Terms of Use

Terms of use are usually written to be agreed to without being read. These are written to be read, which is why each clause appears twice: once in the formal terms that carry effect, and once in ordinary language.

Where the two appear to differ, the formal version governs, and any such difference should be reported so the plain version can be corrected.

1. Who these terms are between

Formal. These terms govern use of the website at ibcfinancial.com, operated by Canadian Wealth Creation Centre Inc., which trades as IBC Financial. References to "we" and "the practice" mean that company. References to "you" mean any person accessing the website.

In plain language. This is the company's website, and these terms cover anyone who visits it.

2. Acceptance

Formal. Using this website indicates acceptance of these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the website.

In plain language. This is the standard formulation and it is worth being candid about its limits: nobody reads terms before browsing. That is why the substantive protections on this site do not rely on this clause. The statements that matter, about advice, about relationships, about compensation, appear on every page rather than only here.

3. What this website is

Formal. This website provides general information and educational content concerning life insurance and related financial concepts in Canada. It is operated by a licensed insurance practice and functions as an educational and marketing resource for that practice.

In plain language. It teaches, and it is also marketing. Both are true and the site says so on every page rather than burying it here.

4. Not advice, and no relationship

Formal. Content on this website does not constitute personalised financial, insurance, investment, tax or legal advice. Use of this website does not create a professional-client relationship, an advisory relationship, or any duty of care in respect of any user. No such relationship arises unless expressly established in writing.

In plain language. Nothing here knows your situation, and nobody becomes your advisor because you read a page. The full explanation is on the disclaimer page, which is written in the same dual format as this one.

5. Use of the content

Formal. You may read, print, quote and link to content on this website for personal, educational or professional reference, provided the source is identified and the content is not altered in a way that changes its meaning. Systematic reproduction of substantial portions, republication as your own work, or use in a commercial product without permission is not permitted.

In plain language. Quote it, link to it, print it, send it to your accountant, use it in a class. Say where it came from and do not change what it says. What is not permitted is copying it wholesale onto another site, or selling it.

This is deliberately more permissive than the standard clause. Content written to be useful should be usable, and a site arguing that people deserve better information is poorly placed to lock it up.

6. Linking to this website

Formal. You may link to any page on this website without seeking permission. Framing the website within another site, or presenting its content in a manner suggesting affiliation, endorsement or authorship by another party, is not permitted.

In plain language. Link freely, including deep links to specific pages. Do not present it as yours or imply a partnership that does not exist.

7. Accuracy, and the limits of it

Formal. Reasonable care is taken to ensure content is accurate at the date shown on each page. No representation or warranty is made that content is complete, current or free from error. Statutory references, tax figures and regulatory information change, and content is not updated continuously.

In plain language. Every page shows when it was last reviewed. Tax figures change annually and statutes are amended. If a figure matters to a decision, check it at the source. If you find an error, report it and it will be corrected, with the review date updated so the correction is visible rather than silent.

8. External links

Formal. This website may reference external websites, organisations, insurers and products. Such references are provided for information and do not constitute endorsement or recommendation. We do not control external content and accept no responsibility for it.

In plain language. A link is not a recommendation, and naming an insurer is not endorsing it.

9. Availability

Formal. No warranty is given that this website will be available without interruption or free from error. Access may be suspended, withdrawn or restricted at any time without notice.

In plain language. It is a website. Occasionally it will be down.

10. Limitation of liability

Formal. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the practice is not liable for loss or damage arising from use of, or reliance on, content on this website, including indirect or consequential loss. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability arising from the practice's own gross fault or intentional fault.

In plain language. Acting on general information from a website, without advice on your own facts, is a decision you are making. The final sentence matters: Quebec law does not permit a business to contract out of responsibility for its own serious fault, and this clause does not attempt to. A limitation clause claiming more than the law allows is unenforceable in the part that overreaches, and drafting one that way helps nobody.

11. Your own conduct

Formal. You agree not to use this website in any manner that is unlawful, that interferes with its operation or security, that attempts unauthorised access to any system, or that involves automated collection of content at a scale which degrades service for others.

In plain language. Do not attack the site. Ordinary reading, ordinary crawling by search engines and answer engines, and ordinary saving of pages are all fine and are expected.

12. Automated access and AI systems

Formal. Access by automated systems is governed by the directives published at /robots.txt. Search engine crawlers and identified AI retrieval agents are permitted. Content accessed by such systems remains subject to the attribution requirement in clause 5.

In plain language. Crawlers are welcome, including the ones belonging to AI answer engines, and the file that says which is public. If a system quotes this site, it should say where the answer came from, which is the same requirement that applies to a person.

This clause exists because most terms of use are silent on it, and silence gets read as either permission or prohibition depending on who is reading.

13. Privacy

Formal. Personal information is handled in accordance with the privacy policy and the cookie and consent policy, which form part of these terms.

In plain language. Those two documents cover what is collected and what runs on your device. The cookie policy in particular describes a claim you can verify from your own browser in about a minute.

14. Changes to these terms

Formal. These terms may be amended. The version in force is the version published on this page, and the date of last review is shown on it. Continued use following amendment indicates acceptance of the amended terms.

In plain language. If they change, the date on this page changes. There is no archive of previous versions, which is normal and is worth knowing.

15. Governing law

Formal. These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Quebec and the federal laws of Canada applicable in that province. The courts of the judicial district in which the practice has its head office have jurisdiction, subject to any right a consumer may have under applicable consumer protection legislation to bring proceedings in the district of their own domicile.

In plain language. Quebec law applies, because the practice is in Quebec. The final clause matters: Quebec consumer protection law gives a consumer the right to sue where they live, and a term purporting to remove that right would be unenforceable. It is not attempted here.

16. Language

Formal. These terms are published in English on this website. The French version applicable to the practice's French-language property is published separately at financierecbi.com. In the event of a discrepancy between versions, the version in the language in which the user dealt with the practice applies.

In plain language. The French site is a separate property with its own terms, written for Quebec rather than translated from this page. If you dealt with the practice in French, the French version is yours.

17. Severability

Formal. If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision is severed and the remaining provisions continue in force.

In plain language. One clause failing does not void the rest.

This matters more in a document written this way than in a copied one. Several clauses above deliberately narrow themselves, in liability, in governing law, in the right to complain, precisely so that they do not reach beyond what the law permits. A clause drafted to be enforceable does not need severance. A clause drafted to claim as much as possible does, and usually loses the part that mattered to whoever copied it.

18. Content submitted to this website

Formal. Where you submit information through a form on this website, you confirm that you are entitled to provide it and that it is accurate so far as you are aware. You retain any rights you hold in material you submit. The practice claims no ownership of it and will use it only for the purpose for which it was given, as described in the privacy policy.

In plain language. What you send stays yours. It is used to answer you, and for nothing else unless you separately agreed. There is no clause here granting the practice a licence over your words, which some terms of use quietly include.

19. Communications

Formal. Where you provide contact details, the practice may reply using them for the purpose for which they were given. Commercial electronic messages are sent only where express consent has been obtained separately, as required by Canada's anti-spam legislation, and every such message identifies the sender and provides an unsubscribe mechanism.

In plain language. Asking a question means you get an answer. It does not mean you are subscribed to anything. Those are two separate agreements and the form on this site keeps them in two separate checkboxes for that reason.

20. Third-party products named on this website

Formal. Insurers, products and organisations referred to on this website are named for information. Product features, availability, rates and terms are determined by the relevant insurer and are subject to change without notice. Descriptions on this website are general and do not form part of any contract of insurance. The terms of any policy are those set out in the policy document issued by the insurer.

In plain language. If this site describes how a contract behaves and your actual policy document says something different, your policy document is what governs. Read it. A website is a description of a category, not a summary of your contract.

21. Illustrations and figures

Formal. Any illustration, projection or numerical example appearing on this website is provided for educational purposes, depends on stated assumptions, and does not constitute a projection of actual results. Guaranteed and non-guaranteed elements are distinguished where illustrations appear. Illustrations prepared for an individual are separate documents, are dated, and govern in preference to anything on this website.

In plain language. Numbers on a website are examples. Numbers prepared for you, dated, with the assumptions listed, are the ones that mean anything, and even those are projections rather than forecasts.

22. Complaints

Formal. A person wishing to raise a concern about the practice may do so using the contact details published on this website. Concerns are acknowledged and addressed under the practice's complaint handling process. Nothing in these terms restricts any right to bring a matter before the applicable provincial insurance regulator or, where relevant, the Autorité des marchés financiers, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, or the Insurance Council of British Columbia.

In plain language. If something goes wrong, tell the practice. And whatever happens with that, your right to go to the regulator is not affected by anything on this page. Nobody can sign that away and this document does not ask you to.

23. Assignment

Formal. The practice may assign its rights and obligations under these terms in connection with a reorganisation or transfer of its business. You may not assign your rights under these terms.

In plain language. Standard, and it matters more than it looks in a practice of this kind, because a contract of insurance runs for decades and the practice servicing it may change hands in that time. Who services a contract in ten years is a fair question to ask before signing one.

24. Entire agreement, and what sits outside it

Formal. These terms, together with the privacy policy and the cookie and consent policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the practice in respect of use of this website. They do not govern any contract of insurance, any advisory engagement, or any other agreement, each of which is subject to its own documentation.

In plain language. This page covers reading the website, and nothing more. A policy is governed by the policy. An engagement is governed by the engagement letter. Mixing them up is a common source of confusion and the separation is deliberate.

25. Accessibility

Formal. The practice endeavours to make this website usable by people with disabilities. Where a barrier prevents access to content, it may be reported using the contact details published on this website and an alternative format will be provided.

In plain language. If something here does not work with your screen reader, your keyboard, or at the text size you need, say so and you will be sent the content in a form that works. That is a commitment rather than a statement of intent, and reporting a barrier is treated as useful information rather than as a complaint.

26. Force majeure

Formal. The practice is not responsible for failure to perform, or delay in performing, any obligation arising from these terms where the failure or delay results from an event beyond its reasonable control, including interruption of telecommunications or hosting services, power failure, or action of a public authority.

In plain language. If the host goes down or the power fails, the site is unavailable and that is not a breach of anything.

27. No waiver

Formal. A failure or delay in enforcing any provision of these terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision or of any other.

In plain language. Not objecting to something once does not mean it becomes permitted. This is the only clause on the page using the word waiver, and it concerns enforcement rather than any right of yours being given up.

28. Interpretation

Formal. Headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation. References to statutes include those statutes as amended or replaced. Words importing the singular include the plural and the reverse.

In plain language. The headings are signposts, not clauses. Where a statute is named, the current version of it applies rather than the version in force when this page was written. That last point matters on a site of this kind, because insurance and tax legislation is amended regularly, and a document frozen to the law as it stood on the day it was drafted becomes quietly wrong without anyone editing it.

How this page relates to the others

Four documents govern different things and it is worth knowing which is which, because a question sent to the wrong one gets no answer.

This page governs use of the website: reading it, quoting it, linking to it, and what the practice does and does not promise about the content.

The disclaimer governs the nature of the content itself: that it is general information rather than advice, who wrote it, how they are paid, and which claims the site does not make.

The privacy policy governs information you provide deliberately, through a form or a conversation: what is collected, why, who sees it, how long it is kept, and how to have it corrected or deleted.

The cookie and consent policy governs what is stored on your device and what loads in your browser, which is a different question from what you submit and is kept separate for that reason.

Where they overlap, the more specific document governs. A question about an email you received is a privacy question. A question about something running in your browser is a consent question. A question about whether you can quote a page in a presentation is answered in clause 5 above, and the answer is yes.

Contact regarding these terms

Questions about this page, including a report of a discrepancy between a formal clause and its plain-language pair, may be sent using the details on the contact page. A discrepancy is treated as a defect in this document rather than as a dispute, and the plain version is corrected so that the two say the same thing.

A note on how these terms were drafted

Most terms of use are assembled from a template, and templates travel badly across borders.

A document written for a United States business and pasted onto a Canadian site tends to carry an arbitration clause and a class action waiver, both of which are substantially restricted for consumers in Quebec. It tends to claim a broad licence over user submissions. It tends to exclude liability in terms wider than Quebec law permits. And it tends to name a governing law and a venue that a Quebec consumer protection statute would override anyway.

None of that is included here. Where a standard clause would overreach, it has been narrowed rather than copied, and where a right cannot be waived, the document says so rather than pretending otherwise.

That approach produces a longer document. It also produces one that says what it means, which is the only useful property a terms of use page can have.

What these terms deliberately do not do

They do not claim ownership of your ideas. Some terms of use assert rights over anything a visitor sends. Nothing here does.

They do not require arbitration or waive class proceedings. Both are common and both are heavily restricted for consumers in Quebec. Including them would mostly signal that the document was copied from a United States template.

They do not attempt to exclude liability the law does not permit excluding. See clause 10.

They do not restrict fair quotation. See clause 5.

A terms of use page is usually the least honest document on a website, because its purpose is to shift as much risk as possible onto a reader who will never read it. This one is shorter on transfers of risk and longer on explanation for that reason.