Top Wholesale Casualty Insurance Brokerages in Canada 2026

Wholesale casualty insurance brokerages will help the retail broker to get the coverage in place for a business that may be outside the underwriting appetite of the traditional insurer. They are the ones who will connect the independent agent/broker with the specialist markets and will be the ones to help them find the insurer and arrange the cover. Their range of cover will typically be commercial general liability, excess liability, products liability and liquor liability. They will also be the ones to help with the placement of cover in the construction, hospitality and habitational sectors. They will generally work through the intermediary rather than working directly with the business owner. Their role is to assist the retail broker with the submission, the underwriting and the policy conditions.

Demand for the top wholesale casualty insurance brokerages will be up when businesses are facing some unusual liability exposure, some unusual contractual exposure or some liability that the standard insurers just won't touch. A contractor doing a particular type of work, a hospitality business providing for guests or a property owner with a public space is going to have some different liability exposure. The insurers look at the exposure in terms of the nature of the business, the contractual obligations and the potential for claims. If a retail broker can't get a policy through the standard market then a wholesale broker can often provide access to specialist underwriting options. They'll be the ones to go and find the cover for the difficult account, the one that the standard market won't take, in accordance with the requirements that will be of concern to the insurer.

Retail brokers looking at Top Wholesale Casualty Insurance Brokerages should be assessing the broker's access to specialist insurance markets, their knowledge of the various liability exposures and their ability to handle the more complex submissions. Industry knowledge is important as the underwriting requirements will be very different for construction, hospitality, property owners etc. You need to look at how well the wholesale partner communicates the insurer's requirements, how well they explain the exclusions and how well they can compare the policies. Their responsiveness and their ability to explain the underwriting is very important if you have an account that's going to require further information or a change. In the end the wholesale partner should be able to help the retail broker understand the options and the conditions of those options.

The key things that a top wholesale casualty insurance broker will look at in terms of whether an insurer will take on a liability risk are the nature of the work being done by the contractor, the extent of any subcontractor involvement, the contractual indemnity obligations and the potential impact of a claim. In the case of hospitality, property and other commercial accounts the nature of the work and the responsibilities being undertaken will be a factor. Incomplete submissions will invariably lead to further questions and delays. The wholesale broker will assist the retail broker in putting the detail across, in answering the underwriter's questions and in identifying the differences in policy limits, exclusions and conditions. The ultimate decision on coverage is of course still with the insurer.

Insurance Business Review have named Burns & Wilcox as the Top Wholesale Casualty Insurance Brokerage in Canada for 2026. That's a recognition of the company's focus on commercial casualty and its wholesale brokerage model which is geared towards serving independent agents and brokers. The range of coverages they provide includes commercial general liability, excess liability, products liability and liquor liability. Their published materials also cover construction, habitational and hospitality. This gives the retail broker access to coverages for accounts which have a specialist liability exposure. The accolade is a clear testament to the value of the specialist wholesale brokerage in enabling the broker to offer cover for more complex commercial risks.

Burns & Wilcox bring together a range of commercial liability coverages with sector specific advice for the retail broker who is often going to be looking at the tricky bits of the placement. Their construction insurance resources look at contractual indemnity, the duties of the subcontractor and the interaction between the underlying and the excess liability cover. They have a range of guidance on property related injuries and food service claims to assist the broker in understanding the circumstances in which a claim for negligence and the cost of that claim might arise. Their wholesale model is aimed at supporting the broker through the account presentation, the insurer's queries and the review of the policy terms. They don't deal with all commercial risks in the same way and take the time to look at the detail of the exposure and the cover that is required to deal with it.