Critical Illness Insurance
A tax-free lump sum on diagnosis of a covered condition, paid whether or not you stop working.
Canadian health care pays for your treatment. It does not pay your mortgage while you recover, cover a spouse taking unpaid leave, fund a drug that is not on the provincial formulary, or pay for care outside the country. Critical illness insurance pays you a lump sum on diagnosis, and you decide what it is for.
Most plans cover the big three — cancer, heart attack and stroke — which account for the large majority of claims, while comprehensive plans extend to twenty-five or more conditions. The benefit is paid after a survival period, typically thirty days, and it is yours tax-free with no restriction on how it is spent.
Who this is for
- Self-employed people and contractors with no sick leave
- Single-income households where illness would stop the income entirely
- Anyone with a family history of cancer, heart disease or stroke
- Business owners who would need to cover a locum or key employee
What you get
Lump sum on diagnosis
Paid once you survive the qualifying period, typically thirty days. You do not have to be unable to work to claim.
Spend it on anything
Mortgage payments, a spouse’s lost income, private treatment, travel for care, or simply time to recover without financial pressure.
Cancer, heart attack and stroke
The three conditions behind the overwhelming majority of claims are covered by every plan we place.
Comprehensive plans, 25+ conditions
Broader plans add multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, major organ transplant, severe burns, blindness and more.
Return of premium
An optional rider refunds the premiums you paid if you never claim — turning the cost into deferred savings.
Child coverage available
Plans covering childhood conditions cost very little and let a parent stop working during a child’s treatment.
Questions we get asked
Critical illness pays a single lump sum on diagnosis regardless of whether you can work. Disability insurance pays a monthly income only while you are unable to work. They solve different problems and many people hold both.
You keep the money. The benefit is triggered by the diagnosis and the survival period, not by how long the illness lasts.
Many plans pay a partial benefit, often 10 to 15 percent of the coverage, for early-stage conditions, without reducing the full benefit if a covered condition follows later.
It raises the premium meaningfully, but refunds everything you paid if you never claim. For younger applicants it often works out well; we will show you the numbers for your age.
Get a critical illness quote
Tell us a little about who needs covering. We will compare the market and come back with two or three options worth considering, with the trade-offs spelled out.
- Advice and paperwork cost you nothing
- Available in English, Punjabi and Hindi
- Most quotes returned the same business day