Earlier this year, during a chance encounter, an industry leader made a remark that really got me thinking: “A community cannot grow unless there is communication among its members.”

That was all the encouragement the team at Insurance Journal Publishing Group needed to look into this issue and find a way to foster dialogue within our industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic—despite all the bad news and upheaval it brought—had already pointed us in an interesting direction.

During the seven virtual conferences we hosted, we saw just how eager participants were to engage with one another. Whether at our English or French-language events, we consistently recorded between 700 and 900 interactions in the chat spaces provided.

This level of participation served as our inspiration.

What if we could extend these discussions beyond our conferences? What if we could offer insurance professionals across Canada a space to communicate, share their experiences, and reflect together on the issues facing their industry?

That line of thinking gave birth to our new project.

Today, we are launching discussion features on our portals—a new way to bring members of the insurance community closer together. As you read—whether it’s an article, a specific topic, or a column—you will find discussions linked to the content you are viewing, along with the peers who are weighing in. The conversations come to you, based on what interests or concerns you.

Our readers can use these spaces to raise an issue that matters to them, spark a debate on an industry trend, tap into the experience of their peers to solve a problem, or poll the community on a topic that sparks their interest.

These discussions are open for all our readers to view, and anyone can reply to these contributions. However, to post content, you must be a PRO or EXECUTIVE subscriber. This is a deliberate choice: by limiting participation to members whose identities have been verified, we ensure the quality and accountability of the discussions, without burdening the conversation with the need for prior moderation.

We are convinced that communication is essential to the vitality and cohesion of any community. This belief drives our commitment to fostering the growth of the insurance community.

A community that engages in dialogue is a community that grows!

This initiative is a continuation of our efforts to encourage collective reflection and the sharing of ideas—much like our four "Vision 2035" co-design sessions, where industry stakeholders collaborated to envision the future of the sector.

Today, we want to take things a step further by providing our community with tools that facilitate reflection, discussion, collaboration, and professional development.

Now it’s your turn—start the first discussion and bring these discussions, which belong to you, to life!

Serge Therrien
President and Publisher
Insurance Journal Publishing Group