Terms & Conditions

1. Who we are and what these terms cover

This website is operated by Vital Shield Risk Advisory ("Vital Shield", "we", "us", "our"), an insurance advisory practice based in Calgary, Alberta, serving clients in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia through licensed life and accident & sickness agents.

These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of this website, any forms you submit through it, any communication you have with us by email, telephone, WhatsApp or messaging, and participation in the Vital Shield Referral (Affiliate) Partner Program. By using this website or submitting any form, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the website.

We may update these terms at any time. The version published on this page at the time you use the website is the version that applies. Material changes take effect when posted, and the "last updated" date at the top of this page will change.

2. No advice, no offer, no solicitation of a specific product

All content on this website — including service descriptions, articles, FAQs, answer sections, city and service-area pages, examples and testimonials — is general information only. It is not insurance advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice or accounting advice, and it is not a recommendation that any product is suitable for you or for anyone you introduce to us.

Nothing on this website is an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any insurance product or security. No contract of insurance is created by using this website, by submitting a form, or by speaking with us. Coverage exists only when an insurer has approved an application and issued a policy, and only on the terms of that policy.

You should not act, or refrain from acting, on the basis of anything on this website without obtaining individual advice from a licensed agent, and where appropriate your own legal, tax or accounting professional.

3. Insurance licensing and jurisdiction

Insurance in Canada may only be sold by individuals licensed in the applicable province. We provide advice and arrange coverage only in provinces where the responsible agent holds a valid licence, and only for products offered by the Canadian carriers we are contracted with.

This website is directed at residents of Canada. We do not offer products or services to residents of any jurisdiction where doing so would require a licence or registration we do not hold, or would otherwise be unlawful.

4. Eligibility, underwriting and no guarantee of coverage

Whether coverage is available, at what price, and on what terms is decided solely by the insurer through its underwriting process. Factors include age, health history, occupation class, income, lifestyle, travel, and information disclosed on the application.

We do not guarantee that any application will be approved, that coverage will be issued, that a specific premium will apply, or that any claim will be paid. Every policy has its own terms, definitions, waiting periods, limitations, exclusions and eligibility requirements, and the policy wording issued by the insurer prevails over anything stated on this website or in any conversation with us.

You are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information you or an applicant provide. Misrepresentation or non-disclosure on an application may allow the insurer to deny a claim or void a policy.

5. Forms, enquiries and consent to be contacted

When you submit a consultation, contact or partner application form, you consent to us contacting you by the means you provided — telephone, email, SMS or WhatsApp — about your enquiry. Consent to receive marketing or commercial electronic messages is separate, always optional, never pre-ticked, and can be withdrawn at any time.

Do not submit sensitive personal information — including detailed medical history, financial account numbers, government identifiers or another person's contact details — through website forms. Applications and medical disclosures are handled directly with a licensed agent through secure channels.

We use spam protection, rate limiting and abuse detection on our forms. We may refuse, delay or delete submissions that appear automated, fraudulent, abusive, or that contain third-party information supplied without permission.

6. Referral (Affiliate) Partner Program — role and boundaries

Referral partners are introducers, not insurance agents. A referral partner is not an agent, representative, employee, joint venturer or partner of Vital Shield Risk Advisory, and has no authority to act, contract, bind, negotiate or make representations on our behalf.

Referral partners must not discuss insurance products, describe or compare coverage or benefits, quote or estimate premiums, assess whether a product suits someone, give insurance or financial advice, hold themselves out as licensed, advertise insurance, or assist with any application. A referral partner's role is limited to providing a person's name and contact details, with that person's permission. Everything after that is done by a licensed agent.

Introductions are made through a named-introduction process. A partner reference, where issued, is used only to attribute introductions that have already been made with consent. Public tracked links, paid advertising of insurance, cold contact lists, purchased data, scraped contacts and mass messaging are prohibited.

7. Referral partner eligibility and regulatory responsibility

The program is open to individuals and businesses whose work brings them into contact with people whose income is not protected. Every application is reviewed individually and we may approve, decline, suspend or terminate participation at our sole discretion, at any time, without cause.

The program is not open to current or prospective Vital Shield clients in respect of their own coverage, or to anyone whose professional regulator, licensing body, employer or contract prohibits or restricts receiving referral fees.

If you hold a professional licence or designation — including real estate, mortgage brokerage, accounting, legal, securities or insurance registration — you are solely responsible for confirming that your own regulator permits you to receive and disclose referral fees, and for making any disclosure your regulator requires. Regulators including RECA in Alberta, FSRA in Ontario, BCFSA in British Columbia and the provincial CPA bodies each set their own rules. We screen for this at approval, but confirmation and ongoing compliance remain your obligation.

8. Referral fees

Where a referral fee is payable, it is a fixed thank-you fee per qualified introduction, confirmed to the partner in writing before any introduction is made. It is identical for every partner and every product, and is not a commission, an override, or a share of any commission or premium. It is never tied to the size, price or type of coverage a person chooses.

A fee is payable only where the introduction is genuine, consented, new to us, and meets the qualification criteria set out in the partner's written terms. We may withhold or reverse a fee where an introduction was made without permission, is duplicated, is fraudulent, results from prohibited activity, or where a policy is rescinded, cancelled or reversed.

Partners are independent and are responsible for their own income tax, GST/HST registration where applicable, and any other reporting obligations arising from fees received. Nothing in the program creates an employment, agency, franchise or partnership relationship.

Anyone introduced to us is told in writing, before we arrange any insurance transaction, that a referral fee is payable to the person who introduced them. In British Columbia this is required; we do it everywhere.

9. Third-party consent for introductions

Before sharing anyone's name or contact details with us, a referral partner must have that person's express permission. Partners confirm this at application and again with each introduction.

We independently confirm consent with the person before proceeding. Where consent cannot be confirmed, or was not obtained, we will not use the information and will delete it. Partners are responsible for their own compliance with PIPEDA, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and applicable provincial privacy law when contacting or introducing anyone.

10. Testimonials, reviews and examples

Testimonials and reviews published on this website reflect the individual experience of the person quoted at the time given, and are published with permission. Names may be shortened or occupations generalised to protect privacy.

Individual experiences are not typical, are not a promise of any outcome, and do not indicate that any similar result will be achieved. Any figures, timelines or scenarios shown are illustrative examples only and are not quotes, offers or guarantees.

11. Acceptable use of this website

You agree not to use this website to: submit false, misleading or another person's information without permission; attempt to gain unauthorised access to any account, server, database or administrative area; probe, scan or test the security of our systems; circumvent rate limiting, authentication or multi-factor controls; introduce malware; scrape or harvest content or contact details by automated means; or use the website in any way that is unlawful, harassing, defamatory or infringing.

The administrative area of this website is restricted to authorised personnel. Access attempts are logged with time and network metadata, and unauthorised access attempts may be reported to law enforcement.

12. Intellectual property

All content on this website — text, layout, design, graphics, logos, images, code and the Vital Shield name and marks — is owned by or licensed to Vital Shield Risk Advisory and is protected by Canadian and international copyright and trademark law.

You may view and print pages for your own non-commercial use. You may not copy, reproduce, republish, distribute, adapt, frame, or use our content or marks for commercial purposes, or use them in advertising, without our prior written permission. Approved referral partners may use materials only as expressly permitted in their written partner terms.

13. Third-party links, carriers and services

This website links to third-party services including social media platforms, WhatsApp, mapping services, insurers and analytics providers. We do not control and are not responsible for third-party content, availability, products, terms or privacy practices. Links are provided for convenience and are not an endorsement.

Insurance products are issued by third-party Canadian carriers. Vital Shield is not the insurer, is not responsible for the insurer's underwriting decisions, servicing or claims determinations, and does not guarantee the financial condition of any carrier.

14. Availability of the website

We aim to keep this website available and accurate, but we provide it on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

We do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation, and we may modify, suspend or discontinue any part of the website, or any program described on it, at any time without notice.

15. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Vital Shield Risk Advisory and its owners, agents, employees and contractors are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for any loss of profit, income, business, opportunity, data or goodwill, arising out of or relating to your use of this website, reliance on its content, participation in the referral partner program, or any interruption, error, virus or unauthorised access, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Where liability cannot be excluded, our total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to this website or the referral partner program is limited to the greater of CAD $100 or the total amount of referral fees we paid to you in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable Canadian law, including consumer protection legislation.

16. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Vital Shield Risk Advisory and its owners, agents, employees and contractors from any claim, demand, penalty, loss, liability, cost or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: your breach of these terms; information you submit that is false, misleading or provided without the required permission; your breach of PIPEDA, CASL or provincial privacy law; any statement you make about insurance products, coverage, benefits, premiums or suitability; any activity requiring an insurance licence that you carry out; or any breach of your own professional or regulatory obligations.

17. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to this website, any account, or your participation in the referral partner program at any time, with or without notice, including where we reasonably suspect breach of these terms, prohibited activity, regulatory risk, or fraud. Fees relating to introductions affected by the breach may be withheld or reversed. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including intellectual property, limitation of liability, indemnity and governing law — continue to apply.

18. Governing law and dispute resolution

These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable there, without regard to conflict of laws principles. You submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Alberta, subject to any non-waivable right you have to bring proceedings in your province of residence under applicable consumer protection law.

Before starting formal proceedings, you agree to contact us in writing and allow thirty days for us to attempt to resolve the matter in good faith.

19. General

If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in force. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. These terms, together with any written partner terms and our Privacy Policy, form the entire agreement between us regarding the website and the referral partner program.