CNS - Canadian Northern Shield (RSA) Home Insurance Reviews

The claiming experience is horrendous.
The adjustor was first forgetful and could go missing while handling the claim and then when picking the contractor for the repairs, and the adjustor was purposely not explaining clearly its price ceiling practice. Basically, either our own contractor does a price matching to its preferred price, and they wouldn't pay a dime of anything extra at all even if you bought the insurance from them.
It was completely ridiculous.

First, they did an inspection and claimed my home wasn't to code, but wouldn't provide me with any actual details. I Had to deal with my Broker (another terrible company but that's for another review, Hub international... avoid them like the plague too) to finally get a full detailed list of their issues.
1 thing was minor (need a downspout extension... it was gone, probably kicked off when the kids were playing in the snow in the yard over the winter... 10 buckі fixes).
2 were non-issues (said the dryer was hooked up incorrectly with a flex pipe and it had to be a straight metal pipe. This led to an argument with the broker trying to tell me all dryers are hooked up with the straight metal pipe, not a flex pipe....yeah right, so all exhaust vents on dryers are on the same side and perfectly line up in every home with a straight metal pipe and you can magically slide them in place to connect them....nice dream world she lives in. He also said there were live wires hanging in the furnace room. True, there are wires hanging in the furnace room, CAT5E cables for the multiple connections I have for the various places I have computers set up and other network devices hooked up. So they aren't actual electrical cables and carry no current, Really Big concern is he couldn't tell the difference).
The biggest issue was apparently my electrical wasn't to code... took multiple back and forth to figure out what they were talking about to finally determine it was some electrical lines in a storage area and they had to be the armoured cable. After that, I looked at what they were talking about, contacted my brother (an electrician) took pictures and sent them on to him only to find out it was to code. Code says anything over 5 feet doesn't need to be armoured cable and this became a sticking point, they refuse to accept they were in the wrong going as far as to cancel my insurance when it runs out (and the broker telling me it was time to grow up and pay to have it fixed. Yeah, don't use Hub International as your broker. They do a good job of treating you poorly).
All in all, The 'inspector' was a joke, I had to give him batteries for his range finder so he could do measurements. He struck me as someone who had little training in this area (IE home inspections, basic understanding of electrical, plumbing and general home construction).
I was thinking to myself this was a person who had literally failed at everything else in life and he proved that to me when he told me he worked for his dad doing this (proving that he only had a job because of the family).

The Claim portion.
Shortly after the inspection, a house about half a block away explodes and shatters a window and cracks another. I put a claim in and 3 months passed and nothing... They just kept saying they needed info from the RCMP and they need an expert to assess what had happened.
Now they say the cost to repair will be less than the deductible. I gave up and cancelled the claim. I am having the window repaired and it is FAR more than the deductible (course I am upgrading the windows in the process because well... in for a penny in for a pound, but even a basic window install would have cost more than the deductible).
Done with them, avoid them, run for the hills... This company is so bad they are literally changing their name to try to lose the bad reputation they have...

I had an insurance policy with CNS for years. I have never once made a claim either. Because I didn’t renew my insurance policy with them, they decided to send my overdue cancellation fee of $!51 to collections rather than call me to advise me of this! They have a lot to learn in terms of customer service! Look at their ratings! Do your homework people!

I had a flood in my small kitchen and the Canadian Northern Shield Insurance adjuster and company, in general, were not kind. They took months and months to do my claim. It was just replacing my floor. I literally had to make calls and calls to get the job finished. In the end, my refrigerator and dishwasher are still not working. I never got reimbursement for all the food lost. Today I have no dishwasher and wash my dishes by hand since April 30, 2021. And my refrigerator is still not working. I can’t buy too much food or it will melt. Very disappointed. Buyer beware. Make sure you read your policy before signing it. I am warning my family and friends. The company is not insuring me anymore. Because of the claim I made.

We are in Merritt - sadly your company has screwed my 83-year-old father for floods. You are saying you sent a letter saying he is no longer covered. Yet he has always paid it. Apparently, this company is not covering anyone in Merritt. It is devastating for so many!

I put a claim in for property theft. I never got a payout. Lost all my trade tools. I was ignored. And had to send my claim 5 times to my adjuster. And still got no response. Now I think that the 20 years of my monthly payments to them was just a scam...

My leak is caused by a public pipe. After strata made it clear that it was not my responsibility, he kept telling me it was my responsibility. He arranged for workers to enter the site to dry, and opened my wall, which increased the workload of repairs. After that, he kept telling me that he would arrange maintenance for the subsequent maintenance. But I didn't believe him and stopped the loss in time. My strata undertook the follow-up maintenance project. When the case was over, the claims adjuster threw me a bill, $1767.63. This fee is for drying.
Obviously, this claims adjuster wanted to profit from the project.
When I complained to CNS, his superiors protected him. After I filed a complaint with the insurance industry regulator, I found out that the claims adjuster did not have a license to practice. His license was terminated in 2019.

Charged me $200 cancellation fee for not renewing with them. Absolutely horrific and will not recommend at all.

We were lead to believe through our broker that CNS would be a good company-good bang for the buck. Unfortunately and thru no fault of our own, we had a slow water leak from our dishwasher which sat under our floor until we noticed swelling and buckling to the hardwood. We called and filed a claim. Restoration company did some drying out with fans etc which didn’t work. The adjuster we were assigned worked with us. Very slow process. Poor communication. They did pay the claim but they were only responsible for the first $10,000.00. Our strata insurance picked up the rest and we paid the $1000 deductible. The claim and work ran from Feb-August! We returned home from vacation yesterday and Surprise... the broker contacted us to say we will not be renewed Jan 30th as we have been “dumped” due to a claim in our first year of being their clients. We have carried house insurance for 43 years. Different companies mind you but with the same broker. So, this is very upsetting as we are searching for someone to cover us due to this claim in the last year AND being denied renewal by this CNS company. Very upsetting-very scandalous. When we signed up for coverage by this company last Jan 2019 we were offered a disclaimer if we wished to pay $25 which would prevent us from being hit with an increase in coverage fees should we have a claim in that year. So, again, it sounds like a good deal. Paid the extra $25 but instead of raising our coverage cost they just keep our $25 and DECLINED to reinsure us. Why would a company offer a disclaimer in the first year of being their customer if they won’t cover you if you have a claim! Guess they are pissed due to not being able to increase our coverage costs so they dump us. We have become very conscious of supporting Canadian Companies over the last decade. So when CNS was offered to us we thought, sure, why not. Well, I have given you many reasons “why not”. Beware...

It's the most backward insurance company in Canada. Avoid at all cost. They have hidden costs, avoid providing a binder for mortgage companies, request fees for every move they make. The trick is to insure at first with lower payments and then start charging.