Are guests covered by our liability insurance?

Question: 

Are guests covered by our liability insurance?

Answer:

Only club members are covered by the PROBUS Canada 3rd person liability.

Question:

How do we define club members?

Answer:

To be considered a member they need to be

1. Registered with the club and appear on the club membership list.  This includes all members, as defined by their clubs: regular, lifetime, honorary, associate, and members-at large.
2. Included in the annual membership fee submitted to PROBUS Canada, which covers the cost of the liability insurance.

Question:

What does our insurance broker have to say about this question?

Answer:

Thank you for your questions regarding liability coverage for guests at Probus events. We understand there has been some ongoing confusion around this topic, and we’re happy to provide additional context to help clarify.

To start, it’s important to note that the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy held by Probus does not provide direct coverage to guests or non-members. This means the policy does not act as health or accident insurance for anyone attending a club event.

If a guest is injured or experiences a loss, their own personal health or property insurance would be their primary source of coverage, not the Probus policy.

When the Policy Would Respond

The purpose of the CGL policy is to protect Probus and its members if someone — whether a guest, member, venue, or any other third party — brings a legal claim or lawsuit against the club or its members, alleging that Probus was negligent and caused injury or property damage.

Examples of situations where the policy may respond:

• A guest trips over an unsecured cable at a luncheon and sues the club for creating an unsafe environment.
• A guest is burned at a club BBQ and alleges that proper safety measures weren’t in place.
• A guest’s property is damaged during a Probus event due to club-provided equipment or setup.

In these cases, the CGL policy may cover legal defense costs and, if applicable, settlement payments or court-awarded damages but only if Probus or its members are found legally liable.

When the Policy Would Not Respond

There are also situations where the policy would not apply, including:

• A guest suffers a personal medical emergency (e.g., heart attack, allergic reaction) that is unrelated to the club’s actions or event setup.
• A guest or non-member causes an incident and is sued personally for negligence — in this case, the policy does not defend or cover the guest.
• An accident occurs where Probus or its members are not negligent or legally responsible.

In short: the policy is there to protect Probus and its members, not to provide insurance to attendees.

Guest Attendance and Waivers

Guests, including spouses and friends, are welcome to attend Probus events under the current structure. There is no exclusion for guest participation.

However, as a best practice, we recommend that all guests sign a simple liability waiver prior to attending any club event. 

While not mandatory, a waiver helps clarify:

• That the guest is participating voluntarily
• That the club is not responsible for accidents or incidents outside of its control.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact us probus@hubinternational.com

Question:

Does PROBUS Canada have a waiver we can use?

Answer:

Yes.  You can find it on the PROBUS Canada website in the Club Reference Guide here.