Employment Insurance (EI) provides temporary financial assistance to unemployed Canadians who have lost their job through no fault of their own (due to shortage of work, seasonal layoffs, or mass layoffs) and who are available for and able to work, but can’t find a job.

For the purposes of this post I will be referring to regular employment insurance benefits.

What are the eligibility criteria to receive regular employment insurance benefits?

• You have paid premiums into the EI Account;
• You lost your employment through no fault of your own;
• You have been without work and without pay for at least seven consecutive days in the last 52 weeks;
• You have worked for the required number of insurable hours in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is shorter;
• You are ready, willing, and capable of working each day; and
• You are actively looking for work (you must keep a written record of employers you contact, including when you contacted them).

You may not be entitled to receive EI regular benefits if:

• You voluntarily left your employment without just cause;
• You were dismissed for misconduct; or
• You are unemployed because you are directly participating in a labour dispute (strike, lockout, or other type of dispute).

Do I need to apply for employment insurance benefits?

Yes you do need to apply for employment insurance benefits. EI benefits are not paid out automatically.

When should I apply for employment insurance benefits?

Apply as soon as you stop working. If you wait longer than 4 weeks after you stop working you risk losing your employment insurance benefits. Also, it takes a while for the Government of Canada to process your application so the early you submit the better.

How do I apply for Employment Insurance benefits?

To apply for employment insurance benefits you must submit an application online through the Service Canada Website.

How do I know if my application for employment insurance has been processed?

You can track the status of your application through “My Account” on the Service Canada Website.

When will I start to receive employment insurance benefits?

Once you submit your application, all the necessary documentation and your application is approved you will begin to receive payments within 28 days.

What will I be paid for my employment insurance benefits?

Numerous factors go into determining your specific employment insurance benefit so it is tough to know. The basic formula is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings. The maximum insurable earnings (as of January 1st 2012) is $45,900. That means the maximum you will receive per week is $485.

How long will I be paid my employment insurance benefits?

Another tough one to estimate, but the range is between 14 – 45 weeks. The number of weeks that you are eligible to receive employment insurance benefits depends on several factors. Those factors include the number of hours of insurable employment that you accumulated during the previous 52 weeks prior to your claim and the unemployment rate in your region.

What types of Employment Insurance benefits are there?

There are essentially 3 types of employment insurance.

1. Employment Insurance Regular Benefits are available to individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own (for example, due to shortage of work, seasonal layoffs, or mass layoffs) and who are available for and able to work, but can’t find a job.
2. Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits provide support to individuals who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are adopting a child, or are caring for a newborn.
3. Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits are for individuals who are unable to work because of sickness, injury, or quarantine.

Where can I find more information on Employment Insurance?

• Visit the Service Canada Website
• Call the Employment Insurance Telephone Information Service (1-800-206-7218)

My car insurance policy is up for renewal soon so I decided to do some shopping around on the internet to see if I could find a better deal.

One thing that I learned right away about shopping for car insurance online is that it’s a very tedious process to go to each insurer’s website and fill out all of our driving history and vehicle information to get a quote. When you are interested in quotes from several insurance companies the time it takes to do this really adds up.

Luckily, I came across this website called Kanetix.ca that provides a useful tool for comparing car insurance quotes from multiple Canadian insurance companies. The main benefit is that you simply enter your driving history and vehicle history details just once. This is handy because the tool will use that information to produce auto insurance quotes from multiple companies and lay them out in an easy to compare chart.

The tool also very flexible in the sense that it allows you to change coverage options such as   the deductible on comprehensive coverage and collision coverage as well as liability amounts. When you change a coverage option the tool will automatically recalculate and display a new set of auto insurance quotes for you to compare.

Once you find a car insurance quote that appeals to you the tool also provides you with options to contact the insurance company to apply such as the phone # or a link to apply online.

How to use the Kanetix.ca Car Insurance Quote Comparison Tool in 5 Quick Steps

Step 1: Navigate to Kanetix.ca and enter your Canadian postal code.

Step 2: Enter your driver details

Step 3: Enter your vehicle information

Step 4: Check if you are eligible for a discount

Step 5: Submit and compare car insurance quotes from multiple Canadian insurance companies! It’s as easy as that.

If you are in the market for car insurance, I recommend that you give the Kanetix Auto Insurance Tool a try.

Car Insurance. A necessary evil if you own a vehicle. Its probably a safe assumption that nobody enjoys paying for car insurance as it can make up a sizable component of your monthly expenses. To boot, it seems in recent years that car insurance premiums have only gone in one direction. Up.

There are a few things you can do about it. Here are 10 tips for saving on your car insurance bill.

1. Compare Quotes

Competition is always good for the consumer and shopping around for quotes is one of your best bets for lowering your car insurance bill.  Car insurance companies all target different segments of the market so you may be eligible for a discount with one company because of your age, gender or vehicle, but not with another. Seeking quotes from multiple car insurance companies will ensure you receive the best deal.

Two options that I am aware of for obtaining car insurance quotes are calling the insurance company directly and online.

Compare Car Insurance Quotes Online

2. Buy/Lease A Car With A Low Cost Insurance Rating

The car that you own matters when it comes to the premiums you pay for car insurance. The insurance industry collects and analyzes data on all vehicle makes and models to determine which cars are statistically more likely to be in a collision, the cost of claims and the chance of theft.

By purchasing or leasing a car with a low cost insurance rating you will likely receive a break on your car insurance.

View Vehicle Insurance Ratings. How Does Your Car Measure?

3. Bundle Your Car Insurance

Most insurance companies offer other types of insurance such as life, health, travel, home or renters insurance. Many insurance companies offer discount incentives for purchasing multiple insurance products (bundling). This can easily save you 5-15%.

4. Group Discounts

You may be eligible for a group discount based on your employer or other community groups that you are a member of.  Always ask your insurance agent if you eligible for any group discounts when applying for car insurance. Unfortunately, it seems like most online quotes do not factor in group discounts.

5. Increase Your Deductible

The deductible is your share of each claim that you are willing to pay. By increasing the deductible on your car insurance you will decrease the premium on your car insurance bill. Remember if you do get in an accident that you will still have to pay the deductible amount out of your own pocket.

6. Consider Dropping Collision Coverage

Collision coverage is optional. If you have an older vehicle that isn’t worth replacing it is often worth it to drop collision coverage to lower your insurance premiums.

7. Take Driving Lessons or a Defensive Driving Course

Some car insurance companies will give you a discount if you have taken driving lessons or a defensive driving course.

8. Install A Security System

Some car insurance companies will give you discount if you have a security system installed on your vehicle. However always consider how much it costs to purchase and install the security system vs. the savings you will realize on your car insurance.

9. Buy Snow Tires

Some car insurance companies will grant a discount for the installation of snow tires in the winter months. I am assuming this is because there is a higher frequency of accidents in the winter months with snow on the ground and snow tires obviously lower that frequency on vehicles that have them installed. Again ensure that the savings realized on your car insurance exceed the cost of purchasing and installing snow tires.

10. Don’t Get Into Accidents

Well Duh. This especially applies to at fault accidents. A single at fault accident can substantially increase your car insurance premiums. The good news is that some insurance companies has a “first accident free” policy where your premiums don’t increase after your first at fault accident.