful work and 
financial solutions. Through our Member Benefits Program, we provide unique benefits to our members’  
members, offering access to personalized insurance coverage and savings. In 2022, this program provided 
benefits to 165,952 households across Canada.   

Enhancing the experience of our members 
As we build strong relationships with our members, we each gain insights and unique perspectives from  
communities across Canada. In 2022, we brought members together again in person through our Member 
Experience Summit, which was an opportunity for key corporate contacts of our member organizations to 
connect with each other and us. We also engaged members on sustainability initiatives including sustainable  
investing, opportunities to build the circular economy, navigating supply chain challenges, and learning about 
the impacts of climate-related risks on co-operatives and insurance. 

Key challenge 
Growing our co-operative business 
As the insurance market hardened and  
barriers to connecting with our members  
persisted in the wake of the pandemic,  
marketing our co-op and grassroots  
member-specific products and services  
was challenging.  While we’ve achieved a  
strong level of growth over our four-year  
strategy, much opportunity remains,  
especially in terms of tapping into the  
significant potential among the members  
of our member organizations.  To further  
this, we expanded our offerings to  
include an exclusive commercial offer  
for grassroots members of our members  
and launched a marketing toolkit for our  
members and agency teams to promote  
the Member Benefits Program to the  
members they serve. 

  
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  37 

Feature story 

We’re shedding light on climate-
related risks and opportunities 

From acute risks like extreme weather events, to transition risks 
arising from changes in customer preferences, government policies,  
and new technologies, Canadian credit unions must take stock of the 
potential impacts that come with a rapidly changing climate. 

Understanding climate risks and opportunities is paramount to ensuring credit unions are well-positioned  
to navigate change and protect the financial security of their clients. By adopting a common framework for  
climate-related financial disclosures, credit unions can gain a more fulsome understanding of these risks and  
opportunities and how they impact the sector.    

To share lessons on how we’ve adopted and implemented recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related  
Financial Disclosures with Canadian credit union members, clients and partners, we led sessions on climate risk and  
engaged in dialogue on climate action with many of the largest credit unions in the country.   

“Extreme weather events across Canada have underscored the  
importance of understanding climate risk.  Through our initial work  
with Co-operators, we better understand our risk exposure and how  
we can mitigate these risks. It’s critical that as we face an uncertain future,  
credit unions across Canada take steps to understand the climate risks facing  
their portfolios and begin to take necessary action now.” 

Nezihe Aquino, Chief Risk Officer, Vancity 

 
 38  Co-operators 

Co-operative Identity: Social impact 

Good people with great ideas are  
building a better world   

We contribute to a rich array of community organizations that are building 
environmental resilience, enriching social wellness, creating a more inclusive 
economy and championing a co-operative society.  Taken together, these are 
key dimensions of more resilient communities, and they comprise what we 
call our social impact framework.  

2022 Integrated Annual Report  39 

Building environmental resilience 
Damage and loss from climate-related events are increasing. Insurance is a  
critical but incomplete solution to the climate risk problem, because as risks  
increase, insurance will become less affordable.  To minimize disruption and  
to facilitate an equitable transition, we need climate-resilient infrastructure to  
ensure our communities are built to better withstand climate change.  To help  
Canadian municipalities identify risks, needs and opportunities around  
climate-resilient infrastructure, we’ve supported the Federation of Canadian  
Municipalities and are partnered with ICLEI Canada and the Institute for  
Catastrophic Loss Reduction.  To learn more about how we’re investing  
and advocating for climate resilience, see page 46.   

Climate change does not affect all communities or groups of people equally.  
Vulnerable populations and people who have been marginalized are 
disproportionately impacted by these risks and events.  We are working 
with Partners for Action (P4A) at the University of  Waterloo in a three-year,  
$500,000 partnership to reduce flood-risk vulnerability in our communities.  
Building on P4A’s census-based socio-economic vulnerability index, we will  
be exploring how to incorporate equity considerations into flood and  
disaster risk foresight, planning and management in Canada.   

To influence a more sustainable construction and demolition waste cycle,  
we contributed $350,000 to launch the Zero Waste Economic Transformation  
Lab in partnership with the Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad  
(COIL) and the City of Guelph, Ontario.  The Lab identifies new markets for  
salvaged building materials and determines how and where they can be  
repurposed, keeping waste out of the landfill, and reducing the emissions  
and resources required to build new materials. 

”Effective partnerships allow for innovation  
and agility.  We start with a shared vision  
of resilience for Canadians and design  
projects to work towards this reality.” 

Ewa Jackson, Managing Director, ICLEI Canada 

Enriching social wellness    
According to Youth Mental Health Canada, 70% of mental health problems 
begin during childhood or adolescence, and young people aged 15 to 24 
are more likely to experience mental illness and/or substance use disorders 
than any other age group. In 2022, we continued our focus on improving 
mental health for youth aged 18-25 through a breadth of partnerships that 
aim to influence youth mental health along the spectrum from upstream, 
preventative programs through effective management to crisis support.  

In partnership with Enactus Canada, we supported 355 youth in completing  
an in-depth, four-hour Mental health First Aid training course to equip them  
with the knowledge and skills to help themselves and others navigate mental  
health challenges.  We also supported Jack.org’s Be There Certificate, a self-
guided online course that teaches young people how to help a peer who may  
be struggling. Since this course launched in March 2022, 15,955 youth have  
completed it.  

Building on our long-term support of Crisis Text Line Powered by Kids  
Help Phone, since 2021 we have also funded their Peer Support Program, 
enabling 239,000 youth to interact with their peers using online support 
forums to chat, share, learn and connect to resources. Considering youth 
often confide in a peer as their first point of outreach, this Peer Support 
Program has filled a known gap in the youth mental health ecosystem.  

“I had a friend text me that was having  
suicidal ideation.  And it was because of  
the resources that Jack.org gave me to  
be able to get them the help they needed  
that my friend is alive today.” 

Youth Participant,  Jack.org’s Be There Certificate program 

SDG 3: Good health and well-being | Target 3.4 – Mental health and well-being 
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | Target 8.4 – Improve resource efficiency    
SDG 13: Climate action | Target 13.1 – Build climate resilience; 13.3 – Awareness raising on climate impact reduction and early warning  

 
40  Co  operators 

-

Creating a more inclusive economy 
An inclusive economy leaves no one behind, especially those who are vulnerable.  
Through Co-operators Community Funds (CCF), we support young, underserved  
Canadians and people with mental health challenges as they build their financial security.  
In 2022, $900,000 in grants were disbursed to 42 organizations.  As a flagship initiative  
of  CCF, Pathways to Employability initiative provided over $815,000 in programmatic 
funding for 11 partnerships that support the post-pandemic recovery of young Canadians  
who had lost jobs or educational opportunities due to COVID-19.  Through this initiative,  
we partner with non-profits, social enterprises, co-ops and charities to source, hire, train and  
retain young Canadians in their organizations over the long term, and develop resources to  
support these efforts.  Learn more about all CCF programs and their impacts in the CCF  
Annual Report which can be found at cooperators.ca. 

In partnership with Prosper Canada, we have explored how to increase access to affordable,  
appropriate and trustworthy financial services for Canadians living on low incomes.  As a key  
outcome of this work, Prosper has conceptualized and published a problem brief to inform  
policymakers and financial services stakeholders, highlighting gaps in financial services for  
low-income Canadians and the barriers to overcome.   

We also partner with GOOD TO BE GOOD, a non-profit with a mission to serve women, girls  
and gender-diverse individuals from communities affected by historical disadvantages,  
discrimination and systemic barriers. Our support helped provide free and low-barrier  
access for 19 participants in their “Change Make-Her” entrepreneurship support program in  
2022.  Through this partnership we’re thrilled to provide core funding that invests in their  
mission to provide services, supports, and resources to women and gender-diverse  
individuals from priority communities, including those who are living with disabilities,  
racialized women, Black women, Indigenous women, trans, gender-expansive and  
non-binary people, senior women, low-income and immigrant women.  

“Co-operators understands  
the importance of flexible  
and trust-based funding to  
non-profits doing meaningful  
work and facilitating resilience.” 

Char San Pedro, Founder & Executive Director,  
GOOD TO BE GOOD  

SDG 4: Quality education | Target 4.4 – Increase skills for employment  
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities | Target 10.2 – Inclusion for all 

 
 
Championing a co-operative society 
We contributed $2.5 million to the ongoing development and advancement of the Canadian  
co-operative sector in 2022.  A significant portion of this support comes from our Co-operative  
Development Program (CDP), which contributed $500,000 to 36 emerging and expanding  
Canadian co-operatives. CDP’s 2022 recipients included:  

•   Black Women Professional Worker Co-op in Richmond Hill, Ontario, which supports BIPOC 

women to expand their enterprises in the food ecosystem network by providing tools and 
resources that broaden access to local retail channels and international markets.  

•   Yellowknife Car Share Co-operative in the Northwest Territories, which aims to decrease 

carbon emissions and extend the public transportation system for people unable to afford 
their own vehicle.  

•   River Select Fishery Co-operative in Williams Lake, British Columbia, founded by three 

groups of First Nations, which works with more than 20 Indigenous fisheries enterprises, 
helping to facilitate a responsible trade environment for participating members that is  
governed by, and for, Indigenous seafood producers supporting sustainable fisheries,  
local fishing cultures, and their food security.  

The co-operatives we fund through CDP span the country and represent a variety of sectors, 
meeting the varied unmet and ill-met needs of our communities. 

In addition, to engage and support younger generations in the co-operative movement, as part  
of the Pathways to Employability initiative of Co-operators Community Funds (see page 40),  
our Co-operators Young Leaders Award recognized 12 young changemakers from 18 to 35 who  
are involved in the co-operatives and mutuals sector in Canada. Each Young Leader received 
$1000 and the opportunity to connect and network with leaders in the co-operative sector.  
This award was created in collaboration with Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC) and 
aims to support young Canadians who have been identified as future leaders of the sector.  

“This award has allowed me to grow as an engaged  
member of the co-operative community. Not only was  
I able to learn from experts in the sector, but I could  
connect and engage with knowledgeable and motivated  
youth looking to create more opportunities in the sector  
and the co-op movement at large.”  

Marla Gagnier, BC Co-operative Association, 2022 Co-operators Young Leader  
Award Winner 

SDG 1: No poverty | Target 1.2 – Reduce poverty 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  41 

We invest in Canadian  
communities 

$10.6 million    

contributed in community investments 

Co-operators Community Funds disbursed  

$900,000  

to charities, non-profits and 
co-operatives   

$815,000  

to Pathways to Employability    

 
 
42  Co-operators 

Feature story 

Working together to build a  
solidarity economy  

Funded through a multi-year partnership from 2022 to 2024 with 
Co-operators Community Funds, Solid State Community Industries 
is focused on empowering underserved youth, predominantly from 
racialized backgrounds, to develop culturally-appropriate co-operative 
solutions that help to address un-met or ill-met needs within their community.     

Based in Surrey, British Columbia, Solid State Community Industries helps young people build their 
own enterprises, primarily in the form of worker co-operatives. Through their involvement at Solid State,  
young people gain real-world skills and earn real income. Our multi-year funding is supporting Solid 
State and its participants (pictured), with the goal of launching nine new co-ops over the next three years.  
Since 2017, over 20 co-ops have emerged through Solid State’s efforts. 

“We really want to instill co-operative values in our community  
because they provide necessary tools that people in Surrey need  
to give themselves autonomy.” 

Vanessa Fajemisin, Co-director Solid State and Mentor, Daily Dose of Blackness 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  43 

Co-operative Identity: Co-operators in your community 

We support people who care for our communities 

Every year, our employees and Financial Advisors support their local communities through volunteering, donations and 
community involvement.  Through paid volunteer days, awards and annual giving campaigns, we help our people give back. 

Volunteering in our 
communities 
Total equivalent salary to support 
employee volunteering  

Community support 
Number of employee volunteers  
who participated in our annual 
Apple Day 

$902,084  

160  

Percentage of employees that used  
a portion of their paid volunteer 
days in 2022 

Approximately 

44,000 kg  

of apples picked 

31% 

Distributed to over   

100  

community organizations 

Total volunteer hours tracked 

20,835  

“It’s important to 
support our 
communities 
financially and 
through volunteering.  
We’re fortunate to 
have the tremendous 
support from our 
communities, and we 
can give back by 
supporting local 
organizations and 
non-profits.” 

Todd Ritchie, Financial Advisor and 
Co-operators Community Achievement  
Award Recipient 

Advisor Community Fund 
Total Financial Advisor contribution 

$299,761   

Total Co-operators contribution 

$756,747  

United Way Annual 
Giving Campaign 
Total employee contribution 

$279,971 

Total Co-operators contribution 

$416,439 

 
 
  
 
  
44  Co  operators 

-

Co -operative Identity: Climate action and advocacy 

We’re on a crucial path to net zero 

The urgency to drastically reduce global emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change requires companies and governments  
to systematically eliminate emissions of their operations and their investments.  At Co-operators, we’re committed to both,  
and are mapping our journey to net zero. 

Key challenge 
Interdependent decarbonization 
Eliminating the carbon emissions of 
our operations is largely influenced  
by decisions outside our control.  
The emissions of provincial electricity 
grids, availability of electric vehicle 
charging infrastructure across the 
country, vendors’ and landlords’  
decarbonization processes, staff’s  
personal commuting decisions,  
and home office energy efficiency 
all factor into our footprint. To catalyze 
coordinated action, we have begun to 
engage key departments throughout  
our organization on decarbonization  
pathways for our emissions sources  
and continue advocating for net -zero  
action in Canada. 

-

From carbon neutral to net-zero 
We have been carbon neutral since 2020 and have achieved this by reducing our corporate emissions by  
35% from 2019 base year levels and offsetting the remainder using carbon offsets that have been verified to  
a recognized standard, to ensure quality.  We are committed to going further and have set targets to become net  
zero in both our operations and our investments within the timeframes recommended by the Intergovernmental  
Panel on Climate Change.  To motivate progress toward net-zero goals, we have set interim targets and milestones  
that will hold us to account. 

Energy consumption relative to our total income (gigajoules / $1 million)* 

23 gigajoules / $1 million 

2021: 20 gigajoules / $1 million 
2020: 21 gigajoules / $1 million 

Net zero operations by 2040 
We have a target to reduce the emissions of our operations by 45% by 2030 and achieve net zero by no  
later than 2040.  This includes both direct emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions (Scopes 2 and 3),  
including emissions resulting from corporate offices, Financial Advisor offices, fleet vehicles and business travel.  
Reflecting our commitment to leadership and to ensure our carbon accounting is aligned with the realities of  
hybrid and virtual work modes, we also track emissions from employee commuting and working from home,  
and Information Technology assets and services.  To incentivize progress and hold us to account, in 2022 our 
Board of Directors initiated the process of tying progress toward our net zero operations targets to our 
president and CEO’s long-term incentive plan in 2023.  

*Results for energy consumption have been restated  —— see our Supplementary Disclosures at cooperators.ca/reports.

 
2022 emissions impacted by post-
pandemic rebound 
Our operational emissions increased from 2021 
levels, an increase we predicted since business 
travel had been reduced to near zero and operational  
emissions decreased at a time when we were 
working remotely.   We project that this trend will  
continue in 2023, and we are broadening and 
deepening engagement with various departments  
on our decarbonization pathways to drive us  
towards our net-zero commitment.   

Operational carbon emissions** 

31,457 

18,929 

17,568 

20,532 

2019 
(base year) 

2020 

2021 

2022 

tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent 

Net zero investments by 2050 
Our invested assets are one of the most significant  
levers we can use to catalyze climate action for  
a net-zero future. By 2025, we will reduce the  
economic emission intensity of our investments by  
25% from 2020 levels (including public equities  
and publicly-traded bond portfolios). By no later  
than 2050, our entire investment portfolio will be  
net zero.  Along the way, we will set new interim  
targets every four years and disclose our progress  
toward these goals at least annually. In addition,  
our institutional asset manager,  Addenda Capital,  
set a target to ensure all assets under management  
will be net zero by 2050 or sooner.   

2022 Integrated Annual Report  45 

In 2022, we changed our methodology for  
calculating financed emissions to improve  
accuracy.  Therefore, our 2022 result should not  
be compared to prior year results. Efforts are  
underway in 2023 in attempt to restate prior  
year results.  

2022 economic emission intensity of 
Co-operators listed equity and corporate  
bond portfolios 

57.5 tCO2e 
per $1 million 
invested 

Results using previous methodology 
2021: 6  7.0 tCO2e / $1 million invested 
2020: 7  7.7 tCO2e / $1 million invested 

Get the full picture of our climate risks, 
opportunities and impacts 

-

-

Our Task Force on Climate -related  
Financial Disclosures Report outlines   
our climate -related governance, strategy, 
and risk management, as well as metrics 
and targets, which can be found online at 
cooperators.ca/reports. For more on how 
we calculate our energy use and operational 
carbon footprint, and a breakdown of 
direct and indirect emissions, see our 
Supplementary Disclosure ‘Our carbon  
footprint.’ For more details on the carbon 
emissions from our investments, see our  
Supplementary Disclosure ‘Carbon footprint  
of our investment portfolios.’ 

**Results for operational carbon emissions have been restated see our Supplementary Disclosures at 
cooperators.ca/reports. 

 
 
 46  Co-operators 

Co-operative Identity: Climate action and advocacy 

We’re strong advocates for a sustainable,  
climate-resilient future 

We actively leverage our co-operative’s voice as a convener and advocate for policies, initiatives and ideas that will move 
our industry, our economy and our society towards sustainability. 

A global movement to decarbonize our economy 
As part of our ongoing work with the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative — Principles for Sustainable Insurance (UNEP FI - PSI), Co-operators became 
the first Canadian insurer and second Canadian organization to join the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, an international group of institutional investors 
who are working to transition investment portfolios to net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. Following this, our asset management company, Addenda Capital, signed 
on to the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, a global movement of financial institutions managed by six international investor networks. We are proud to join a network 
of global companies, which at the end of 2022 amounted to over $150 trillion USD of climate-committed capital. More information about Addenda Capital’s net zero 
targets and progress can be found in their TCFD Report online at addendacapital.com. 

Facilitating an equitable transition to net zero  
Climate change and the transition to a net zero future will not impact people or communities in equal measure.  We’re part of a Canadian Working Group of the UNEP FI PSI  
that has convened insurers to better understand how to support an equitable and sustainable transition to a low carbon-emissions economy through grassroots, industry,  
and government engagement and education.  This work will explore the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations in terms of their health, well-being and financial  
security.  The roundtable’s first area of focus is a whitepaper on the known and anticipated impacts of climate change on health and well-being, with recommendations on how  
the industry can act to reduce risks and drive action at the community and individual level.  

Influencing Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy 
Co-operators contributed to the development of the federal government’s National Adaptation Strategy through participation in an advisory table, coalitions such as Climate  
Proof Canada, meetings with government officials and a comprehensive submission to help shape the Strategy, which was released publicly in November 2022.  We presented  
four overarching recommendations, focused on complementing a multi-faceted effort to better prepare Canadian communities for the climate-related risks and impacts we face.  
Recommendations were to 1) Catalyze investment in resilience to protect Canadian communities; 2) Prioritize improved climate risk data, understanding and education;  
3) Take an inclusive approach to ensure an equitable transition; and 4) Ensure solutions incentivize appropriate action. 

Sustainable Finance Action Council  
Working in collaboration with peers across the financial services sector, we’re active members of Canada’s Sustainable Finance Action Council, which makes 
recommendations on critical market infrastructure needed to attract and scale sustainable finance in Canada. Through the council, we advocate for a mobilization 
of private capital to accelerate Canada’s journey to a resilient, net-zero society, believing the private sector has a significant role to play in scaling solutions for 
climate mitigation and adaptation in communities.   

A full list of our advocacy efforts and initiatives can be found in our Supplementary Disclosures at cooperators.ca/reports. 

SDG 1: No poverty | Target 1.5 – Climate resilience of the poor/vulnerable 
SDG 13: Climate action | Target 13.1 – Build climate resilience 
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | Target 17.17 – Multi-stakeholder partnerships 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  47 

Feature story 

Accelerating Canadian  
climate adaptation 

We need creative, whole-of-society partnerships and imaginative 
ideas to meet the climate crisis head on.  That’s why we’re working 
with municipalities, investors, and all orders of government in 
attempt to finance, scale and accelerate climate adaptation projects 
in Canada.  

Don Iveson, Co-operators Executive Advisor for Climate Investing and Community Resilience understands the  risks  
facing municipalities. During his time as Mayor of Edmonton, he sought to build collaborative partnerships to  tackle  
complex challenges like climate change.  With aging infrastructure, funding gaps and limited capacity challenging  
local governments across the country, communities are calling for more support to tackle the impacts of our changing  
climate, and Co-operators is working to co-develop a creative solution to this significant challenge.   

Through our resilience investing project, we aim to bring private capital into the adaptation conversation, building a business  
case for investors to fund the infrastructure projects we know are needed to make Canadian communities more resilient and  
better adapted to climate change.  Working with partners like ICLEI Canada, GLOBE, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction,  
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Climate Proof Canada, the Institute for Sustainable Finance and more, we’ve convened  
critical conversations and built capacity to bring imaginative and collaborative climate adaptation solutions to life.   

“Canada must take bold action to improve our resiliency in the face of  
climate change — which is already upon us and is sadly poised to worsen.  
I’m so proud to work with Co-operators on assembling the creative and  
committed multistakeholder collaboration we need. Our whole-of-society  
approach brings communities, residents, asset owners, governments and  
investors together to build a more resilient future.”  

Don Iveson (pictured), Former Mayor of Edmonton and Co-operators Executive Advisor,  
Climate Investing and Community Resilience 

SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure | Target 9.4 – more low-carbon and resource-efficient 
infrastructure and industry  
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | Target 11.b – Communities adopt policies/plans for inclusion,  
resource efficiency, climate and resilience 

 
 48  Co-operators 

Co-operative Identity: Sustainable Investing 

Leading the way in sustainable investing 

Co-operators invested assets adopt a sustainable investing lens, which analyzes environmental, social, and governance (ESG) 
issues of our portfolio and provides a deeper understanding of potential risks and opportunities of our investments. 

Our sustainable investing approach 
Our asset management company Addenda Capital invests to generate compelling returns while 
considering the challenges of our time. Addenda offers sustainable investing strategies that aim to  
foster positive social and environmental changes and open the path to a cleaner future. Our four-pronged  
sustainable investing approach seeks to add value by: 1) Promoting sustainable financial markets to 
address systemic sustainability issues; 2) Providing full ESG integration and analysis; 3) Stewardship 
through proxy voting and engagement; and 4) Offering sustainable and impact solutions to invest 
in opportunities that have a positive impact on society. For more on Co-operators Sustainable and 
Impact Investing policy see our Supplementary Disclosures online. 

Mobilizing the climate transition 
Addenda’s Canadian and International Climate Transition Equity Funds were launched in 2021 
with $100 million in seed capital from Co-operators. Both funds are net zero aligned. Our climate 
transition strategy has a strong engagement focus, designed to push companies to increase their 
climate change and net-zero ambitions. Since the launch of the funds, we’ve held 23 meetings with 
companies discussing their climate strategies and progress made. 

Key challenge 
Demand for ESG investments leads 
to instances of greenwashing in 
the industry 
From 2019 to 2021, annual inflows into 
sustainable mutual funds and ETFs 
worldwide jumped from US$172.4 billion 
to US$596.2 billion. As funds scramble to 
meet demand, consumer confusion and  
greenwashing concerns have also grown. 
Key aspects of sustainable investing 
— especially in terms of credible ESG 
practices — are in the investing spotlight. 
We consider this long-expected scrutiny  
part of a natural process that will lead 
to a more mature phase of increased 
standardization and transparency.  
Addenda Capital is a firm supporter of 
this, believing increased standardization  
and transparency will go a long way in 
mitigating confusion and exposing  
ESG imposters. 

 
 
  
2022 Integrated Annual Report  49 

Feature story 

We help markets transition 
to a net-zero future 

We advocate for and support companies in 
reaching net zero targets and hold them to 
account if they are not adequately incorporating 
climate change into their strategy, performance,  
governance, compensation or approach to risks. 

President and CEO of Addenda Capital, Roger Beauchemin, 
is the Board Chair of the Responsible Investment Association, 
which was one of four founding investor networks of Climate 
Engagement Canada. This coalition of financial leaders joined  
together to drive dialogue between investors and industry with  
a  goal of promoting a just transition to a net zero economy.  

Addenda Capital is a founding supporter of this coalition of over 
40 companies with $3.8 trillion in assets under management. 
This finance-led initiative is focused on engaging top reporting  
emitters on the Toronto Stock Exchange who have significant 
opportunity to move Canada towards its net zero targets. 

“We put engagement at the heart  
of our own stewardship activities,  
and the collaborative nature of  
Climate Engagement Canada will  
only accelerate the pace toward a  
successful transition to net zero.”  

Roger Beauchemin, President and Chief Executive Officer, 
Addenda Capital  

Our sustainable and impact investing solutions  

Impact investing 
Impact investments create both compelling financial returns and positive  
social and/or environmental impact that can be adequately measured,  
tracked and reported. For an in-depth look at our impact investing  
targets and performance, see page 50.   

Climate transition investments  
The Addenda Climate Transition approach builds investment portfolios  
that work closely with companies who have cr
edible net-zero strategies  
in place.  We engage companies through action plans to ensure they are  
meaningfully contributing to collective change — that is, a resilient  
net-zero emissions society by 2050. For more on our climate transition  
investment strategies see page 48. 

Fossil fuel free global equity   
For clients that wish to divest entirely from fossil fuels in their investment  
strategy, we offer our Addenda Fossil Fuel Free Global Equity Pooled  
Fund.  The Fund offers clients an exclusionary investing approach towards  
fossil fuels while generating compelling risk-adjusted returns.   

Eco-social commercial mortgages  
One of the first of its kind in Canada, this fund aims to support the  
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, by addressing issues  
where Canada can make progress on housing, more sustainable cities  
and communities, reduced inequalities, good health and well-being,  
and quality education.  Addenda’s Eco-Social Fund invests in focus  
areas including: affordable housing; green buildings; underrepresented  
groups; cultural, non-profit and community facilities; and health  
and education.  

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production | Target 12.6 – Corporate  
adoption of sustainable practices 

  
 
 
 
 50  Co-operators 

Co-operative Identity: Impact investing 

We invest for positive impact to build prosperity  

Impact investments provide compelling financial returns and help de-risk our economy and communities through investing 
in cleaner energy systems, resilient infrastructure, affordable housing, mental health supports and more. 

Leading the way on impact investing 
By the end of 2022, we had invested 23.6% of our total portfolio into impact investments that measurably address 
the world’s pressing environmental and social issues, far exceeding our original target. When we also take transition 
investments into account, this grows to over 45%, bringing us closer to our 2026 target. For our efforts, we’ve been 
recognized as a leader in this space by Environmental Finance as Insurer of the Year. 

$2.69 billion invested in impact investments by the end of 2022. 

We’re committed to making a bigger impact 

By 2026: 50% of our total invested 
assets will be impact investments or 
those that support the transition to a 
sustainable, resilient, low-emissions 
society. 

By 2030: 
We will increase 
this to 60%. 

50% 

60% 

Expanding Canada’s fixed income impact investing market 
To catalyze private capital flowing toward solving sustainability challenges such as affordable housing,  
increasing energy efficiency, developing cleaner transportation systems and providing better health   
care solutions, Addenda launched Canada’s first Impact Fixed Income Pooled Fund in 2018. At year-end 2022,   
this fund had grown to over $237 million in assets under management and continues to grow. The fund invests   
in securities financing initiatives supporting climate change solutions, health and wellness, education and 
community development.  

Impact investments by theme 

Climate change 
74.1% 

Community  
development 
21.6% 

Health and wellness 
2.1% 

Education 
1.4% 

Food, agriculture and 
natural resources 
0.8% 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  51 

2022 Impact investments 

Breaking down the impact of our investments  

Our investments are focused on five impact themes: climate change, community development, health and wellness, education,  
and food, agriculture and natural resources. In each of these areas, we monitor and report on the impact* achieved by the 
projects and initiatives in which we are active investors. Reflecting the impact of many investors pooling capital to drive positive 
change, these numbers aren’t the result of Co-operators alone, but depict what’s possible when we work together. 

Climate crisis 

86.5 million MWh of renewable  
energy generated, enough to  
provide electricity to over 7.5  
million homes for one year.   

Community 
development 
Invested in credit unions that  
paid $401.0 million in patronage  
and dividends to members.  

Health and wellness 

Education 

Invested in projects that  
provided 1,040 units of  
non-profit seniors housing.  

Invested in post-secondary  
institutions that conferred  
61,042 degrees.  

Food, agriculture and 
natural resources 
Invested in companies that 
conserved over 250,000 m3  
of water, enough to fill about  
70 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

SDG 1: No poverty | Target 1.2 – reduce poverty 
SDG 2: Zero hunger | Target 2.4 – building sustainable and resilient food and agricultural systems 
SDG 4: Quality education | Target 4.3 – access to post -secondary education  
SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy | Target 7.2 – increase renewable energy share 
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | Target 11.1 – access to affordable housing   

-

*These impacts do not result solely from our investments, but depicts the total impact achieved by the projects and initiatives in which we invest. 
Because of reporting periods, this value is for fiscal 2021. 

 
 
 
 
 
 52  Co-operators 

Co-operative Identity: Impact investing 

Impact investing 2022 spotlights  

Impact investments generate financial returns while intentionally creating or aligning with measurable 
social and environmental benefits. Here are two highlighted examples of impact investments from 2022 
that demonstrate how financial prosperity can be directed to build a more sustainable, resilient society. 

Government of Canada Green Bond 
Theme: Climate change 

Dream Industrial REIT Green Financing 
Theme: Climate change 

Focus Area: Energy efficiency 

Amount invested: $159.7 million 

Focus Area: Energy efficiency  

Amount invested: $1.4 million  

Description: The Government of Canada developed its inaugural Green  
Bond Framework to align with its commitments to fight climate change,  
conserve biodiversity and protect the environment.  This framework  
allows the government to utilize funding for projects aiming to reduce  
carbon emissions and enhance climate resilience, while ensuring a just  
and prosperous future for all Canadians. 

Description: Dream Industrial REIT developed its Green Financing  
Framework to support its transition towards a sustainable future and its  
commitment to impact, sustainability, and ESG initiatives.  The Framework  
will enable utilization of funding for projects mainly focused on green  
buildings and improving energy efficiency. 

 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  53 

Through impact  
investing we build  
compelling portfolios  
that will lay the  
groundwork for a  
resilient society and  
a better future. 

 
55 

Strategic performance summary  

Competitiveness  

We pursue profit for a social purpose.  
Strengthened by a solid financial 
foundation and capital position,   
we’ve become a trusted provider of  
holistic financial services and advice,  
designing solutions that move  
Canadians towards a more resilient,   
sustainable future.  

 
 56  Co-operators 

Competitiveness: Financial performance  

Our 2022 financial  
performance summary  

Our continued strength enables us to make decisions for the sustainability of future generations,  
while persevering through times of volatility.  While 2022 undoubtedly strained national and global 
economies with inflation, market uncertainty and the risk of recession looming, we are confident our 
strong capital position and the resilience of our co-operative will enable us to stay focused on our 
purpose and continue meeting the needs of our members, clients and communities.  

2022 was a turbulent year for the global economy, but with our core values at  
the forefront, we were able to achieve our profitability goals and maintain our  
strong financial position.  At the end of our four-year strategy, we have 
accomplished a lot.  With our financial strength, we are well-equipped to 
continue building the bridge to our future, delivering on our next strategy,  
and making decisions for the sustainability of future generations, all while 
persevering through times of volatility. 

While our net income results were lower than 2021, we still achieved a return  
within our target range. Our performance was led, again, by strong underwriting  
results in our property and casualty (P&C) lines of business as well as an overall  
favourable impact from the rising interest rates and continued profitability from  
our core life insurance operations.  

With central banks attempting to combat inflation by increasing interest rates,  
equity markets suffered in 2022.  While the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)  
posted a negative return for the first time since 2018, Canada outperformed  
other markets on the strength of the energy sector.  While the rising yield curve  
and its impact on the valuation of our bond portfolio skews our investment gains  
on our income statement, we continue to benefit from sustained investment  
income as interest and dividend income increased over the prior year.  
The increase in the yield curve also favourably impacted our core operations  
as our reserves and provisions were discounted using the higher yields.  

favourable to expectations.  While claims frequency has increased over 2021,  
it remains lower than pre-pandemic levels.  We experienced solid top line 
growth across all core lines of business, mainly driven by meaningful rate 
setting as well as strong policy growth in our commercial line of business.  

Climate change and extreme weather events continue to negatively impact our  
clients, communities and our organization. In 2022, the May Derecho windstorm  
in  Ontario and Quebec and Hurricane Fiona in the Atlantic provinces saw a  
combined pre-tax impact of almost $140 million in insured losses (net of  
reinsurance). Climate change continues to significantly challenge our operations;  
maintaining our strong financial position will be key to managing this increased  
risk and uncertainty for our clients and our co-operative over the long term.  
Overall results were also challenged by our acceleration of spend on strategic  
initiatives this year, as we set ourselves up for future success.  

We expect further transformation into the future, and have made significant  
progress in laying the groundwork for our long-term strategy. Still, we know a  
significant amount of work is ahead, and foresee continued volatility in the global  
and Canadian economies and the increasing risk of climate related events.  

We remain steadfast in our mission to provide financial security for Canadians and  
are committed to optimizing our financial performance to ensure we can do so for  
years to come. 

Ongoing efforts to drive sustainable underwriting growth drove our positive  
P&C results this year. Our loss ratio increased in all lines of business, except farm,  
due to an increase in claims frequency and higher large losses but remained  

Karen Higgins   
Executive Vice-President,   
Finance and Chief Financial Officer 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  57 

Balance sheet and income statement overview  

Our strong capital position and increased focus on driving efficiencies and boosting profitability has enabled us to 
continue meeting the needs of the people we serve not just today, but long into the future.  

2022 balance sheet summary 
Despite a 6% decrease in total assets, our overall and regulatory  
capital positions remain very strong and have been acknowledged  
through financial strength upgrades from external rating agencies.  
With our financial strength, we are well-equipped to navigate  
continued uncertainty ahead while providing financial security   
for our members and clients. 

2022 income statement overview 
While not as strong as our record year in 2021, 2022 was another  
strong year as our P&C loss ratio continued to out-perform  
expectations and rising interest rates produced a positive impact  
to our net income.  These were partially offset by the impact of the  
weak equity markets and two climate related catastrophic events.  

Total assets 

$19.4
billion 

  -

Total liabilities 

$14.9  
billion 

= 

Total equity 

$4.5  
billion 

Total revenue 

Total expenses 

Net income 

$4,457.5
million 

  -

$4,148.6
million 

  = 

$308.9  
million 

 
 
 
 
 58  Co-operators 

Competitiveness: Brand evolution  

Keeping what matters safe, saving for  
what matters  

Four years ago, we set out to evolve our brand to become a trusted financial services provider, increasing our focus 
on advice-based solutions to protect our clients’ financial security.  Today, with our refreshed brand, we’ve reached 
a new milestone and are quickly growing our capacity to provide the solutions Canadians need, from investments,  
to insurance, to holistic financial advice.   

A transformation to meet all our clients’ financial needs 
Equipped with a suite of new mutual fund products and a fast-growing network of licensed Mutual Fund Investment Specialists, we have transformed our  
core business to be able to serve our clients in whatever financial planning capacity they need. Our national network of licensed Mutual Fund Investment  
Specialists have earned approval from their provincial regulators and achieved in-house wealth proficiency training.   

Growing advice-based solutions 

Proportion of agencies that are actively 
selling mutual funds 

Total wealth-related deposits (retail) 

$506.7 million  

82% 

 
 
  
2022 Integrated Annual Report  59 

Feature story 

Helping Canadians prepare   
their financial futures 

A 2022 Angus Reid research study commissioned by Co-operators 
found that 85% of financial professionals surveyed believed that 
a “culture of now” mindset was preventing most Canadians from 
prioritizing retirement planning, impeding their long-term 
financial security, and uncovering a need in the market.  

To better understand the challenges and gaps and to focus opportunities to grow meaningful advice-based services,  
we conducted market research with Canadian financial industry professionals working in the banking, financial/wealth  
management or insurance sectors across Canada who advise clients on RRSPs and TFSAs.   

Key findings of the survey 
•   93% believed most clients haven’t maximized their opportunities with RRSP planning,  TFSAs, or other long-term  

planning solutions.   

•   80% said when clients experience financial mishaps or losses they are overcome with doubt, which leads to indecision  

and in-action.   

•   76% felt that for people in urban centres, home ownership is increasingly out of reach, so clients are looking for short term  

DIY investment strategies, hoping to use this as a replacement for their long-term security.   

•   73% found a stigma of shame among those who have experienced financial losses. 
•   57% said most people felt too shy to ask questions about how long-term solutions like RRSPs and TFSAs work. 

These results illuminated gaps in financial literacy and hesitancy to plan for the long term. As inflation puts more stress on the finances of 
Canadians, and sharply rising interest rates raise the burden and pressures of those carrying debt, the importance of long-term financial 
security was underscored in 2022, an increasingly ill-met need we’re well-positioned to address. 

“Now more than ever, we’re encouraging Canadians to connect with their  
financial representative and explore together how to create an investment  
plan that will fit their unique and individual needs.”  

Jennifer Cook (pictured), Co-operators Financial Advisor and Mutual Fund Investment Specialist  

 
 60  Co-operators 

Competitiveness: Commercial growth  

Working together to support   
Canadian businesses  

Through competitive products and customized solutions solutions and advice, we can serve our business clients 
with insurance that meets their unique and varied needs.  At the same time, we strategically partner with brokers,  
Third-Party Administrators and Managing General Agents (MGAs)  who have established meaningful and positive 
relationships with businesses across Canada, offering specialized advice for a wide range of industries.  

Expanding to better serve Canadian businesses   
We see significant growth opportunity in becoming a leader in the small-to-medium sized commercial-property insurance market.  
Over our four-year strategic period, by the end of 2022, we secured 108,114 commer
cial policies through our Financial Advisor 
network, and grew our total premiums by over 68%, far exceeding our growth targets and increasing our presence in Canadian 
communities, and supporting a greater number of business clients. 

Our broker partnerships serve a growing diversity of business clients  
Through Sovereign Insurance, our subsidiary serving specialized and larger commercial clients, we employ a diversified 
distribution strategy that offers Canadian businesses more opportunity to protect themselves. Given the wide range of clients 
we serve, along with the diversity of products, services and solutions we offer, it’s critical that we reach clients in the ways that 
work best for them.  We understand that specialized businesses face unique challenges, and through the deep relationships 
we’ve built with independent brokers and MGAs, we leverage one another’s strengths to develop compelling and relevant 
solutions that meet their clients’ specific needs. Working in partnership with these brokers and MGAs, we strive to build deep,  
meaningful relationships that will help us grow and scale our respective businesses. 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  61 

e 

Business owners face  
different risks today than  
three years ago, and ther
is no one-size-fits-all  
solution. Our bespoke  
approach provides  
comprehensive advice  
to handle whatever risk  
comes their way.  

 
 
62  Co-operators 

Feature story 

Charting forward in a year  
of volatility 

High inflation, rising interest rates, and an increase in climate-related  
risks have put pressure on Canadians and created conditions of  
volatility we must navigate as a business. Ensuring we’re effectively  
managing our risks, expenses and business practices to ensure continued  
strength and stability is critical to our long-term ability to meet the needs of  
the people we serve. 

Inflation has impacted the lives and finances of Canadians, especially lower-income populations and those who are  
more vulnerable to economic shifts. From our investments, to our operations and employees, we’ve taken steps to ensure  
we can navigate these shifts while also ensuring we are adequately protecting the financial security of the people we serve,  
and building resilience to volatility along the way.   

Investments 
Financial markets have experienced volatility as a result of Bank of Canada rate action, resulting in a rise in interest rates. The rise in 
interest rates, coupled with the financial market uncertainty have put downward pressure on bond and equity valuations. This volatility 
has impacted our investment yields and overall financial results. Our strong capital position and prudent investment policy enables us to 
take a longer-term view on investments and withstand shorter term volatility like the negative investment performance we experienced in 
2022 due to the decline in global markets. 

Insurance  
Because of the long-term nature of life insurance, our financial performance of this book of business is heavily impacted by interest rate movements.  
The strength of the investments we purchase are essential to paying claims in the future. On the property and casualty side, the cost of living,  
the price of goods and services, and the cost of repairs impact premium pricing, because they fundamentally change the value of the properties  
we insure.  To ensure clients are adequately protected, Financial Advisors conduct regular policy reviews with clients, which provide opportunity to  
educate about the importance of insuring items to their current value, adjusted for inflation.  

Our organization 
Rising costs also impact our employees, with the rate of inflation far outpacing wages in Canada according to a 2022 study by 
Statistics Canada. We are pleased to provide a comprehensive package of rewards, including compensation, to our employees,  
and routinely review this against the external market to ensure we remain competitive and support our most valuable asset 
— our people. At the same time, to keep expenses down, we’ve implemented a cost optimization program, focused on 
building centers of expertise, outsourcing and leveraging third parties, continuing to find efficiencies through process  
automation, and stopping work where necessary to prioritize key areas that will drive us toward our strategic objectives. 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  63 

Competitiveness: Profitability and growth  

Our financial strength will secure the future   
for our clients  

Our strong capital position ensures we can face the risks and impacts that we know will increase with continued uncertainty 
from climate change, financial volatility, and other complexities. By effectively managing our risks, expenses and business 
practices, we help secure the long-term stability required to meet the needs of the people we serve.  

Key challenge 
Constrained growth in our 
life insurance business 
With a high degree of change impacting  
our Financial Advisor network coupled   
with the lingering effects of the pandemic,  
sales growth has been slow in our life  
insurance line of business.  This is impacting  
the overall growth of Co-operators life  
and our expense ratios.  To reach more  
Canadians and to better diversify our  
distribution channels, we are executing on  
a Third-Party Distribution strategy across  
multiple lines of business.  The product  
and service improvements we make will  
benefit all our channels, and the resulting  
growth will improve our competitiveness  
and profitability.  

At the outset of our 2019 to 2022 corporate strategy, we had a goal to sharpen the profitability of our core  
business lines and improve our efficiency and expense ratios to navigate the volatility we saw on the horizon.  
Today, we’ve largely achieved that goal, emerging with a stronger financial position and an enterprise positioned  
to face the future with confidence.  

The two biggest challenges with expense management have been the current high inflationary environment  
and the acceleration of our strategic spend. Inflation has put an enormous amount of upward pressure on our  
salaries and benefits — our most significant expense – and we have had to balance the prioritization and 
progress towards our strategic goals with overall profitability, while ensuring we continue to reward,  
incentivize and retain the talent in our workforce. Through various expense management initiatives,  
we have been able to deliver on our strategic goals while also keeping our general expenses in line  
with overall expectations. 

“Our strong financial position gives our members and  
policyholders peace of mind that we will be able to deliver  
on our purpose to provide financial security for Canadians —  
whether at a time of an insurance loss or upon a major life  
event. Our position also enables us to re-invest back into our  
communities and invest in initiatives that better the planet.” 

Lesley Christodoulou, Vice President, Corporate Finance Services 

 
65 

Strategic performance summary  

Workforce  
Capability  

Our people make our co-operative 
thrive, and we’re focused on 
prioritizing their health,   
well-being, and personal and 
professional development.   
Taking care of our people  
means cultivating the ideas  
that strengthen our  
co-operative and keep  
us moving forward. 

 66  Co-operators 

Workforce Capability: Employee engagement 

An engaged workforce is paramount to our  
shared success 

In times of significant transformation, it’s especially important to take care of our people and equip them with the resources  
and support they need to navigate change, not just as employees but as valued members of our society. 

Given the shifting nature of work brought about  
by the pandemic — furthered by ongoing mental,  
emotional and economic pressures from complex  
issues in the world around us — people across  
industries have faced challenges in staying engaged.  
As part of the evolution we’ve undergone as an  
organization, employees have faced compounding  
internal and external challenges, which has resulted  
in decreased levels of engagement. 

Overall Employee Engagement Score 

71% 

Each year, we strive to 
maintain an employee 
engagement score of 80%  
or higher. In 2022, we fell 
short of this target. 

What employees told us in 2022 
Employees were highly engaged when it came to diversity and inclusion, manager support, and levels of 
collaboration throughout the organization. Areas for improvement include employee perceptions of our ability  
to attract, retain and promote top talent, rewards and recognition, and the degree to which we’re enabling the 
infrastructure required to effectively perform work tasks. 

2022 survey dimensions that  
scored highest 

2022 survey dimensions that 
scored lowest 

Diversity and inclusion 

Manager support 

Talent and staffing 

Rewards and recognition 

80% 

85% 

50% 

56% 

How we’re taking action to improve 
To ensure that we can attract, develop and retain talented people, we’re updating our Rewards and Compensation  
model, improving our Performance Management Program, and better defining and prioritizing initiatives to  
manage the changes laid out in our transformation.    

 
  
   
The workplace can be an enriching environment 
By supporting the health, well-being and continuous education of  our  
people, we lay the foundation of high-performance.  Through  lifelong 
learning, benefits, pension, disability resources, and wellness and  
recognition programs, we invest in our people.  A key aspect of this is  
our mental-health support, which provides employees up to $5,000 per  
beneficiary per year toward mental-health  practitioners,  and  on-demand  
employee  assistance  programs for everyday life and in times of crisis.  
They also have virtual fitness sessions, $750 (per employee) in  
personal — and health-care spending accounts, and more. 

Supporting lifelong learning 

We prioritize learning and development, ensuring that employees have  
opportunities to expand their capacity and broaden their perspectives. 

Average investment in employee training and development 

$897 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  67 

Financial Advisor Engagement 

Challenges through 
transformation 

As independently owned and operated businesses,  
our Financial Advisor agencies have been challenged 
throughout the pandemic.  At the same time, they have 
undergone significant business transformation to deliver on 
the objectives of our four-year strategy.  A newly launched 
Advisor Engagement Survey shed light on the challenges and  
pain points facing our advisors during this time of change.  
With an overall engagement score of 43%*, we acknowledge 
the difficulty and we are dedicated to doing better.   

Advisors identified key pain points around our digital 
transformation, revealing a need for supporting technology 
and systems that will drive success. Improving client-facing 
services, such as our call centres, and freeing up capacity will 
enable them to focus on providing advice and fulfilling their 
clients’ needs.   

*This was a strategic-performance indicator in prior years.  
Because the survey methodology was updated in 2022, 
however, we made the decision not to compare to previous 
scores and will use it as a baseline going forward. 

Taking action to improve  
Advisor mental health program   
This program aims to enhance and strengthen resiliency 
and mental well-being of advisors and their staff. The goal 
is to motivate, inspire and develop behaviours and skills 
that create conditions for overall well-being and good 
mental health.  

Client Relations Team   
We developed a team to support Financial Advisors with 
the management of client complaints. Advisors can escalate 
complaints through the National Complaints Database and 
clients can email or call the team directly. This will free up 
capacity and allow advisors to focus on providing advice 
and solutions, while building positive client experiences. 

  
 
 68  Co-operators 

We’re part of something bigger 

It’s important to feel connected to a greater sense of purpose at work, beyond  
completing day-to-day tasks.  We spoke with people across the organization 
on what it means to be part of Co-operators. 

Dwight Bennett, 
Financial Advisor 

Vijeta Manhas, 
Claims Response Centre 

Patrick Decarie, 
Client Engagement 

“This organization makes it  
easy to go the extra mile for  
our clients.” 

“Working in claims in any  
company can be challenging,  
but we have great supports  
that help make my job easier. ” 

“All decisions are made for the  
benefit of our communities  
and to meet our clients’ needs,  
which aligns with my personal  
values and makes me proud to  
work here.” 

 
  
  
  
2022 Integrated Annual Report  69 

Workforce Capability: Employee turnover and retention 

Our people keep us moving forward  

Across industries, employees are leaving their places of work in search of new opportunities, new careers, and greater work-life  
balance. With retention rates falling and competition for top talent increasing — a cultural shift referred to as “the great resignation”  
— how we incentivize and retain our talent will be critical to the continued fulfilment of our purpose.  

As the foundation of our success, it’s critical that our people feel supported 
and valued. We’ve remained focused on retaining and incentivizing our people, 
who consistently deliver on our strategy while working to meet the needs of 
our members, clients and communities.  

Retaining and attracting top talent amid increasing  
turnover trends   
Over the last two years, voluntary employee turnover has seen an increase, 
from 4.3% in 2020 to 8.0% in 2021 to 9.1% in 2022. This reflects a trend seen 
across our industry. To fill new and vacant roles, we have been able to source 
and hire both internal and external talent. In 2022, we welcomed 1,153 new 
employees across our organization.  

Employee voluntary turnover rate 

Employee retention rate 

9% 

89% 

SDG 10: Reduced inequalities | Target 10.1 – Income growth for bottom 40%   

Incentivizing employees in a competitive 
job market 
As a living-wage employer we offer a competitive and equitable  
compensation package that, in most cases, far exceeds the 
living wage. 

Workforce salaries 

$562.3 million 

Workforce benefits 

$111.6 million 

Workforce incentive programs 

$85.2 million 

CEO-to-average worker pay ratio (2021) 

20:1 

Benchmark: 243:1* 

*Based on the salaries of the 100 highest-paid
CEOs in Canada (Source: “Breakfast of Champions”
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2023).

 
 
70  Co-operators 

Feature story  

A high-performing co-operative  
embraces an imaginative future  

The future of work is being shaped by the actions, behaviours and 
innovations occurring in our workplaces.  We’re embracing a vision of  
what’s possible, where traditional ways of working have been reimagined 
and reframed to ensure that our organization and the individuals who bring 
our strategy to life are supported in doing their best work. 

We’re driven to be a high-performance co-operative, and our work environments are key enablers of this.  
Today, we embrace multiple work models (office-based, hybrid and remote) to ensure that where we work 
aligns with the nature of the work we do. Our strategy requires integration and orchestration across portfolios,  
leaders and employees.  We believe that human connection and collaboration are imperative, whether employees 
are working in the office or remotely, and that an environment of trust, collaboration and development will support this.  
We also believe that a combination of highly effective virtual working and a regular cadence of face-to-face connection 
and collaboration is optimal for our business.  

“Our workplaces will continue to be where our culture can thrive,  
where we socialize and develop connections, and where learning,  
innovation and creativity is sparked.”  

Laura Mably (pictured), Chief Human Resources Officer 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  71 

Workforce Capability: Return to office 

A flexible transition back to in-person work 

Throughout the pandemic, we prioritized the well-being of our clients, members, employees and communities,  
maintaining the highest standards of health and safety.  We reopened our doors to all employees beginning in 
May 2022, following our initially phased approach. 

As we returned to in-person work, Co-operators embraced a hybrid model.  We welcomed many employees back to the office for  
part of their work week, while continuing to enable the flexibility of remote and virtual work.  To ensure that we were meeting the  
needs of our people during this time of transition, we surveyed all employees on how the return-to-office process was carried out. 

Return to Office survey results 

Overall satisfaction 

Health and safety 
office readiness 

Change and 
communication 

Readiness of infrastructure 
and technology 

86% 

91% 

89% 

84% 

Ensuring in-office health and safety for our people 
Our WELL Building Health & Safety rating at our key corporate locations, demonstrates our commitment to healthy and safe  
workplaces for our people — an essential quality that was underscored by the pandemic. The rating is an evidence-based,  
third-party verification for new and existing buildings designed to empower teams to prioritize the health and safety of staff  
and visitors.  The certification process required us to document proof of how we manage our facilities in the following areas:  

•   Cleaning and Sanitization   
•   Emergency Preparedness Programs  
•   Health Service Resources 
•   Air and Water Quality Management 
•   Stakeholder Engagement and Communication  
•  

Innovation  

Corporate locations achieving this rating certification include our offices in Guelph, Burlington, Mississauga, Regina,  
Moncton and Calgary. 

 
  
 
 72  Co-operators 

Workforce Capability:  Where we work 

The future of work is evolving.  
Our offices are built to adapt. 

With workspaces that suit different tasks and styles of working,  
and an environment that promotes collaborative activity and 
connection between employees working in office and virtually,  
we’re embracing the workplace of the future. 

Unveiling an award-winning workplace 
In 2022, we unveiled a new corporate office in Regina, Saskatchewan, which was awarded two industry awards 
for interior design and workplace excellence.  The design of our new workplace showcases how our culture is 
connected to our long-standing co-operative values, commitment to sustainability and a reflection of our history.  
It prioritizes employee wellbeing with dedicated wellness rooms to support prayer, meditation or quiet time,  
an abundance of natural light, and wood and living plants, that create a visually harmonious space, while also 
improving indoor air quality. 

Reducing the environmental impact of our workplace  
We wrapped up our first full year of engagement with partner-led waste-diversion program DIVERT.  This program  
supports our efforts to sustainably decommission assets such as furniture, technology, and construction materials that  
are no longer required, by directing them to the circular economy.  To date, we have completed 15 projects through  
the DIVERT program, which resells second-hand furniture, donates to community organizations, and breaks down  
larger assets into parts and pieces that can be repurposed or recycled.   

123.54 tonnes 

of waste product diverted and 

363.2 tonnes 

of CO2 avoided 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  73 

Feature story 

Breaking new ground for  
a sustainable future  

In 2022, we began construction of our 
new corporate headquarters in Guelph,  
Ontario.  The 226,000-square-foot, state-of-
the-art building is designed to reflect our 
commitment to sustainability and the well-
being of the employees who will work there,  
beginning in 2024.  

With construction well-underway in 2022, Co-operators new 
head office in Guelph, ON earned a Zero Carbon Design 
certification from the Canada Green Building Council.   

This building is also on track to be triple-certified to the 
LEED Gold, WELL Platinum and Zero Carbon Design 
standards. Targeting this impressive trio of achievements 
signifies that the building is designed to reduce carbon 
emissions, save water, conserve energy, reduce waste and  
improve employees’ quality of life by providing optimal 
conditions for health, comfort and productivity — through  
improved indoor air quality and natural light. 

As an important indicator of our commitment to a net-zero 
future,  our new headquarters not only reflects what is possible 
in terms of reducing our operational impact, but it sends a 
strong signal to the community and industry that it’s possible 
to build with a better future in mind. 

SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy |  
Target 7.3 – improve energy efficiency 

“Our workplaces align with our co-operative  
values and commitment to fostering the health  
and well-being of our employees and the  
environment on which we depend.” 

Shawn Fitzgerald,  Vice President,  Workplace Services  

Pictured: Regina corporate office. See page 72 

 
74  Co  operators 

-

Workforce Capability: Inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility 

A strategy for inclusion, diversity, equity and  
accessibility (IDEA) 

As a foundation for our workplace culture, IDEA drives success in business and society. Our IDEA Strategy is designed to  
embed this in everything we do as an organization, and we are committed to actively embracing the depth, perspectives  
and talent of our people.   

2022 IDEA Index overall score 

79% 

IDEA defined 

IDEA Index: Understanding barriers, strengths and opportunities  
Diversity questions are included in the annual Employee Engagement Survey so we can understand employee 
experiences and feelings of engagement in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion.  

For the most part, our overall IDEA index score was consistent across all identities, with three exceptions: 
non-binary employees, queer employees, and employees with disabilities. Non-binary employees reported 
below the company score but indicated significant improvement in the perceived value placed on diversity by 
our co-operative. Queer-identifying employees and employees with disabilities reported below company score 
in relation to perceived validation of thoughts and ideas at work, and Indigenous employees scored the highest 
in this category.   

Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmark (GDEIB) Audit 
The GDEIB is the global best practice for diversity, equity and inclusion, and we aspire to be a best-practice  
organization over time. Our next four-year goal is to achieve the Progressive level on this benchmark. Each year,  
we conduct an enterprise-wide audit to see how we measure against the benchmarks, tracking progress on our  
IDEA strategy.  We’ve consistently met our targets of increasing our GDEIB scores and, in 2022, we reached an  
overall baseline of 3.79, an increase from 3.29 in 2021.    

Inclusion 
A dynamic operational state that fosters  
a culture where we feel safe and  
mutually respected.  A place where  
differences are accepted and valued. 

Diversity 
The range of dimensions, characteristics,  
experiences and perspectives that we all  
possess as individuals.   

Equity 
An environment where everyone is  
treated with fairness and where 
individual needs are recognized.  
Everyone has access to resources, 
development and opportunities to  
be successful. 

Accessibility 
Ensuring that products, services, facilities  
and resources are accessible to all of us,  
according to our differing abilities.  

 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  75 

IDEA training, education and support   
We launched mandatory Unconscious Bias training  
for leaders to help identify bias and its impact on  
behaviors, decisions, and performance.  We achieved  
100% leader completion for this tr
launched a mandatory IDEA Foundation course for  
employees to increase knowledge and awareness of  
foundational concepts such as how to embrace 
inclusion, impacts of discrimination on mental health,  
and understanding unconscious bias. 95% of  
employees completed this course. 

aining.  We also  

We also launched Employee Resource Groups, which  
are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster an 
inclusive and equitable workplace and give a voice to  
historically marginalized or underrepresented groups.  
They support a culture of inclusion and psychological  
safety for employees through education, networking  
and their influence on policies and programs. By the  
end of 2022, five Employee Resource Groups had  
taken shape, focused on supporting women in  
Claims, IT and Enterprise Operations, working  
parents, and the LGBTQ+ community.  

Learning for Truth and Reconciliation  
On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR),  
over 950 employees from across our group of  
companies participated in learning sessions.  
These sessions were led by reconciliation 
consultant Tanya Tourangeau, who is a member of  
the Dene Nation from Northwest Territories; and the 
vice-president of Indigenous Relations with Calgary  
Foundation,  Tim Fox (Natoyi’sokasiim), who is a  
member of the Blackfoot confederacy from the Blood  
(Kainai) reserve.  These sessions explored principles  
of decolonization and reconciliation, while sharing  
how Indigenous values align to our core values,  
and how we can move forward with our personal  
and corporate journeys of reconciliation.  

To support employees in Truth and Reconciliation,  
we launched a Reconciliation Community of Practice  
on our corporate intranet site, where employees can  
engage in dialogue, ask questions and learn from one  
another’s experiences  — for the purposes of extending  
and applying their learning to advance Truth and  
Reconciliation in their personal and professional lives.   

—

Embedding IDEA into recruitment  
and succession-planning   
We have initiated more equitable and more 
objective recruitment intake processes,  
succession planning, competencies and 
performance-rating practices to help mitigate 
potential biases in our HR processes.  To ensure 
that our talent development pipeline is aligned 
with IDEA principles, we launched a “Mitigating 
Bias in Succession Planning” workshop for senior 
leaders.  To attract and retain a greater diversity of  
talent, we’ve placed intentional focus on ensuring 
a diverse candidate pool for all senior leadership 
searches and have defined clear IDEA measures 
of success throughout the hiring process for all 
employees.  We are also capturing IDEA-related 
data through exit surveys, which can provide 
deeper insight into potential gaps and barriers 
that exist in our organization.   

Key challenge 
Gender representation in senior leadership 
Currently, 62% of our workforce identify as women, yet only 38% of our senior leaders (vice -president and above) identify as women. On the CEO’s management 
team, 36% of executive vice -presidents identify as women. While we met our four -year target of 35% women in senior leadership roles, we continue to focus on 
-
moving toward gender parity at all levels of the organization. We have achieved parity with our succession talent pool, ensuring that we are developing a gender 
diverse talent pipeline. 

-

-

 
 
 
 
76  Co-operators 

Feature story: Truth and Reconciliation  

Embedding Truth and Reconciliation  
into our co-operative  

We’re committed to embedding principles of T  ruth and Reconciliation 
into our work culture, business strategy, governance and community 
partnerships.  We have much more to do as we reflect, learn from,  
and connect with the history and current lived experiences of  
Indigenous people within our co-operative and our communities. 

In partnership with reconciliation consultant and member of the Dene Nation Tanya Tourangeau (pictured),  
we’re co-creating an enterprise-wide Reconciliation Strategy. In 2022, our efforts focused on education and 
community-building via Reconciliation Knowledge Sharing with employees, and monthly Indigenous Cultural 
Learning sessions led by Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous community members.  We spoke with 
Tanya about the importance of embedding Truth and Reconciliation into our organization, and the challenges,  
opportunities and inspiration that arise along the way.   

How can companies best embed Truth and Reconciliation into their business?   
Tanya Tourangeau: I like the term “embed”, it reminds me of the word “ubiquitous”, meaning to be present everywhere.  
Truth and Reconciliation can become ubiquitous in a company’s business plan, strategies, policies, and work culture,  
and this all starts with answering TRC’s Call to Action #92 – Business Reconciliation.   

What are the significant barriers that businesses need to overcome in this work?   
People need to be willing to unlearn false historic narratives about Indigenous people and be open to learn about our truths, strengths,  
and visions for the future.     

Where are the greatest opportunities?  
The biggest opportunities lie in the partnerships we develop.  They are win-win opportunities that increase a business’s ability to be  
competitive in a struggling economy. Indigenous people, communities, organizations, governments and corporations want to build  
meaningful partnerships with our neighbours, allies and non-Indigenous businesses, and this really speaks to the Reconciliation work  
that needs to happen in our society.   

What inspires you most about this work?  
I am inspired by the impact that effective, meaningful Reconciliation can have for all of Canada and the next seven generations;  
and Co-operators’ purpose, vision, values, and work culture further inspires me to ensure that our co-created Reconciliation  
Strategy is effective, meaningful and just the beginning of great opportunities and amazing partnerships to come.   

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  77 

Workforce Capability: Inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility  

Deepening our approach to  
identify systemic barriers  
to inclusion 

We analyze the demographics and composition of our total workforce,  
to better understand the composition of the people we employ and 
identify the opportunities we have in terms of equitable representation.  
We have further to go to ensure we are capturing the breadth and depth 
of self-reported data from employees that will help us measure our IDEA  
progress and track representation in the organization.   

As part of our commitment to IDEA, we launched a voluntary self—identification (Self-ID) survey in late 2022 to collect data from employees that will enable a deeper  
understanding of our workforce. Self-ID is an important way for us to measure equity in the organization, and one way we’ve asked employees for their participation  
in helping us build a more inclusive Co-operators group of companies.  We are continuing to build on this initiative in 2023 as an opportunity for us to grow in our  
ability to identify and take action on systemic barriers for equity-deserving groups.   

 
79 

 Strategic performance summary  

Create the Future  

With change, comes opportunity.  We can 
create a future that is more sustainable,  
equitable and resilient. By innovating,  
adapting, and expanding ways of  
thinking about our business we’re 
creating products and services that 
meet  the needs of the people  
we serve. 

 80  Co-operators 

Create the Future: Emerging business models 

Leading edge solutions designed  
for the future of partnerships  

Through Duuo, we’ve created an innovative insurance engine that  
works to meet the emerging needs of Canadians participating in the  
digital economy.  The next chapter of Duuo will see us expanding our  
technology to offer embedded solutions to partners looking to provide  
their clients with a seamless insurance experience.   

At Duuo we strive for a mix of innovation and simplicity with a goal to make purchasing insurance easy, accessible, and intuitive. Duuo has become the  
trusted insurance partner to over 100 Canadian businesses, earning a partner satisfaction score of 94%.  Through these efforts, we’ve successfully met our  
growth goals, attained a Net Promoter Score of 79, and received a Google rating of 4.8 out of five. 

Duuo products 

Event insurance  
On-demand insurance to cover  
an event host’s or venue owner’s  
liability in case of accidents.  

Vendor insurance  
Insurance coverage for exhibitors  
and vendors at events such as  
farmers’ markets and trade shows. 

Tenant insurance  
Dynamically rated insurance coverage for  
people who lease residential premises,  
providing peace of mind to both the  
lessee and lessor. 

Small Business Insurance 
Subscription-style insurance designed  
to provide self-employed Canadians 
with commercial general liability 
coverage for business operations. 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  81 

Feature story  

A partnership for embedded  
tenant insurance  

In 2022 we partnered with Tenantcube to launch an embedded 
integration that allows users to purchase tenant insurance within 
the property management software’s platform. 

Working through the Tenantcube platform, this new seamless purchase experience is a significant step  
forward in the digital insurance space, allowing Canadians to purchase affordable insurance coverage  
through their preferred platform in one continuous flow.  Through the integration, tenants can get a quote  
and purchase Duuo tenant insurance in just a few clicks.   

“When we originally partnered with Duuo, we were excited  
about the extensive coverage they could offer our tenants at an  
affordable rate.  With the addition of the embedded purchase flow,  
tenants don’t have to navigate off our platform to get coverage,  
and landlords and property managers can get all required rental 
information, including proof of coverage in one easy communication.” 

Andrew Moses, CEO and founder of Tenantcube 

 
82  Co  operators 

-

Feature story 

Risk modelling for resilience  

Geosapiens is a Canadian company specializing in flood risk modelling 
and analysis.  Working in partnership, our initial investment enabled 
Geosapiens to deploy its highly-detailed flood mapping model across 
Canada in 2022. 

-

As climate -related risks increase in frequency and severity, it’s crucial that we focus on building more climate -resilient communities. Our investment 
in Geosapiens will create collaborative opportunities to better prepare and inform Canadians of flood dangers and mitigate extreme flood events for 
those most at risk. 

-

-

Geosapiens markets web -based products and services that provide dynamic and predictive flood mapping and an assessment of flood impacts on 
property and people. Geosapiens’ products also include financial modelling of flood risk at the building level. Its ultimate goal is to increase society’s 
resilience to risk, particularly in the context of climate change. It wishes to provide the public as well as public and private organizations with reliable 
and intuitive decision support tools, enabling them to better understand, prevent, and manage these risks. To achieve its vision, Geosapiens relies on 
a team of experts with many years of experience in risk modelling and a network of private and academic partners. 

 
New Corporate Venture Capital Fund partners in 2022 
Alate partners  
This “fund of funds” invests in emerging property technology and diverse teams  
with  the potential to be disruptive and transformative to a fast-evolving real-estate 
industry.   Alate gives us a unique perspective on the intersection of property 
ownership and financial services.  

Geosapiens   
Geosapiens specializes in flood risk modelling and analysis. Our investment creates  
collaborative opportunities for us to better prepare and inform Canadians of flood  
dangers and mitigate extreme flood events for those most at risk.  

Responsive AI 
This Canadian financial technology company has a mission to help institutions 
scale better financial advice. Our entire advisor network leverages the pr
tools built by Responsive AI, helping our clients grow their wealth and realize 
financial security.  

oductivity 

R-LABS  
This venture builder is focused on solving big problems in the real estate and  
housing industry to enhance the resiliency of Canadians.  This partnership provides  
us the ability to directly contribute to solving those problems as their strategic  
insurance partner. 

Vive Crop Protection  
This company creates new possibilities in the field of agriculture through the  
development of products and technologies that increase agricultural grower   
return on investment, efficiency and sustainability.  

A full list of our CVC Fund partners is available online at cooperators.ca. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  83 

Create the Future: Investing in the future 

Investing in companies and 
solutions to create the future 

Our Corporate Venture Capital Fund facilitates 
innovative partnerships that can develop solutions 
to challenges we face as an organization and 
a society. 

We leverage our capital to support start-ups on the 
leading edge 
The Co-operators Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) fund reflects 
our continued commitment to addressing the unmet insurance 
and financial services needs of Canadians and their communities 
taking part in a fast-paced and ever-changing digital economy.  
Our CVC fund has a mission to affect positive change in three 
key areas: underserved financial needs, community resilience,  
and emerging technology. 

“By seeding investments and building partnerships in 
promising sectors, we strengthen our business and catalyze 
a sustainable and resilient society.  This fund helps 
bring products, services, and partnerships to 
life that mitigate risks, prevent losses,  
and build our collective resilience.” 

Daniel Sinclair (pictured),  
Vice President, Corporate  
Development & Head, 
Co-operators Corporate  
Venture Fund 

 
 
 
 
 84  Co-operators 

Feature interview  

Removing barriers to  
financial protection through  
embedded insurance 

Ryan Spinner,  Vice President of Emerging Business Models (EBM) and Hashmat Rohian,  Vice President of EBM Technology are innovating for a future where  
insurance is where you need it, when you need it. In this future, the process of receiving coverage will become so seamless that it won’t require a second thought.  
Through technological innovations and new partnerships, we’re expanding into the space of embedded insurance to support the financial security of our clients.  
We asked Ryan and Hashmat what inspires them about the future of insurance.  

Hashmat: By integrating insurance coverage into everyday products and services and leveraging advanced technology, data analytics and digital ecosystems to  
personalize that coverage, embedded insurance is making financial advice and security more convenient, relevant, and proactive.   

Ryan: Consumers are warming to the idea of increased convenience and simplicity through embedded insurance, and we know embedded insurance allows for  
customized offerings that fit our clients’ personal needs without the hassle of shopping around for the best deals.  The future of insurance is all consolidated at the  
moment of truth on the customer’s buying experience. 

“We can enable our communities and consumers to access personalized 
insurance and advice right where they are, in their moment of need.” 

Hashmat Rohian (pictured right, page 85),  Vice President, Emerging Business Models Technology 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  85 

“Our industry is on the verge of a digital 
change: a focus on simplifying the 
customer experience.” 

Ryan Spinner (pictured left),  Vice President, Emerging Business Models 

 
87 

2022 performance summary   

Our Governance  

As a purpose-driven co-operative,  
we aim to meet the current and  
future needs of our members,  
clients and communities. How we’re  
governed guides our purpose and 
reinforces our co-operative identity,  
reflecting the values of a vibrant 
co-operative movement.  

 
 88  Co-operators 

Governance: Structure and processes 

We’re democratically governed 

Our member delegates and Board of Directors bring diverse insights, perspectives, skills and knowledge to our governance 
tables.  To ensure our ongoing success and relevance in the future, we continuously work to improve our governance structure,  
processes and practices. 

A new board committee structure to drive effectiveness   
Adapted to reflect changes to regulatory requirements, leading practices, and our operating environment,  
our new committee structure leverages governance strengths, improves efficiency and effectiveness,  
and reflects the evolution of our co-operative organization. For more on our new board committee 
structure and for descriptions of the committees, see page 91. 

Succession planning to sustain good governance   
There has been an ongoing focus on enhancing board succession planning practices, under the guidance of the  
Governance and Co-operative Identity Committee.  The committee has continued to consider new and enhanced  
tactics that are inclusive of the holistic governance pipeline (including delegates, existing and new directors,  
and current and future board and committee chairpersons).  The committee and board will continue to advance  
its approach to board succession planning in 2023.   

Increasing risk oversight by our board  
In recent years, increased complexity and interrelatedness of risks facing our organization have stemmed from our  
rapidly evolving operating environment. In 2022, our annual joint meeting of our Risk and Sustainability committees  
focused on ensuring our board was effectively overseeing the organization’s management of climate-related risk.  
Beyond climate change, we also enhanced board oversight of cyber and technology risks, as emphasized in the  
mandate of our Risk Committee.   

Adapting and evolving our governance operations   
Our board and its committees resumed in-person meetings in 2022, following two years of virtual operations during  
the pandemic, enhancing opportunities for discussion and fostering a collegial, inclusive board culture.  We’ve resumed  
governance activities that had been paused during the pandemic, including governance assessments, in-person  
participation in individual director and board training and development sessions, and in-person director  
attendance at member AGMs.  At the same time, we applied learnings from the pandemic operating posture 
to  adopt  a  more  flexible and effective approach to our board and committee meetings.  

About our co-operative governance 

One member, one vote 

We are governed by a democratic principle 
of one member, one vote. Our directors are 
independent from management and the  
operation of the business, and there is no 
link between director compensation and 
our organization’s performance. 

Board mandate:  
•   ensuring our organization’s financial viability  
•   articulating our purpose, vision and values  
•   setting our strategic direction and  

monitoring performance  

•   appointing, selecting and managing  

performance of the president and CEO  
•   ensuring that Co-operators maintains a  
leadership role in the insurance industry  
and co-operative movement.  

More governance information, including  
director profiles and other governance  
disclosures, can be found online at  
cooperators.ca. 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  89 

Feature story  

Setting our strategic direction 

Our Board of Directors worked alongside senior executives to 
develop our 2023 to 2026 corporate strategy, ensuring that it 
positions us for success amid issues and trends in the world around us; 
that it meets the evolving needs of our members, clients and communities; 
and that our strategy remains strongly aligned with our co-operative values.  

Our Board of Directors plays a critical role in setting the strategic direction of our co-operative, and ultimately,  
approving our four-year corporate strategy.  As part of this work, our board engaged in a fulsome review of  
our purpose, vision and values, which were updated at the end of 2022.  They also reflected on the progress,  
key accomplishments, and lessons learned from the current strategy; evaluated trends in the external operating  
environment, top organizational risks and key assumptions that underlie our upcoming strategy; and discussed  
foundational elements of Co-operators long-term success.  The board examined key strategic priorities including our  
digital transformation, our distribution strategy, our ongoing evolution as a holistic financial services organization and  
stressed the increasing urgency to build community resiliency of Canadians in the face of rapid change.   

Our board approved the final 2023 to 2026 strategic plan at the end of 2022.  This included the supporting success criteria for,  
and approval of, the financial plan. For a preview of our upcoming corporate strategy, see page 97.  

For board member Jim Laverick, working in collaboration to set the strategic direction of Co-operators is among the most important 
elements of the board’s governance responsibilities.   

“Our new strategic plan lays out a very clear roadmap that will enable our  
co-operative to deliver on its purpose over the next four years and beyond.”  

Jim Laverick (pictured), Director, Co-operators Board of Directors 

 
 90  Co-operators 

Spotlight on our governance 

Find out more about our directors, delegates and governance highlights. 

125 

Delegates who  
nominate and elect  
our Board of Directors 

22 

Directors 

Board 
composition 

8 

0 

2021: 36%   2020: 32% 
Target: 50% by the end of 2025 

Women delegates in each region 

56% 

42% 

62% 

British 
Columbia 

Alberta 

Saskatchewan 

56% 

15% 

20% 

14 

Men 

7 

French  
speaking 

0 

With a 
disability 

Women 

Non-binary  

Manitoba 

Ontario 

Quebec 

2 

Indigenous 

1 

Visible 
minorities 

32% 

Atlantic 

Target: Achieve 50/50 gender 
balance within the delegate pool 
in each region 

36% 

Women on the board 

Director age ranges 

< 45: 3 

45 to 49: 0 

50 to 54: 4 

55 to 59: 2 

60 to 64: 6 

65 to 69: 1 

> 70: 6 

673 

Cumulative years of experience among  
directors in the co-operative and credit union/ 
caisse populaire sectors 

18 

Number of days 
directors spent in 
individual training   
and development 

5 

Number of directors  
with a professional  
designation  

 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  91 

Governance: Board of Directors 

Our board and its committees  

Our board has six standing committees, each with their own mandate which sets out the role and responsibilities 
to guide their focus and work.  The complete board committee Terms of Reference can be found online in our 
Supplementary Disclosures. 

Board committees 
Audit & Finance   
Oversight of: quality and integrity of accounting, auditing, and financial reporting practices; effectiveness of internal  
controls; financial statement audits, including the engagement of the external auditor; reporting and determining  
financial reserves; the annual operating plan; and financial aspects of material business transaction proposals. 

Compliance & Ethics 
Oversight of: regulatory compliance including privacy, ethics and compliance culture; director, officer and employee  
compliance conduct; and regulator relationships. 

Governance & Co-operative Identity 
Oversight of: governance effectiveness and leading governance practices; advancing the co-operative identity 
through member relations and engagement; Co-operators leadership position in the co-operative sector; 
and citizenship programming. 

Human Resources 
Oversight of: executive compensation; people strategies and culture; pension plan management; board compensation;  
President and CEO performance management and compensation; and management succession plans. 

Risk  
Oversight of: the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Program, including risk identification, appetite, frameworks and  
policies, analysis and evaluation, monitoring and reporting, and program compliance; lending and investment programs;  
technology and cyber risks; business continuity planning; corporate insurance and reinsurance programs; earthquake risk  
management program; and risk aspects of material business transaction proposals.   Annually, it examines the Company’s  
capital needs in relation to its risk profile and recommends minimum internal capital ratios for the approval of the Board  
of Directors.  

Sustainability 
Oversight of: initiatives that foster a culture of and leading practices in environmental, social and governance (ESG)  
responsibility;  the sustainability performance of our co-operative; emerging sustainability and climate-related issues,  
risks and opportunities; and policies, strategies and priorities that integrate sustainability across the organization.  
This committee is comprised of a member of each of the other committees to encourage sustainability integration  
into our governance. 

Governance and  
climate-related risks 
The board oversees the management 
of our climate-related risks and strategy.  
This is primarily executed through 
the Sustainability Committee and 
the Risk Committee. In addition to 
ongoing meetings — where committees 
individually assess progress toward 
our climate targets, while monitoring,  
managing and reviewing climate-
related risks — the Sustainability and Risk 
committees gather annually for a joint 
meeting to review our status around 
climate-related risks and initiatives,  
including progress on the Task Force 
on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 
(TCFD) recommendations.  For more 
on our climate-related risks and our 
governance, access our TCFD report 
at cooperators.ca/reports. 

 
 
 92  Co-operators 

Governance: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA)   

Developing a strategy to further  
IDEA in governance  

We recognize and value the benefits of having a diverse Board of Directors and consider diversity a key driver of our 
co-operative identity, competitive success and governance strength.   

Key challenge 
Bringing IDEA to life  
It’s crucial that we progress beyond the 
current diversity focus areas — namely, 
the representation of women and the 
diversity of director skills — within our 
governance, to ensure that we are 
driving a comprehensive approach to  
IDEA. IDEA in Governance includes the 
full complement of governance roles,  
from delegates to directors to board 
chairpersons. Our board has embarked 
on the creation of a formalized IDEA 
in Governance Strategy, which will be 
further developed in 2023. 

In 2022, the board partnered with an external consultant to advance its progress on IDEA in Governance: 

Education session on inclusive governance 
Directors built self-awareness and awareness of others by identifying dimensions of multivariate diversity,  
including identity, education, experiences, and background, that shapes the lens through which they interact  
with others, solve problems and make decisions. 

Approval of IDEA principles, guidelines and processes 
The board approved Guiding Principles that will shape the future of this work, as well as a Safe Space Guideline, 
which encourages a boardroom environment of psychological safety that allows individuals to express their 
honest impressions, thoughts, opinions, feelings, attitudes, and unique experiences and perspectives. 

IDEA in governance director focus groups 
Focus groups gained insights that will inform the development of the IDEA in Governance Strategy by better 
understanding directors’ lived experiences within our governance system to shed light on the current state of 
IDEA from the perspectives of the governance pipeline (delegates, directors, and board chairpersons). 

“An inclusive co-operative board values diverse skills, experiences,  

voices and perspectives around its governance tables.” 

Carmel Bellamy (pictured), Vice President, Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  93 

Feature story  

IDEA in governance 

We spoke with one of the members of Co-operators Board of  
Directors Nicole Waldron on the importance of embedding IDEA  
into our governance structures, the challenges we face in this area,  
and the systemic barriers that must be dismantled as we move forward. 

How do the principles and practices of IDEA enrich and enhance how an organization 
is governed? 
Nicole  Waldron  (pictured):  The  concept  of  IDEA is a progressive move for any organization, especially at 
this juncture. For so long, many individuals and groups have been excluded from governance structures,  
and hence  the rich diversity of voices that make up our society have not been included even though they 
represent the market being served. Principles and practices of IDEA are necessary for the advancement and 
positive growth of any organization. IDEA enhances not only the working environment, but also interactions 
with members, clients and communities.  This will, in turn, also help to foster and develop healthier 
partnerships and alliances all around, especially in the co-operative movement. 

What are the greatest challenges our co-operative must overcome to adequately incorporate IDEA into our governance? 
I see some of the challenges as being the shift in perspectives.  This shift will require everyone to reflect and acknowledge where 
and how their biases show up, both conscious and unconscious and the historical and societal parameters that shape our thoughts.  
Next, we must accept these truths and seek to transform them and act in ways that address all biases that negatively impact our 
perception of others and society. Often, we do not want to believe we have personal biases, especially unconscious ones. It is important 
to  overcome  this and to develop a desire to see the bigger picture of how society can evolve to be better if we are willing to change behaviour.  
We  will  then  be open to see that for so long we have lived in systems designed to keep many people down, especially in the areas of gender,  
race and sexuality.  The challenge is truth. 

How can we work to dismantle systemic barriers to IDEA?  
We have to continue on the journey to understand what the system is and what it has done, then continue to do the work to dismantle it.  We have to be  
comfortable doing the uncomfortable work until we can live in a place where there is equity and individuals can be included in and around all tables.  
Where diverse voices will not just be listened to, they will be heard and respected. Oppression of others will no longer be tolerated as normal and that  
leaders and influencers will step up changes to create and foster change in their homes, workplaces and community spaces.  We have to get to the  
point where we create opportunities for a broad range of citizens to access the board.  We have to be the change that we need the world to be and  
see.  We need to acknowledge that the current system is not broken, it is doing what it was created to do, therefore dismantlement must occur for  
a new system to manifest.  

What is your vision for the future of IDEA in our governance at Co-operators?  
My vision for inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility is that, in essence, the idea of IDEA will be realized and will become the  
norm at Co-operators. It will be in how we see and treat each other in the workplace and how we communicate with our member  
organizations, clients and those around the board table. Co-operators will be an entity that will operate within an IDEA mindset. 

 
 
94  Co  operators 

-

Governance: Member organizations 

Our members make us stronger 

We are governed by co-operatives, credit union centrals and representative farm organizations that operate on a co-operative 
basis.  Together, we deliver broad benefits to members and clients, enriching the social fabric of our communities.  

Manitoba 
•   Arctic Co -operatives Limited  
-
•   Bee Maid Honey Limited† 
•   Caisse Populaire Groupe Financier Ltée  
•   Credit Union Central of Manitoba Limited 
•   Keystone Agricultural Producers 

-

Ontario 
•   Caisse Populaire Alliance Limitée 
•   Co -operative Housing Federation of Canada†  
•   Gay Lea Foods Co -operative Limited 
-
•   GROWMARK, Inc. 
•   Ontario Federation of Agriculture  
•   Ontario Organic Farmers Co -operative Inc. 
•   St Albert Cheese Co -operative Inc. 
-
•   United Steelworkers - District 6† 
-

-

British Columbia 
•   Agrifoods International Cooperative Limited†  
•   BC Agriculture Council 
•   BC Tree Fruits Cooperative 
•   Central 1 Credit Union†  
•   Modo Co -operative  
-
•   PBC Health Benefits Society 
•   Realize Strategies Co -op 

-

Alberta 
•   Alberta Federation of Agriculture 
•   Alberta Federation of Rural 
Electrification Associations  

•   Credit Union Central Alberta Limited 
•   Federation of Alberta Gas Co -ops Ltd. 
•   UFA Co -operative Limited 

-

-

Saskatchewan 
•   Access Communications Co -operative Limited  
•   Agricultural Producers Association 

-

of Saskatchewan  

•   Credit Union Central of Saskatchewan 
•   Federated Co -operatives Limited†  
•   Regina Community Clinic 

-

Quebec 
•   Exceldor†  
•   Fédération des coopératives d’alimentation  

du Québec (FCAQ) 

•   Fédération des coopératives du   

Nouveau -Québec (FCNQ) 

-

•   Fédération des coopératives funéraires   

du Québec (FCFQ) 

•   Fédération québécoise des coopératives de   

santé (FQCS) 

•   Fédération québécoise des coopératives   

en milieu scolaire/COOPSCO 

•   Sollio Cooperative Group 
•   william.coop  

Atlantic 
•   Amalgamated Dairies Limited  
•   Atlantic Central  
•   Atlantic Retail Co -operatives Federation  
•   Canadian Worker Co -operative Federation†  
-
•   Newfoundland -Labrador Federation  

-

-

of Co -operatives  

-

•   Northumberland Cooperative Limited  
•   Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited 
•   UNI Coopération financière  

†Multi -region 
-

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  95 

Spotlight on our members  

Find out more about our member organizations and the sectors and regions they represent.  

Member organization sectors represented 

Agriculture (37%) 

Service (30%) 

Finance (17%) 

Retail / Consumer (7%) 

Health (7%) 

Labour (2%) 

46 

Member organizations 

7 

Regions represented   
across Canada  

British Columbia / Alberta /  
Saskatchewan / Manitoba /  
Ontario / Quebec / Atlantic 

“As a member, we have benefited tremendously while learning about the importance  
of interacting and doing business with like-minded member owned organizations.   
Everyone in the co-op community is inviting and always happy to help. We’re thrilled  
to have joined this co-op family.” 

Guy Chartier, CEO of Bee Maid Honey Limited 

 
96

97 

Our 2023 to 2026 Strategy  

On the Horizon 

The success of our previous strategy has 
laid the groundwork for transformation.  
We will provide the holistic financial 
advice Canadians need, meet clients 
where they want to be served,   
and continue to invest in a  
more resilient and sustainable  
future for our communities. 

 
98  Co  operators 

-

 Our 2023 to 2026 corporate strategy 

Growing from the past,  
branching out to the future    

Four years ago, we knew significant change was coming to the insurance  
industry. Changes in personal transportation, including automation and  
self-driving vehicles, were on their way.  Emerging and rapidly changing  
risks were widening protection gaps and increasing the need for uniquely  
tailored advice. Consumer needs, expectations, and behaviours were  
changing.  All consumers were beginning to look holistically at their  
financial needs, and we needed to follow suit.  

 while guided by our purpose and 
Today, facing the future, we will continue evolving to remain relevant and competitive,
values. Our 2023 to 2026 strategic dimensions are an intuitive evolution of the course we’ve charted to date, and we’ve 
refined our focus to reflect the foundational capabilities we need to fulfill our purpose.   

 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  99 

Our strategic dimensions 

Why we do  
everything  

What outcomes  
we’ll deliver 

How we’ll achieve  
our strategy 

Co-operative Identity 

Client Engagement 

Profitability and Growth 

Business Capabilities 

Workforce Capabilities 

Co-operative Identity 

Client Engagement 

Profitability and Growth 

Business Capabilities 

Workforce Capabilities 

Being a co-operative is 
core to our identity and our 
business. We will continue 
to be invaluable to the 
co-operative system. 

We will be the leader in 
client experience and will be 
recognized as a provider of 
holistic financial services. 

We will be competitive and 
drive profitability and growth  
through operational excellence 
and focused execution. 

We will enhance and build 
key capabilities to enable us 
to be successful today and 
into the future. 

We will have a diverse and 
agile workforce whose skills, 
leadership capabilities,   
and motivation differentiate   
us in the market. 

 
 100  Co-operators 

Touchstones of our future 

We are positioned for success and have identified key elements of success that will keep our momentum up and 
strengthen our co-operative along the way.  

Digital, omni-channel client experience  
We will empower clients to move seamlessly between  
meeting with a Financial Advisor, reaching out over the  
phone, or engaging in online channels — in whatever  
way suits them best.  

Climate resilience  
We will seize opportunities and evolve our products, services,  
partnerships and investments to help climate-proof our  
communities.  At the same time, we will progress toward our  
net-zero targets and advocate for climate action in Canada. 

Profitable and holistic growth 
To excel in our purpose, we will grow the number of  
Canadians and communities we serve through our  
advice-based lines of business to meet the holistic  
financial needs of our clients. 

Capacity  
We will work to increase our efficiency and effectiveness  
and establish ways to prioritize work and collaborate  
more effectively.  

Business models  
We’ll embrace new partnerships and alternative  
businesses to develop more integrated business  
models that have been adapted to deliver holistic  
financial services.    

Capabilities  
We will optimize processes and workforce capabilities to  
drive high-performance, stay competitive, deliver on our  
strategy, and fulfill our co-operative purpose.  

2022 Integrated Annual Report  101 

“As a values-based and  
purpose-driven organization,  
we’re uniquely positioned  
to think long-term, and this  
allows us to do what’s right  
for our clients as we drive  
toward our vision for a  
resilient and sustainable  
society. I’m inspired by   
our purpose and strategy.” 

Selena Edick (pictured),  Vice President,  
Enterprise Strategy 

 
103 

Additional report information  

A detailed look at  
our disclosures 

Learn how we’ve aligned our strategy to the 
United Nations Sustainable Development  
Goals and get an overview of our strategic 
performance over time. Get further details  
of our consolidated financial statements,  
investment portfolio ratings and  
capital tests. Finally, delve into  
how we assess and manage risks,   
and explore our integrated  
reporting process and  
report materiality.  

  
 104  Co-operators 

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

We’ve connected our strategy to global sustainability 

In support of our vision to catalyze a resilient and sustainable society, we’ve endorsed all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs) and have aligned our 2030 Enterprise Long-term Goals to them. 

In 2022, to ensure we are meaningfully and strategically aligning our organization to the SDGs, we developed a framework to help illustrate our impact as an insurer, 
an investor, a business and a co-operative. While we have endorsed all of the SDGs, we acknowledge that there are key goals and targets where our strategic focus 
can have a more relevant and significant impact. 

Our SDG Framework  

Co-operators role in society 

SDG Contributions  

Insurer: We offer risk transfer and management products  
and services and settle claims. 

2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13 

Investor: We invest our financial assets and are an 
active investment steward, advocating for the SDGs. 

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17 

Business: We manage our business operations and the 
procurement of goods and services.  

3, 5, 7, 10, 12 

Co-operative: We engage our member organizations,  
invest in the sustainability and resilience of our 
communities, and advocate for sustainable policies,  
economies, and legislation.  

All SDGs 

A global effort to measure the impact of insurance on the UN SDGs 
Throughout 2022, we participated in pilot projects with the 
International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF)  
and Swiss Re Institute to calibrate a tool that aims to measure  
insurance companies’ impacts, both positive and negative,   
on the UN SDGs. These efforts culminated in the launch of the  
ICMIF-calibrated Insurance SDG Calculator at ICMIF’s Centenary  
conference in Italy. ICMIF has since launched an effort to deploy the  
calculator to members wishing to participate in getting an iSDG score.   
The intention with this work is that the calculator become the ICMIF 
standard means of quantifying insurers’ contribution to the world’s 
global goals.  

2022 Integrated Annual Report  105 

We’ve highlighted areas in our strategic performance where we have made a relevant impact or contribution towards the UN SDGs, as referenced throughout the pages 
of this report. 

UN SDG 

SDG target   
or indicator 

2022 Highlight  

More  
information 

Strategic alignment  

1:   
No poverty  

2:   
Zero hunger  

3:   
Good health  
and well-being  

4:   
Quality  
education  

1.2 reduce poverty 

1.2 – $900,000 was disbursed in 2022 through Co-operators Community Funds.  

Page 41  

1.4 equal access to   
financial services   

1.4 – Our wealth products, services and advice are inclusive of lower-income  
Canadians.  

1.5 climate resilience of the  
poor/vulnerable 

1.5 – Through the Canadian Working Group of the United Nations Environment  
Program Finance Initiative – Principles for Sustainable Insurance, we are  
exploring the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations. 

Page 24 

Page 46  

Client Engagement/  
Co-operative Identity 

2.4 build sustainable  
and resilient food and 
agricultural systems 

3.4 mental health   
and well-being  

2.4 –  We invested $2.2 million of our impact investments in the theme  
of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Page 51  

Co-operative Identity  

3.4 – Through our social impact framework, we fund organizations that support  
mental health of youth aged 18 to 35.  

Page 39 

Co-operative Identity  

4.4 increase skills for  
employment 

4.4 –  Our pathways to Employability initiative provided over $815,000 to 
support post-pandemic employability of young Canadians.  

Page 40 

Co-operative Identity 

5:   
Gender equality  

5.1 end discrimination 

5.1  –  100% of leaders in our organization completed unconscious bias  
training in 2022.   

Page 75 

Workforce Capability 

6:   
Clean water and  
sanitation  

7:  
Affordable and  
clean energy 

5.5 equal opportunity for  
women in leadership (5.5.2:  
The proportion of women in  
managerial positions)  

6.6 protect/restore   
water-related ecosystems 

5.5 – 38% of our senior leaders (vice-president and above) identify as women. 

Page 75 

6.6 –  Through Co-operators Community Funds we support WaterFirst,  
an organization improving water quality in Indigenous Communities in  
Northern Ontario. 

Co-operative Identity 

7.2 increase renewable   
energy share   

7.2 –  Impact investments supported projects that generated 86.5 million 
MWh of renewable energy.*   

Page 51 

Co-operative Identity 

7.3 improve energy efficiency 

7.3 –  Our new corporate headquarters earned Zero Carbon Design 
certification in 2022 and is designed to conserve energy, and reduce  
carbon emissions and environmental impact. 

Page 73 

 
 
 106  Co-operators 

UN SDG 

SDG target 
or indicator 

2022 Highlight 

More 
information 

Strategic alignment 

8:  
Decent work  
and economic  
growth 

9:   
Industry,  
innovation and  
infrastructure 

10:   
Reduced  
inequalities 

8.4 improve resource efficiency    8.4 –  We are diverting waste and promoting the circular economy in claims 

Page 39 

through the  Zero Waste Economic Transformation Lab. 

8.6 reduce youth  
unemployment 

8.10 access to financial  
services for all  

8.6 –  Our Pathways to Employability initiative aims to reduce youth 
unemployment (see 4.4). 

8.10 – Our wealth products and services increase access to financial services  
(see 1.4). 

Page 41 

Page 24 

Client Engagement /  
Co-operative Identity /  
Workforce Capability 

9.1 develop resilient 
infrastructure   

9.1 –  Our resilience investing project aims to fund climate-resilient 
infrastructure in communities across Canada.   

Page 47 

Co-operative Identity 

9.4 more low-carbon and 
resource-efficient  
infrastructure and industry  

9.4.1 CO2 emission per unit  
of value added 

9.4 –  We were responsible for 20,532 tonnes CO2e emissions in 2022,  
which were neutralized through offsets.  

9.4.1 –  Our energy consumption relative to total income (energy intensity)  
was 23 gigajoules / $1 million in 2022. 

Page 45 

Page 44 

10.1 income growth for 
bottom 40%  

10.1 –  We are a living wage employer, and offer a competitive compensation 
package that, in most cases, far exceeds the living wage.  

Page 69 

Co-operative Identity /  
Workforce Capability 

10.2 inclusion for all  

10.2 –  Through our social impact framework we fund GOOD TO BE GOOD,  
a non-profit offering training, supports and resources to women and  
gender-diverse individuals from priority communities.  

Page 40 

11:   
Sustainable  
cities and 
communities 

11.1 access to affordable 
housing 

11.2 access to sustainable 
transport systems  

11.5 reduce losses from 
disasters   

11.b communities  adopt  
policies/plans for inclusion,  
resource efficiency, and  
climate resilience 

11.1 and 11.2 – Impact investments supported projects and initiatives that were  
responsible for 1,040 units of non-profit seniors housing, in addition to green  
bonds that fund sustainable transportation in our communities.* 

Page 51 

Co-operative Identity /  
Client Engagement 

11.5 – Our Comprehensive Water insurance product is Canada’s only  
flood product to provide coverage for all overland flood risk levels,  
including storm surge.  

11.b – Our partnership with ICLEI Canada and the Federation of  
Canadian Municipalities aims to increase capacity to build  
climate-resilient infrastructure. 

Page 26 

Page 47 

  
 
 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  107 

UN SDG 

SDG target 
or indicator 

2022 Highlight 

More 
information 

Strategic alignment 

12:   
Responsible  
consumption  
and production 

13:  
Climate action 

14:   
Life below 
water 

15:   
Life on land 

12.5  reduce waste generation    12.5 –  Claims solutions and partnerships promote the circular economy and 

Page 30  

reduce waste from the claims process.   

Client Engagement /  
Co-operative Identity 

12.6  corporate adoption of  
sustainable practices   

12.8 educate public on 
sustainable lifestyles 

13.1 build climate resilience 

13.2 integrate climate into 
national policies/plans   

13.3  awareness raising on  
climate change mitigation,  
adaptation, impact reduction
and early warning 

12.6 –  Addenda Capital advocates for and supports companies in adopting 
ESG principles and reaching net zero targets. 

Page 49 

12.8 –  Our external website includes a Resource Centre educating Canadians 
on how to live sustainable, resilient lifestyles. 

13.1 – We contributed to the development of Canada’s National Adaptation 
Strategy through an advisory table, cross-sector coalitions, a comprehensive 
submission of our recommendations, and 1:1 meetings.   

Page 46 

Co-operative Identity /  
Client Engagement 

13.2 –  Our advocacy efforts are geared toward integrating climate solutions 
and action into Canada’s economy and policies. 

Page 46 

13.3 –  We sent 302,043 Weather Alerts to clients to help them prepare and  
protect their property in advance of extreme weather events. 

Page 32 

14.2 build resilience and 
restore coastal ecosystems 

14.2 –  Through our resilience investing project, we will explore climate-
resilient infrastructure that include nature-based solutions in coastal areas. 

Page 47 

Co-operative Identity 

15.1 conserve, restore and 
sustainably use ecosystems 
and their services 

15.1 – Through our resilience investing project, we will seek climate-resilient  
infrastructure opportunities that protect and sustainably use ecosystems and  
their services. 

Page 47 

Co-operative Identity 

16:   
Peace, justice 
and strong 
institutions 

16.7 ensure responsive, 
inclusive, participatory,   
and representative   
decision-making   

16.7 – We launched a process to develop a Reconciliation Strategy in 2022. 

Page 76 

Workforce Capability 

17:   
Partnerships for  
the goals 

17.17 multi-stakeholder  
partnerships 

17.17 – Through our advocacy work and community investments, we build 
multi-stakeholder, cross-sector partnerships that can build imaginative  
solutions to pressing environmental, social and financial challenges.  

Page 46 

Co-operative Identity 

*The impact does not result solely from our investments, but depicts the total impact achieved by the projects and initiatives in which we invest. Because of reporting 
periods, this value is for fiscal 2021. 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 108  Co-operators 

Our 2022 strategic performance 

1. Client Engagement 

Target 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status* 

Discussion 

Percentage of households  
that have signed up for  
Online Services 

40% by the end   
of 2022 

52% 

47% 

43% 

25% 

Exceeded  

Number of Home and  
Auto transactions  
completed online 

Total Client   
Households1  insured 

Pollara Annual   
Study Ranking 

N/A 

446,802  

389,851 

478,176 

368,954

N/A 

950,174

946,585 

948,844  

950,873 

Achieve a ranking  
of third or above  
for both Home  
and Auto 

Auto:  
Tied for  
first   

Auto:  
Tied for  
first 

Auto:  
Second   

Home:  
First  

Home:  
First 

Home:  
Second  

N/A 

Achieved  

Net Promoter Score 

N/A 

 +22 

+20 

N/A 

N/A 

Group Benefits  
Client Experience   
Index (Biennial) 

80% by the end   
of 2022 

78%  

N/A 

77%  

78%  
(2018) 

1Includes client households of Co-operators General and Co-operators Life for all retail business lines.  

The pandemic accelerated the adoption rate of  
Online Services (OLS), which drove us to surpass  
our initial 2022 target in 2020. Our increase in 2022  
represents continued efforts to improve the digital  
experience for our clients.  

The increase in volume of online transactions is  
indicative of the success of our National Quote  
and Buy (NQB) initiative since the launch on  
August 3, 2022. 

Our home and auto lines of business grew 
significantly in 2022, due in large part to the 
home and auto growth initiative that reenergized 
focus on these lines of business, as well as 
continued growth in commercial. Stronger  
retention also further drove growth. 

Pollara’s annual study surveyed home and auto  
insurance clients to determine their likelihood to  
recommend a business, in addition to providing  
comparative insights on customer satisfaction.   
Our #1 scores in home and auto surveys  
demonstrated our continued leadership in   
the P&C industry.  

Co-operators has the highest NPS score  
among its clients compared to our competitors.  
Our strong result of +22 on this scale (which 
ranges from -100 to +100) demonstrates our 
effectiveness at client engagement.   

Not achieved  We are on track with positive movement, 
improving by a factor of one in the Client 
Experience Index and increasing 4% on  
overall satisfaction. With new product and  
service features, performance ratings for all  
product-related metrics increased significantly   
in 2022. We continue to iteratively evolve our 
product and service offerings, including digital  
enhancements, which are expected to keep our 
ratings at satisfactory levels moving forward. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  109 

Target 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status* 

Discussion 

Credit Union Client  
Experience Index  
(Biennial) 

80% by the end   
of 2022 

Revenue from sustainable  
products and services 

20% of revenue  
is defined as  
“sustainable  
revenue” by 
Corporate Knights 
by 2022 

N/A  

79% 

N/A  

79% 

Not achieved  While overall, we’ve achieved strong results in this  

28.2% 

22.6% 

20.1%  

17.8% 

Exceeded  

category, we continue to focus on removing existing  
pain points for credit union clients by continuously  
improving any process and technology challenges  
that may exist at the point of sale.  

We track revenue generated from products and  
services that champion sustainability and resiliency,  
from our Comprehensive Water product, to our  
impact investing efforts.  We have exceeded our  
targets in this area, a testament to our ability to  
embed sustainability into our business decisions.  
Going forward, we will increase flood coverage  
among individual and commercial clients.  We will  
also continue to grow client participation in   
impact investing through the introduction of   
our Sustainable Investment Portfolios.  

*Target terminology is “exceeded”, “achieved”, or “not achieved”. 

2. Co-operative Identity 

Member Engagement  
Score2 (Biennial) 

Target 

85% 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status 

Discussion 

N/A 

96% 

N/A 

98% 

Exceeded  

Despite challenges to engagement throughout the  
COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to stay connected  
and keep our members engaged.  We introduced new  
activities to highlight the relevancy of members and  
keep them front and center with Co-operators staff,  
and will continue to look for creative ways to address  
survey dimensions that scored lower than the  
previous result and are working on our new   
strategy for 2023 to 2026.  

Total amount contributed  
to co-operatives in 2022 

$1.5 million   
each year 

$2.5m 

$1.6m 

$1.5m 

$1.6m 

Exceeded  We exceeded our target through dues, programming  
and partnerships (both national and international) that  
aligned with our community impact goals. Under our  
Social Impact Framework, we continue to focus on  
close partnerships with co-ops to amplify our impact   
in the community, by supporting those that contribute  
to overall community well-being and resiliency.  

2Starting in 2021 we are using our member relationship index survey and historical data, but renaming it the Member Engagement Score. 

 
 
 110  Co-operators 

Total member   
and co-operative  
business volume3 

Target 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status 

Discussion 

$1.388 billion by  
the end of 2022 

$1.372   
billion 

$1.279  
billion 

$1.180  
billion 

$1.150 
billion 

Not 
achieved 

While we came close to target, growth challenges   
in our creditor line of business persisted in 2022.  
Nevertheless, we experienced moderate growth in  
commercial, corporate accounts and other lines of  
business in the Member Benefits Program.   As we move  
into 2023, we hope to expand marketing activities to  
further grow our Member Benefits Program.  

3.9% 

4.1% 

5.3% 

4.2% 

Achieved  We met this target due to our strong commitment  

Percentage of pre-tax  
profit (attributable to  
members) contributed to 
Canadian co-operatives,  
non-profits and charities  
(five year average) 

Exceed Imagine 
Canada's  
benchmark of   
1% each year 

Percentage of   
Co-operators   
invested assets in   
impact investing 

20% by the end  
of 2022 

23.6%  

21.2% 

20.8%

19.4% 

Exceeded 

Carbon Footprint  
Reduction 

Maintain carbon  
neutrality 

100%  

100% 

100% 

80% 

Achieved 

Percentage of senior  
leadership with   
SMART goals related  
to sustainability or  
co-operative identity 

100% each year 

98% 

95% 

N/A 

94% 

Not 
achieved 

to our co-operative principles and the social  
and environmental well-being and resiliency  
of Canadian communities.  

The opportunities for impact investments have   
expanded significantly since 2021 with a growing variety  
of investment options.  Although green bonds continue   
to dominate the market, the fast emergence of social  
bonds, sustainability bonds, and sustainability-linked  
loans enabled us to diversify our impact investments   
and continue to exceed our target.   

Emission levels rose in 2022 as we resumed business  
travel and returned to more in-person operations.   
We continue to purchase renewable electricity and  
carbon offsets to maintain carbon neutrality.  We are  
broadening and deepening engagement with various  
departments on our decarbonization pathways to   
drive us towards our net-zero commitment.  

This measures the integration of sustainability and 
co-operative principles throughout our organization.   
The vast majority of our executives continue to set 
SMART sustainability goals, reflecting the integration  
of these principles in our strategic plan. Sustainability will  
continue to be further integrated into our business  
decisions, processes and actions, including executive  
compensation.  

3Metric includes growth associated with individuals who are members of one of our member organizations, including growth related to identifying these individuals within 
our existing client base. 

 
 
 
Target 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status 

Discussion 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  111 

Corporate Knights “Best  
50 Corporate Citizens in  
Canada“ Ranking 

Remain on the list 

14th  

3rd 

4th 

1st 

Achieved 

Efforts to embed sustainability into our organization were  
once again recognized in 2022, when we were placed on  
the Corporate Knights Best 50 Corporate Citizens in  
Canada list for the 13th consecutive year. The highest-
ranking financial institution, our 2022 result was driven   
by our high proportion of Sustainable Revenue,  
sustainability-pay link, paid sick days, gender diversity in  
senior management, and more.  We continue to expand  
our impact investing and climate resilience insurance   
in Canada, which are sources of Sustainable Revenue.  

3. Competitiveness 

Target 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status 

Discussion 

Expense ratio for   
P&C operations4 

At or better than the  
industry by the end  
of 2022 

32.4%  

32.4% 

30.6% 

31.6% 

Not achieved  Our 2022 expense ratio did not achieve target  
due to the acceleration of strategic spend and 
higher salaries and benefits. Strategic spend  
was increased to ensure delivery on our digital 
capabilities and operational efficiency initiatives.   
We anticipate strategic spend to decrease in 2023  
to more affordable levels and tight control will be  
maintained over other expenses.  

Efficiency ratio for   
Life operations 

17.7% by the end   
of 2022 

18.0%  

21.5% 

20.0% 

19.2% 

Not achieved 

P&C combined ratio 

98% by the end  
of 2022 

95.2%  

89.2% 

95.0% 

101.1% 

Achieved 

Return on   
members’ equity 

8 to 10% each year 

8.5%  

14.2% 

10.2% 

7.7% 

Achieved 

4Includes CGIC and CUMIS General. 

The 2022 efficiency ratio did not achieve target   
as the Life Operations continued to tightly manage  
direct expenses while maintaining higher strategic  
spend associated with key initiatives. 

Our favourable results stem from our ongoing focus  
on sustained, profitable underwriting, which includes  
using data and analytics tools to support our risk  
assessments and adjusting pricing to reflect the risk.  
The year over year increase resulted primarily from  
claims frequency which has been slowly increasing  
towards pre-pandemic levels.   

We achieved our target through strong 
underwriting across both P&C and Life operations  
during 2022, despite volatile financial markets and  
elevated strategic spend. 

 
 
 
 112  Co-operators 

Target 

Return on participating  
policyholders’ (Par) equity 

4.5 to 6.5%  
each year 

2022 

3.0%  

2021 

6.7% 

2020 

1.9% 

2019 

8.7% 

Status 

Discussion 

Not achieved 

Retail wealth sales growth  36.4% compound 

annual growth rate  
through 2022 

21.1% compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

Not achieved 

Retail wealth assets 
under management   
and administration 

Individual Insurance new  
annaul premium growth 

Revenue Growth in 
consolidated P&C  
Commercial lines   
of business 

$3.0 billion by the 
end of 2022 

$2.24  
billion  

$2.31 
billion 

 $1.91  
billion 

$1.69  
billion 

Not achieved 

7.0% compound 
annual growth rate  
through 2022 

N/A 

(1.9%) compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

Not achieved 

10.4% compound annual growth rate  
through 2022 

Return on Policyholders’ equity fell short of   
our target.  This was largely due to economic   
factors, which offset  income generated from   
our operations.  

Our participating policyholders are those   
clients who hold a Life insurance policy with   
us that includes an investment portion which   
lasts for much of, or all, of their total lifetime.  

The target was set aggressively in 2022, given the  
volatility in the market and the high interest rates  
environment.   While the target was not met, we  
managed to exceed 2021 sales in a challenging  
environment.  

The volatile markets in 2022 and the significant  
economic downturn led to a decrease in assets  
under management in 2022. 

Unfavourable market conditions and an increased  
focus on wealth in recent years saw individual  
insurance sales decline.  

Growth in commercial premiums has trended  
positively due to higher than anticipated   
average policy growth and risk-appropriate   
policy rate adjustments across most regions.  
Through meaningful rate setting, our refined   
risk appetite, and targeted growth, we expect   
to see continued revenue growth with our  
commercial lines.  

Group Benefits  
Premium Growth 

7.3% compound 
annual growth rate  
through 2022 

6.5% compound annual growth rate   
through 2022  

Not achieved  We did not achieve the target largely due to the  

impacts of the pandemic and industry contraction.  
However, our business rebounded with a  
compound annual premium growth rate of 8.5%  
since 2020.  This growth was supported by the  
post-pandemic economic improvements,   
but heavily influenced by solid client retention,  
good underwriting results and improved   
sales traction.  

4. Workforce Capability 

Target 

2022 

2021 

2020 

2019 

Status 

Discussion 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  113 

Representation of women  
in senior leadership5 

35% by the end   
of 2022 

38% 

34% 

25% 

26% 

Achieved  

Aggregated Employee  
Engagement Score 

Maintain 80% or 
better each year 

71%  

80% 

N/A 

77% 

Not achieved 

Mental Health index 

N/A 

78% 

80% 

N/A 

78% 

5The proportion of women in senior leadership positions at the vice president level or above. 

Planning focused on attraction, retention,   
and development of talent generated more   
diverse talent pools.  The number of women in  
vice-president and executive vice-president roles  
increased while overall vice-president role   
total decreased. Moving forward, we will focus   
on accelerating momentum through employee  
resource groups and talent management insights.  

Each year, we strive to achieve a Best Employer  
ranking for employee engagement, but this year   
fell short. Employees were most engaged in the  
areas of diversity and inclusion, manager support,   
and perceived levels of collaboration.  Areas for  
improvement included perceptions of our ability   
to attract, retain and promote top talent, rewards and  
recognition, and the degree to which we’re enabling  
the infrastructure required to effectively perform   
work tasks.  

We sustained our commitment to mental health  
through targeted leader and employee awareness  
programs.  We also implemented new technology   
to enhance social connection through peer-to-peer  
recognition. In 2023, we will maintain our focus by  
implementing in-person events and fitness classes,  
encouraging positive workplace culture.  

 
 
 114  Co-operators 

2022 financial statements 

Income statement summaries 

P&C operations direct written premium by lines of business 
Direct written premium in our P&C operations increased 7.3%,  
primarily due to higher average premiums in home, commercial and 
farm, strong policy growth in commercial as well as an increase in travel 
premiums as pandemic-related lockdown measures continued to be 
lifted throughout the year.  

Life operations premiums and deposits by lines of business 
Our life operations’ total premiums and deposits grew almost 8% 
in 2022 led by continued growth in our wealth management line of 
business, and solid growth in our travel, group benefits and individual 
insurance lines. The wealth management line was driven by an 80% 
increase in mutual fund deposits. 

Net investment income and gains 
Our investment results were impacted by the rising interest rates which 
negatively impact the fair value of our bond portfolio as well as the 
weak preferred equity market.  A significant portion of the volatility in 
investment gains and losses arises from our life operations with much 
of this volatility being offset through claims and benefits expenses 
as a result of our asset-liability matching programs. During the year,  
we rebalanced the portfolio due to the pessimistic macro-economic 
outlook for 2023 and, as a result, we realized common equity gains 
which partially offset the bond and preferred equity losses.  

The Co-operators Group Limited 
Summarized consolidated Statement of Income  
Year ended December 31 

(in millions of dollars) 

2022 

2021 

2020 

INCOME 

Net earned premium 

Net investment income and gains (losses) 

Fees and other income 

Total income 

4,918.1  

4,617.8 

4,431.9 

(642.6)  

373.1  

182.0  

173.2  

751.8  

166.9  

4,457.5   5,164.1   5,350.6 

BENEFITS AND OPERATING EXPENSES 

Claims and benefits expense, net of reinsurance 

2,149.3 

2,710.7 

3,329.3 

Other expenses 

Total expenses 

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense 

Net income 

Net income attributable to: 

Members 

Participating policyholders 

Non-controlling interests 

Net income 

1,915.3  

1,831.4 

1,652.5 

4,064.6 

4,542.1  4,981.8  

 392.9  

622.0 

 368.8 

84.0 

147.0 

85.0 

308.9  

475.0  

283.8 

271.8  

407.6 

258.1 

26.5 

10.6 

57.1 

10.3 

15.8 

9.9  

308.9  

475.0  

283.8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Summarized consolidated balance sheet 
Our balance sheet position remains strong, with almost $4.5 billion 
in capital. Our regulatory capital positions, as measured by the 
Minimum Capital Test (MCT) and the Life Insurance Capital Adequacy 
Test (LICAT), also remain strong with our ratios well above regulatory 
requirements. Invested assets decreased by 8.4% in the year as a 
result of the increase in interest rates – which decreases the fair value 
of our bond portfolio - as well as the weak equity markets throughout 
the year. Despite this decline, invested assets still exceed the total 
value of our insurance and investment contracts, net of reinsurance, 
by 24.3%. Our bond portfolio makes up 55.6% of the portfolio and is 
well-diversified geographically and by sector with over 97% of bonds 
considered investment grade. 

2022 Integrated Annual Report  115 

The Co-operators Group Limited 
Summarized consolidated Balance sheet 
As at December 31 

(in millions of dollars) 

2022 

2021 

2020 

ASSETS 

Invested assets 

Segregated fund assets 

Other assets 

Total assets 

LIABILITIES 

11,425.6  

12,478.4 

11,789.9  

3,595.3  

3,926.0 

3,426.4  

4,367.1 

4,236.2 

3,664.2 

19,388.0  20,640.6  18,880.5  

Insurance and investment contract liabilities 

9,815.0  

10,471.9 

9,868.7 

Segregated fund liabilities 

3,595.3  

3,926.0 

3,426.4  

Other liabilities 

Total liabilities 

EQUITY 

Member equity 

Participating policyholder account equity 

Non-controlling interests 

Total equity 

1,478.8  

1,638.1 

1,623.2 

14,889.1 

16,036.0 

14,918.3 

3,349.9  

3,423.0 

2,851.3  

940.1 

208.9  

971.8 

209.8 

907.6  

203.3 

4,498.9  

4,604.6 

3,962.2  

Total liabilities and equity 

19,388.0  20,640.6  18,880.5  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 116  Co-operators 

Invested asset mix 

We invest our assets responsibly  
for our stakeholders 

How we invest our assets influences our financial stability, as well as our investment returns. Bonds make up the majority 
of our asset portfolio, which have a lower risk profile relative to other investments. 

 Bonds (55.6%)

 Stocks (16.7%)

 Mortgages (11.2%) 

Short-term 
investments (3.3%)

 Other (13.2%) 

Bonds — consists of Canadian government debt instruments and corporate bonds diversified  
both geographically and by sector.  The credit quality of the portfolio is as follows:  

AAA  
AA  
A  

25.6% 
30.4% 
26.5% 

14.7% 

BBB  
Below BBB   2.5% 
Not rated   0.3% 

Stocks — consists largely of publicly traded common and preferred shares and is 
diversified by geography, sector and issuer: 

Canadian 50.2% 
Canadian Preferred 32.1% 

U.S. 12.9% 
International 4.8% 

Mortgages — primarily in a diversified portfolio of Canadian commercial properties. 

Loss ratio of 0.0% over the last five years. 

Ratings 
External rating agencies rate our companies and recognize our strong capital position.   
In October 2022, DBRS upgraded CFSL’s issuer credit rating to BBB (high) from BBB and  
CGIC’s and Sovereign’s financial strength rating to A from A (low).  The upgrades reflect the  
group of companies’ strong and consistent growth and improved underwriting profitability   
as well as the consolidated prudent liquidity, leverage and capital positions.  All ratings are  
investment grade (BBB-/bbb- or better).  Information on Issuer Credit Rating and Financial  
Strength Rating can be found online at cooperators.ca. 

  
 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  117 

Capital tests 

We help provide financial security  
when times get tough 

Our capital allows us to fulfil our promises to our clients through changing circumstances, to meet regulatory and rating 
agency expectations, to invest into strategic initiatives to achieve our short- and long-term goals and to pursue  business 
opportunities as they arise. At year end, we remain well-capitalized and strongly positioned to face future  uncertainty.  

Note: The Minimum Capital Test (MCT) and the Life Insurance Capital Adequacy Test (LICAT) are ratios we calculate 
and monitor to ensure we have sufficient capital to support our regulated businesses. The MCT applies to property and 
casualty insurers (CGIC Consolidated), and the LICAT applies to life insurance companies (CLIC Consolidated). We hold  
capital beyond the minimum regulatory requirements for both companies. 

Co-operators General Insurance Company Consolidated Minimum Capital Test (MCT) 

232% 

239% 

251% 

The Office of the Superintendent of 
Financial Institutions Supervisory MCT 
Target: 150% 

2020 

2021 

2022 

Co-operators Life Insurance Company Consolidated Life Insurance Capital   
Adequacy Test (LICAT) 

150% 

159% 

160% 

The Office of the Superintendent of 
Financial Institutions Supervisory LICAT 
Target: 100% 

2020 

2021 

2022 

 
 
 118  Co-operators 

Risk management 

We manage risk through a  
robust and continuous process 

We continuously and effectively balance the risk-reward trade-off of our enterprise, while remaining consistent with  
our co-operative vision and values. This preserves our ability to thrive within our overall appetite for risk. To do so,  
we use sophisticated modelling to support decision-making in setting risk-based capital targets, which are essential  
to our strength and our clients’ financial security. We view risk management as a shared responsibility of all business  
lines and all employees across our co-operative. 

Our enterprise risk 
management program 
Our enterprise risk management team  
undertakes an annual structured and  
integrated assessment to independently  
identify key risk factors that may impact  
our ability to achieve our strategic goals  
and objectives.  The results and discussions  
that stem from this assessment inform our  
business and strategic planning processes,  
operations and decision-making. In addition,  
with the support of our capital modelling  
teams, we annually evaluate our capital  
management plans alongside our evolving  
risk profile to ensure we have appropriate  
capital levels to responsibly manage the  
risks we accept. 

1. Identify 
We identify risks through internal  
surveys, interviews and discussions 
with all departments across our 
enterprise. Through a variety of  
environmental research scans and 
emerging risk surveys, we identify  
new and/or evolving risks. 

4. Monitor and report 
Our ERM team continuously monitors  
and regularly reports on these risks  
to the board’s Risk Committee, 
management and regulators. 

2. Assess 
We rank the top risks to our 
organization and assess their 
potential impacts.  We consult with 
risk advisors for input on plans to 
manage these risks and insight on 
how these risks are trending.  

3. Quantify 
We quantify risk exposures using 
various measurements, models and  
tools, including stress-testing and  
sensitivity-testing.  

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  119 

We manage and anticipate risks,  
to prepare for an uncertain future 

To understand and prepare for the risks and opportunities in the world around us, we follow a rigorous process.  An effective risk  
management function allows us to transform our business strategy, operations and decision-making to meet the needs of our  
members, clients and communities; not just today, but long into the future. 

How we define our risk appetite 
Our risk appetite defines the types and amount of risk we are willing and able to responsibly accept, while earning 
an appropriate return and fulfilling our strategic goals and objectives. It describes the risks we will avoid, the risks 
we are prepared to assume and the limits we place on assumed risks. We develop and establish our enterprise risk 
appetite through a collaborative culture between ERM and other departments across our organization. 

Our risk universe  
We categorize the top risks and monitor and manage them through our risk universe. 

Risk type 

Top risk in 2022  

Investment and financial risks 
Includes credit risk, market fluctuations in  
terms of equity markets, interest rates and 
foreign exchange, and liquidity risk. 

Insurance risk 
Includes risk of financial loss from  
claims and/or paid benefits that are 
higher than expected when initially 
priced.  This includes exposure to 
catastrophic perils that would impede  
our ability to meet business goals,  
including climate-related catastrophes.  
It also includes risks related to our life,  
health and travel insurance lines  
of business.  

Rising Interest Rates  
As a co-operative, we have limited access to capital. It’s imperative that our  
capital is both protected and working as efficiently as possible. Rising interest  
rates have had a negative impact on our capital levels.  We continue to monitor  
and manage both our equity market risk tolerance and bond portfolio impacts  
in an inflationary environment. Our management team is prepared to execute  
a variety of mitigating strategies as needed to protect against the potential  
downside risk to our regulatory capital ratios.  

Extreme weather and climate change 
As we experience more extreme weather activity, we face increasing risk   
that our property insurance products will fail to remain affordable over the  
long-term.  To mitigate against this possibility, we continue to expand our  
offering of innovative and sustainable insurance solutions, and to advocate for  
the importance of addressing climate-change risks. Our Climatic Hazards and  
Advanced Risk Modelling (CHARM) team has made significant investments in  
research and development to provide strategic insights based on advanced  
modelling and analytics, including the quantification of our portfolio  
accumulations across regions.  

 
 
 120  Co-operators 

Operational risk 
Includes risks to prolonged interruption 
in business operations after a disruption, 
risks associated with executing on 
projects effectively, risks of legal and 
regulatory compliance, risks associated 
with technological gaps and data 
security, and more. 

Rising inflation risks 
Inflation is detrimental to P&C claim costs, particularly this pandemic-driven,   
pent-up demand environment, which has resulted in property insurers paying   
much higher settlement amounts as a result of supply chain constraints relative   
to the general Consumer Price Index.   

Future of Work 
We face ongoing uncertainties around the new hybrid workplace model,  
particularly when it comes to how we will foster a growing resilient and  
agile workforce that embraces transformational change and aspires to a 
continuous improvement mindset.  This includes setting efficient processes,  
enabling technology and overcoming project management complexities.  

Strategic risk 
Includes risks of not understanding 
client preferences and behaviours, risks 
posed by changes in the competitive 
market, and risks presented by business 
landscape changes.  

Shifting client preferences and behaviours 
Social expectations for products, services and digital purchasing preferences  
are shifting quickly and significantly.  This shift is driving an accelerated pace of  
technological change and product/service re-design. If we fail to adequately  
respond to these shifting preferences and behaviours, it could inhibit our ability   
to deliver on our strategic priorities. 

We engage in regular dialogue with our key stakeholders throughout the   
year to understand and respond to issues that are important to them, and to 
ensure our strategy and plans adequately anticipate, address and solve for  
these challenges. We have committed significant resources to developing  
the service tools to be a leader in client engagement.  

Reputation risk 
Includes risks resulting from activities,  
decisions or actions that impair our  
integrity in the community. 

Cyber security risk 
The evolving nature of sophisticated cyber attacks globally are growing,   
putting us at increased risk if we fail to stay current in addressing vulnerabilities.  
Data privacy breaches could result in disruption to our clients  and  impact  our  
organization materially through both financial losses and  reputational  impacts.  

In recent years, we’ve made a significant investment to modernize our 
technology platforms and protect against cyber vulnerabilities, while leveraging  
new technologies to provide a much higher level of service, adaptability and 
affordability for our clients. We have partnered with leading cyber security firms, 
which give us real-time access to cyber threat intelligence blogs, feeds and 
regular dialogues to discuss threat actors and activity. Our Center for  
Security Operations integrates this intelligence into our incident and  
activity monitoring tool for prevention, early detection, and to strengthen   
our mitigating response strategies.  

2022 Integrated Annual Report  121 

Report materiality process 

We engage with key stakeholders to  
connect with what matters 

Throughout the year, we stay in touch with the people, organizations and institutions that are most integral to our purpose. 

Key stakeholder 

How we engage them 

Our clients: Canadians and Canadian   
businesses, co-operatives, community-based   
and non-profit organizations. 

Surveys, focus groups, usability studies and our 
Community Advisory Panel. 

Our members:  The co-operatives, credit union centrals,  
representative farm organizations and other like-minded 
organizations who govern us. 

Annual general meeting, region committee meetings,  
surveys, and in-person and virtual meetings. 

Employees: The people we employ across the country.  Employee surveys, town halls, intranet, internal social 

platforms and focus groups. 

Financial Advisors and their staff: The people who  
serve our clients in communities across Canada. 

Town halls, annual sales congresses, surveys,   
webinars and in-person and virtual meetings. 

Communities and community partners:  The people  
and places that connect our key stakeholders. 

Surveys, research, events, speaking engagements,  
forums, in-person and virtual collaborations, and our 
Community Advisory Panel. 

Government and regulators:  Elected and  
non-elected decision makers who legislate   
and regulate our industry. 

Agenda-setting, meetings and consultations,   
advocacy and industry associations. 

How we validated priority  
reporting issues with key  
stakeholders in 2022 
We engaged members, clients, employees,  
Financial Advisors and others to validate 
material reporting issues throughout  
the year. This helped us determine what 
information to include in our Integrated  
Annual Report. 

In 2022, we engaged our Board 
Sustainability Committee in a discussion 
on report materiality validation to gain 
feedback and insights on the relevance 
of our 2022 material reporting issues. 
From this discussion, the following topics 
emerged as ones of particular importance 
to our stakeholders in 2022. 

•  

Responsible advice and sales practice 
of our wealth strategy 

• Financial performance and business  

resilience  

• Climate change mitigation, adaptation  

and community resilience  
• Changing nature of work 
• Our role as a catalyst of sustainability 

 
 
  
  
  
  
 122  Co-operators 

Priority reporting issues validation process 

In 2019, to determine the material reporting issues for our Integrated Annual Report, we identified key stakeholders to prioritize,  
validate and analyze the issues that mattered most to our organization.  Through research and internal consultation, we uncovered  
the primary issues and concerns that were most relevant to The Co-operators Group Ltd. for reporting purposes.  We then  
mapped and prioritized our findings and tested them against information gathered from our stakeholders to identify any gaps.  
Through internal and external interviews and surveys, we engaged with our stakeholders and their proxies to identify and validate  
our material reporting issues.  We then applied criteria to prioritize the ranking of top material reporting issues and obtained  
senior management review and input. 

Additional priority  
reporting issues 
•  

Sustainable practices and  
operational impacts  
• Diversity, inclusion and 
equal opportunity 

• Client and member experience  

and satisfaction  

• Stakeholder trust and relationships  
• Co-operative identity and our 

democratic governance structure  

Top priority reporting issues 
1. Client and member financial security and resilience 
How we support our clients and members to help them achieve prosperity and resilience in a world of 
increasing uncertainty and volatility, including financial literacy and planning, and access and affordability 
of insurance, to protect against evolving risks. 

2. Climate change and the low-carbon transition 
How we respond to the causes and impacts of climate change, through climate mitigation and resiliency efforts,  
risk management processes, investments, carbon footprint, advocacy and climate-related disclosures. 

3.  Workforce engagement, development and well-being 
How we engage and protect the mental, emotional and physical well-being of our employees and Financial 
Advisors, and how we engage, attract, retain and develop an inclusive and diverse talent pool. 

4. Innovation and digital trust 
How we embed innovation within our business and culture, from change management, products and services, 
and responses to emerging business models and global trends. How we maintain clients’ trust through 
increased interaction within digital markets and new technologies. 

5. Investing for positive impact 
How we use our capital to help build environmentally, socially and financially resilient communities for future 
generations through our sustainable and impact investing decisions. 

6. Community resilience, development and well-being 
How we contribute to the resilience, development and well-being of our communities amid increasingly volatile 
environmental, social and economic conditions. 

7. Financial performance and competitiveness 
How we ensure the financial health, resilience and competitiveness of our organization, and the steps we take to 
deliver value and returns to our members, while ensuring the efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability of 
our business. 

  
  
  
  
2022 Integrated Annual Report  123 

Reporting issues 

In 2019, we underwent a process to prioritize, validate and analyze the material reporting 
issues that matter most to our stakeholders and our organization. 

Highest 

o
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a
t
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7 

2 

1 

4 

3 

5 

6 

Moderate 

Highest 

Significance of impact on stakeholders, their assessments or decisions 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 124  Co-operators 

About The Co-operators Group Limited 

We’re a group of companies  
that provide financial strength  
and security 

As a leading Canadian financial services co-operative with $58.2 billion  
in assets under administration, The Co-operators Group Limited 
provides property and casualty (P&C) insurance, life insurance,  
investment management, institutional asset management and  
brokerage operations.  

2022 Integrated Annual Report  125 

The Co-operators Group Limited 
Learn more about our group of companies and how we meet the needs of clients across the country. 

Addenda Capital Inc. 
Provides discretionary investment management  
services to a wide range of organizations, 
foundations, endowments and individuals, as well 
as the companies of Co-operators Group Limited. 

Co-operators General Insurance Company 
Provides Home, Auto, Farm, and Commercial 
insurance across Canada and distributes Life 
insurance and Wealth Management products 
for Co-operators Life Insurance Company. 

Co-operators Life Insurance Company 
Provides Life and health insurance, as well as wealth 
management products for individuals and groups  
across Canada. 

Co-operators Financial Investment Services Inc. 
Distributes third-party mutual funds through our 
exclusive Financial Advisor network across Canada. 

CUMIS General 
Provide insurance-related products and services,  
including Travel insurance, for Canadian credit 
unions, caisses populaires and their members. 

The Edge Benefits Inc. 
Provides simplified disability insurance products 
to Canadians, with a focus on the self-employed 
marketplace. 

Duuo 
Provides a growing variety of integrated 
insurance solutions.  

Federated Agencies Limited 
Provides personal, commercial and financial 
services products for strategic business partners. 

Technicost 
Provides credit software solutions to credit unions 
across Canada. 

The Premier group of companies  
Offers professional liability, specialty casualty, 
and general property coverage through a network  
of brokers. 

The Sovereign General Insurance Company  
Provides tailored risk solutions for Canadian  
business through multiple distribution channels. 

 
 
 126  Co-operators 

We meet the needs of a wide range of clients 

We offer a holistic suite of financial and insurance solutions and advice uniquely tailored to an array of Canadians and  
Canadian organizations. 

We insure 

We protect 

We manage the investments of 

889,000 

homes 

1.6 million 

vehicles 

220,000 

employees and their dependants 

623,000 

lives 

490,000 

Canadians through Creditor  
Life insurance  

233 

institutions, as well as individual investors, 

with assets valued at over 

$34.2 billion 

We provide coverage for 

We serve 

42,000 

farms 

279,000 

businesses 

209

credit unions 

5.9 million+ 

credit union members 

We help Canadians plan their 
financial futures 

over 

51,000 

wealth accounts 

 
2022 Integrated Annual Report  127 

Additional information about our workforce 

Our employees are our greatest strength 

The people we employ in our group of companies are essential in bringing our strategy to life, and they work from communities 
across the country to meet the needs of our members, clients and communities. 

* 
Total number of employees

6,962 

Gender representation of   
total workforce

** 

62%  38% 

Women 

 Men 

Number of full and part time 
employees by province 

Northwest Territories: 
full time 1 / part time 0 

Yukon Territory: 
full time 1 / part time 0 

British Columbia: 
full time 273 / part time 13 

Alberta: 
full time 705 / part time 19 

Saskatchewan: 
full time 611 / part time 21 

Manitoba: 
full time 32 / part time 2 

Ontario: 
full time 4,056 / part time 44 

Quebec: 
full time 556 / part time 18 

New Brunswick: 
full time 502 / part time 6 

Prince Edward Island: 
full time 9 / part time 0 

Nova Scotia: 
full time 34 / part time 0 

Newfoundland and Labrador: 
full time 58 / part time 1 

*Includes employees of Premier group of companies and The Edge Benefits Inc. Non-financial reporting items for these entities have not been included in this report, unless otherwise noted. 
**Although we do not currently include ‘non-binary’ in our data collection, we are working toward including it next year. 

  
 
 
 128  Co-operators 

Public Accountability Statement 
Our 2022 Integrated Annual Report provides our key stakeholders with information 
and data related to our economic, social and environmental performance. 

In compliance with the Public Accountability Statement requirements under the 
Insurance Companies Act, this report includes relevant activities of Co-operators 
General Insurance Company, which has equity exceeding $1 billion, along with the 
activities of some of our larger regulated companies owned by The Co-operators 
Group Limited, including: 

2022 taxes paid/payable (recovered/recoverable)1   
(in thousands of Canadian dollars) 

Income   
and capital
taxes 

Premium   
taxes 

Total 

Federal

 (10,141) 

-

(10,141)  

•  The Sovereign General Insurance Company (Sovereign Insurance) 
•  Co-operators Life Insurance Company (Co-operators Life) 
•  Federated Agencies Limited (Federated) 
•  Addenda Capital Inc. (Addenda) 
•  CUMIS General Insurance Company 
•  Co-operators Financial Investment Services Inc. (CFIS)

For more information on these organizations, visit cooperators.ca. 

The information, data and content found in these pages focuses on our larger operations  
outlined above. Unless noted, non-financial reporting items from a number of smaller  
companies are excluded from this report, based on size or Co-operators ownership interest.  
These organizations include: Aviso Wealth Limited Partnership; AZGA Service Canada Inc.;  
CU Agencies Alliance Ltd.; Duuo Insurance Services Inc.; HB Group Insurance Management  
Ltd. (HB Group); Premier group of companies; Les Systemes de gestion Technicost Inc.;  
The Edge Benefits Inc.; and UNIFED Insurance Brokers Limited.  

COSECO Insurance Company was amalgamated into Co-operators General Insurance 
Company and CUMIS Life Insurance Company was amalgamated into Co-operators 
Life Insurance Company as of December 31, 2021. Following the amalgamations both 
entities ceased all operations. 

Our Integrated Annual Report captures the activities of The Co-operators Group 
Limited and its major subsidiaries, unless otherwise stated, for the 2022 calendar year. 
This report can be found in English and French at integratedreport.cooperators.ca.  

To obtain a printed copy, or for more information, email us at service@cooperators.ca. 

Our report validation process 
To increase validation mechanisms, our internal audit department has assessed the 
data integrity of several key financial and non-financial measures and statements in this 
report. The specific measures and statements that were included in the data integrity 
assessment completed by internal audit were based on a risk ranking. We incorporate 
our internal audit department’s recommendations on reporting controls where applicable,  
and future reports will continue to do so. Through a separate process, our consolidated 
financial statements are subject to an annual external audit. Several key financial figures  
arising from this process have been included in this report. 

Provincial 

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Territories

Total Provincial

Total 

Other taxes2 

 (2,708) 

 44,355  

 41,647   

 501  

(386) 

(459) 

(257) 

(372) 

 15,678  

 16,179   

3,594  

4,323  

7,784  

6,437  

 3,208 

 3,864 

 7,527   

 6,065  

 1,934 

 76,469  

 78,403  

(150)

694  

(645) 

(122) 

1,740  

 9,599  

8,438  

1,189   

 1,590   

 10,293   

 7,793 

1,067   

 (1,970) 

 179,606 

177,636  

(13,430)  

179,606 

167,495  

121,978  

289,473  

Total taxes paid/payable (recovered/recoverable) 

1All amounts may contain accrued tax estimates. 
2Other taxes includes commodity, property and business, payroll, and other 
miscellaneous taxes. 

   
 
  
  
  
  
 
2022 debt financing* 

The Company is committed to making debt financing available to 
businesses across Canada. 

$0 to $24,999 

$25,000 to $99,999 

$100,000 to $249,999 

$250,000 to $499,999 

$500,000 to $999,999 

$1,000,000 to $4,999,999 

$5,000,000 and greater 

Total 

Number of 
authorizations 

Authorized 

6 

2 

7 

7 

22 

35 

4 

83 

$8,814  

$134,112  

$1,308,114  

$2,305,595  

$15,634,910  

$87,966,219  

$38,580,654 

$145,938,418 

For reasons of confidentiality, a provincial breakdown of the number of 
authorizations and amount authorized is not included. 

*Debt Financing includes mortgage loan issuances and other private  
commercial loans. 

Supplementary Disclosures 
•   Governance disclosures 
•   Co -operators Management Group profiles 
•   Co -operators Sustainability Policy 
•   UNEP FI Principles for Sustainable Insurance  —  
—

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annual disclosure of progress 

•   Our carbon footprint 
•   Carbon footprint of our investment portfolios 
•   Sustainability -related insurance and wealth products   

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and services 

•   Ethics and privacy 
•   Sustainable investing and impact investing policies 
•   Credit ratings 
•   Workforce disclosures 
•   Memberships, affiliations and partnerships 

 
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Co -operators, 130 Macdonell Street, Guelph, ON N1H 6P8 
Phone: 519 -824 -4400 | cooperators.ca | service@cooperators.ca 
Available in French ~ Disponible en français 
Released May 09, 2022 | COR1039 (05/22) 

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