After it was found that Daljinder Kang made a false or misleading statement when a request for information was sent to him by the Alberta Insurance Council continuing education audit, the Council has ordered a $1,500 civil penalty in total – charging Kang $750 per misleading statement made when he failed to submit enough evidence that he had sufficient credits to meet his license’s continuing education (CE) requirements.
In his back and forth with the council’s compliance department, Kang repeatedly submitted previously submitted certificates, along with certificates that did not match stated completion dates. He then argued that he was of the belief that the council had granted a five continuing education (CE) credit rebate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and that he could also carry forward previous year’s credits.
Like others, Kang also argued that he was never prompted by the council’s system or given any indication that he was short courses or that he’d reported the same courses twice.
The council says it considered all of the evidence, including the fact that Kang enrolled in courses to complete the required CE as soon as he realized the mistake. That said, they also say “with insurance agents working for clients and completing their applications, it is the responsibility of the insurance agent to ensure a high level of due diligence and accuracy when completing their own applications.”
Although council has the discretion to levy civil penalties of $1,000 per demonstrated offence, it reduced this number in light of the fact that Kang sought to rectify the error.
