Legal & Compliance

Green Shield Canada

Green Shield Canada is a national not-for-profit, pre-paid health and dental benefits provider, regulated federally by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. Green Shield Canada is also regulated under the Prepaid Hospital and Medical Services Act in Ontario, and under applicable insurance legislation in other provinces and territories across Canada.

Ownership and Copyrights

This web site ("Website") is operated by or on behalf of Green Shield Canada. All content on this Website is the copyrighted property of Green Shield Canada and/or its various third party providers and distributors. Except to the extent that you have been granted express prior permission from Green Shield Canada, none of the content or data found on the Website may be reproduced, republished, distributed, sold, transferred, modified, posted, transmitted or distributed. You may download, display and print the materials presented on this Website for your personal use.

Trade-marks

Certain names, words, titles, phrases, logos, icons, graphics or designs in the pages of this Website may constitute trade names, registered or unregistered trade-marks or service marks ("Trade-marks") of Green Shield Canada and used under license by Green Shield Canada. However, the display of Trade-marks on pages at this Website does not imply that any license has been granted to any third party. Any unauthorized downloading, re-transmission, or other copying or modification of Trade-marks or other contents of this Website may be a violation of statutory or common law rights which could subject the violator to legal action.

Use of the Website

You represent, warrant and covenant that your use of the Website shall not:

Violate any applicable local, provincial, state, national or international law, statute, ordinance, rule or regulation;
Interfere with or disrupt computer networks connected to the Website;
Impersonate any other person or entity, or make any misrepresentation as to your employment by or affiliation with any other person or entity;
Forge headers or in any manner manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any user information;
Upload, post, transmit, publish, or distribute any material or information for which you do not have all necessary rights and licenses;
Upload, post, transmit, publish or distribute any material which infringes, violates, breaches or otherwise contravenes the rights of any third party, including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary right;
Interfere with or disrupt the use of the Website by any other user, nor "stalk", threaten, or in any manner harass another user;
Upload, post, transmit, publish, or distribute any material or information which contains a computer virus, or other code, files or programs intending in any manner to disrupt or interfere with the functioning of the Website, or that of other computer systems;
Use the Website in such a manner as to gain unauthorized entry or access to the computer systems of others;
Upload, post, transmit, publish or distribute any material or information which constitutes or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offence, give rise to other liability, or otherwise violate applicable law;
Upload, post, transmit, publish, or distribute any material or information that is unlawful, or which may potentially be perceived as being harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libellous, vulgar, obscene, or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable;
Reproduce, copy, modify, sell, store, distribute or otherwise exploit for any commercial purposes the Website, or any component thereof (including, but not limited to any materials or information accessible through the Website);
Use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Website; or
Take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on the Website infrastructure.

Secure Areas

Some of the areas of the Website ("Secure Areas") require passwords or other forms of access control in order for a user to gain access and use the Website's functionality. If you are permitted to access and use one of the Secure Areas of the Website, it is your responsibility to keep your password or other access control methodology private so that it cannot be used by others. Green Shield Canada will not be liable for any damages, losses or expenses suffered by you or any third party as a result of any unauthorized person gaining access to any of the Secure Areas through use of your password or other access methodology, and you agree that you will indemnify Green Shield Canada for any damages, losses or expenses that it may suffer, including any claims made against Green Shield Canada by third parties, as a result of such access or use by an unauthorized person.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will Green Shield Canada be liable for any damages, including without limitation direct or indirect, special, incidental, or consequential or punitive damages, losses or expenses, whether or not Green Shield Canada, or representatives thereof, are advised of the possibility of such damages, losses or expenses, arising in connection with:

Your use of, or inability to use, this Website.
Use of this Website, or inability to use, by any other party.
Any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus or line or system failure, loss of data or otherwise.
The communication by you of any confidential or sensitive information, or our communication to you of such information, over the Internet.

Green Shield Canada is not responsible for any detrimental reliance that an individual may place upon the Site or its contents. The site shall not be used, or relied upon by you, as a substitute for your independent research or professional advice that is provided to you in direct consultation with a Green Shield Canada representative.

Information and Availability

Information on the public areas of this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide financial, insurance, legal, accounting or tax advice and should not be relied upon in that regard. Information provided by Green Shield Canada on its Website is believed to be accurate and reliable, but we cannot guarantee that such information is accurate or complete or current at all times. While we endeavour to keep the information current, such information is subject to change at any time without notice. Green Shield Canada makes reasonable commercial efforts to make the Website available, however, it is not responsible for any service interruptions. Green Shield Canada will not be liable for any loss resulting from a cause over which it does not have direct control, including, but not limited to, failure of electronic or mechanical equipment or communication lines, telephone or other interconnect problems, computer viruses, unauthorized access, theft, operator errors, severe weather, earthquakes, or natural disasters, strikes or other labour problems, wars, or governmental restrictions.

Links to other websites

Green Shield Canada makes no representations whatsoever about any other web site which you may access through this Website. When you access a non-Green Shield Canada web site, it is independent from Green Shield Canada, and Green Shield Canada has no control over the content on that web site. In addition, a link to a non-Green Shield Canada web site does not mean that Green Shield Canada endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content, or use, of such web site. It is your responsibility to take precautions to ensure that whatever you select for your use is free of such items as viruses, worms, trojan horses and other items of a destructive nature. Links from or to web sites outside this Website are meant for convenience only. Green Shield Canada does not review, endorse, approve or control, and is not responsible for any web sites linked from or to this Website, the content of those web sites, the third parties named therein, or their products and services. Linking to any other web site is at your sole risk and Green Shield Canada will not be responsible or liable for any damages in connection with such linking. Links to web sites offering downloadable software are for convenience only and Green Shield Canada does not endorse any such software and is not responsible or liable for any difficulties or consequences associated with downloading the software. Use of any such downloaded software is governed by the terms of the license agreement, if any, which accompanies or is provided with such software.

Governing Jurisdiction

This Website and your use of it will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.

Not Happy?

Stuff happens. We get that. So if you have an issue with a claim, your eligibility, payment status or anything else related to your benefits or our service, our Customer Service Centre is here for you. You can call them toll-free at 1.888.711.1119 (Customer Service Centre) or contact them by email at Customer.Service@greenshield.ca

We’re Happy If You’re Happy

Our Commitment to You

At GreenShield, we view customer concerns and complaints as an opportunity for us to help you while getting to know your needs better. And helping you helps us improve our service delivery. Accordingly, we are committed to resolving any concern or complaint you may have quickly, professionally, and to your total satisfaction—with complete confidentiality.

Customer complaint resolution process

Step #1 - Let us know

Discuss your concern with a GreenShield Customer Service Representative toll-free at 1.888.711.1119 (GSC Customer Service) or by email at Customer.Service@greenshield.ca. Our agents are trained to handle customer issues efficiently and respectfully.

Step #2 - Let management know

After Step #1, if you are not satisfied, please ask the Customer Service Centre Representative to immediately put you in touch with the most appropriate Supervisor or Manager. If you are speaking with someone other than a Customer Service Centre Representative, please ask the person you are speaking with to escalate your concern to the appropriate Supervisor or Manager.

Step #3 - Let our Complaints Officer know

After Step #2, if you are not satisfied, please contact the GreenShield Complaints Officer about your concern:

Mail: Green Shield Canada, P.O. Box 1606, Windsor, ON, N9A 6W1
Email: Complaints.Officer@greenshield.ca
Fax: 1.519.739.2253

Be sure to include your contact information, plus the details regarding whom you have already contacted and why you feel the issue remains unresolved. Complaints of this nature must be submitted in writing to fulfill our documentation requirements.

Any complainant who is unable to submit a complaint in writing may contact GreenShield's Human Resources department for further assistance.

Step #4 - Let our Ombudsman know

After Step #3, if you would like your concern addressed further, please send a description of your concern in writing, as well as where you can be contacted, to the GreenShield Ombudsman:

Mail: Green Shield Canada, 5140 Yonge Street, Suite 2100, Toronto, ON M2N 6L7
Fax: 1.416.733.1955

Again, please be sure to include your contact information, plus the details regarding whom you have already contacted and why you feel the issue remains unresolved.

Step #5 - Let one of these industry agencies know

After Steps 1 - 4, if we have not been able to satisfy your concern, or if you have not received our final response within 90 days, please contact one of the following industry agencies that assist with unresolved complaints about life and health insurance products:

OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance (OLHI)
www.olhi.ca
1.888.295.8112 (OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance)

L’Autorité des marchés financiers
(only for residents of Quebec)
www.lautorite.qc.ca
1.866.526.031 (L'Autorité des marchés financiers)

Superintendent of Insurance, Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority
(only for residents of Saskatchewan)
www.fcaa.gov.sk.ca
306.787.6700 (Superintendent of Insurance, Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority)
fid@gov.sk.ca

You can also visit the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) website at http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca to see if your concern falls within their operating guidelines. The FCAC supervises federally regulated financial institutions to ensure they comply with federal consumer protection laws.

Unclaimed Property

"Unclaimed property" refers to property like cheques, refunds and other payments held by GreenShield that have not been accessed by or transferred to the owner within a prescribed period of time. GreenShield makes reasonable efforts to locate and notify the owners of unclaimed property so it can be returned. However, there may be circumstances where the owners cannot be located.

If you believe you are the owner of unclaimed property being held by GreenShield, or if you have questions about our unclaimed property policies and procedures, please contact us at the following address:

Attention: Ombudsman
Green Shield Canada
5140 Yonge St, Suite 2100
Toronto, ON M2N 6L7
Fax: 416.733.1955
Email: ombudsman@greenshield.ca

If you would like to initiate a search for unclaimed property, please complete this GreenShield Unclaimed Property Request Form and include it with your submission to the Ombudsman.

Please note that in Alberta unclaimed property must be delivered to the province for administration. In these circumstances, the administrator maintains a public registry that is accessible and searchable online. Residents of Alberta are encouraged to search the public registry for any unclaimed property. For more information, please refer to the Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, Tax and Revenue Administration (TRA).

For Saskatchewan residents: Individual circumstances may vary. You may wish to contact the licensed insurer’s representative or a licensed insurance agent if you need advice about your insurance needs.