A major property and casualty (P&C) insurance distribution firm is joining forces with two other firms to create a new entity dedicated to group insurance and employee benefits.
Ellipse Insurance operates one of Quebec’s four largest P&C insurance distribution businesses, according to our latest ranking as of December 31, 2025, published in French on the Portail de l’assurance. The company operates both a brokerage and an agency that exclusively distributes Intact insurance products. Its presence in life and health insurance and group insurance is less well known.
On September 3, the firm confirmed its merger with BCH Collectif and Orchestro Assurances, with the stated aim of creating a new subsidiary focused primarily on employee benefits. BCH Collectif is headquartered in Rouyn-Noranda and operates branches in Gatineau, Laval and Granby. Orchestro is based in Quebec City.
When the merger was announced, the companies indicated that the new entity’s brand would be unveiled in October. In an interview with the Insurance Portal, Ellipse Insurance CEO Patrice Jean said: “I was clearly warned not to tell you anything about that.” Ellipse has since specified that the brand unveiling is scheduled for October 19.
Size
Ellipse already has advisors working in financial services, life and health insurance, and group annuities. “BCH and Orchestro had already joined forces. In Orchestro’s case, it’s a third-party administrator (TPA). It’s a different business model, but still in employee benefits,” Jean explains.
He notes that the two acquired firms are similar in size, each with a premium volume of approximately $40 million. This is comparable to the size of Ellipse’s portfolio in the same market segment.
Ellipse Insurance has expanded significantly in recent years following the merger of PMT Roy and PMA Assurances, which took effect in January 2024 and led to the creation of the new brand. Since then, the company has made other acquisitions in P&C insurance.
These include the acquisition of AccèsConseil in August 2025. Then, in April 2026, the company announced the acquisition of Synex Auto et Habitation’s personal lines insurance portfolio and the opening of a new office in Laval.
“We wanted to invest a little more in group insurance, employee benefits and group annuities. We have the opportunity to merge and combine our strengths,” says Patrice Jean.
“That’s really the fundamental principle we agreed on. At Ellipse, we want to strengthen our group insurance sales force to serve our entire client base, while also creating a new, larger company,” he continues.
Offices
The existing offices of the two acquired firms are being maintained for the time being. Nevertheless, Patrice Jean confirms that Ellipse Insurance’s Quebec City office will serve as the “central hub of the new subsidiary we created following this acquisition.” BCH Collectif employees based in Laval may eventually join their Ellipse colleagues in the same city.
According to Jean, the client bases of the two firms joining Ellipse’s new subsidiary were somewhat different because of Orchestro’s third-party administration activities. “We saw a great deal of growth potential in joining forces,” he adds.
A TPA is an independent organization contracted by a company to manage all the administrative and operational tasks associated with its benefits plan. It therefore acts as an intermediary between the employer, employees and insurer.
Orchestro is a family business founded in 2013 by Suzanne Fortin and Clément St-Laurent. Fortin, who served as president, remains involved and will continue in her advisory role with the organizations she already serves. St-Laurent, vice-president and head of business development, also remains an independent advisor.
Their son, Jean-Simon St-Laurent, was Orchestro’s director of operations. He will be part of the management team during the transition, alongside his colleague Jonathan Laverdière, who was director of finance, and Patrice Jean.
At BCH Collectif, which was founded in 2016, founder Louis Lamontagne will continue serving his clients as an advisor. His vice-president, Jonathan Bolduc, will sit on the new entity’s board of directors, Ellipse Insurance confirms. The company adds that corporate clients will continue working with the same advisors.
“For the people at Orchestro specifically, having a son who takes over and ensures the organization’s long-term continuity is reassuring. Every time we complete a transaction, the transition period is so important,” adds Patrice Jean.
“This new chapter represents a unique opportunity to continue our mission while creating even more value for our clients,” says Jean-Simon St-Laurent.
“Not only are our offerings, tools and geographic markets complementary, but so is our vision of what a firm specializing in group insurance and employee benefits should be,” says Suzanne Fortin.
