Bay of Quinte Mutual honours its past, shapes future at 150th celebration

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
It could not have been a more a perfect summer’s afternoon for a garden party as the Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance Co. celebrated a milestone anniversary Friday with employees, retired staff, policy holders, brokers, business partners and the general public.

Many guests were in attendance from the County and locations across the province to help Bay of Quinte Mutual mark 150 years (sesquicentennial) of being in business. Two long ‘red’ carpets (actually turquoise in colour), welcomed guests to the lavish do; stylish, yet a relaxed, fun affair on the front lawn at the CAPE in Picton, where comfy sofas and big cushions alongside picnic tables encouraged an informal atmosphere as giant walnut trees provided dappled shade, as colourful giant tethered balloons appeared floating high above.

Food and drinks flowed throughout the afternoon’s free of charge event, where several stations enticed with gourmet fish and chips, potato casserole, barbecued chicken sandwiches, as well as local fare.

Put together to mark the milestone were collages of pictures displayed on four easels (created by the County’s Chrissy Poitras (also a Bay of Quinte Mutual board member) and Kyle Topping of Spark Box Studio) placed around the grassy space which told part of the story of the company’s history. A calendar dating from 1915, loaned by a long-term policy holder, was also on display. The big celebration included a video, speeches, a raffle draw as well as take-home 150th anniversary gifts of individually-packaged cookies and maple syrup.

Bay of Quinte Mutual’s commitment to giving back to the broader local community it serves, continued with the announcement that the recipient of a one-time $150,000 donation, in conjunction with Bay of Quinte Mutual’s 150th anniversary, would go to University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF).

Jeffery Howell, Bay of Quinte Mutual President addresses the crowd

“In the spirit of neighbours helping neighbours, the board has decided we will donate $150,000 to a deserving charity suggested to us by our policy holders,” said Jeffery Howell, long-time president with Bay of Quinte Mutual.

George Taylor, Bay of Quinte Mutual Board Chair

George Taylor, Bay of Quinte Mutual board chair, said a sizable donation like this isn’t something they get to do every day.

“It is a lot of money, but we took to heart where the money was to go. It was the decision of the eight board of directors, together,” said Taylor. “The Bay of Quinte Mutual is in a position that we can make many charitable donations throughout the year, and we take pride in that, giving back to the communities where our members live the communities we serve.”

He also spoke to why UHKF was chosen as the charity of choice.

“We wanted to choose something that served all of the region that we serve,” said Taylor. “We all know someone who has a family member, a co-worker, a mentor, a professional person, somebody that has had to make the trip to Kingston for treatment of some sort, and we thought this was one of the best places we could use the money for everyone involved.“

Present from UHKF for the occasion was Dr. John Leverette (UHKF board chair), Bill Leacy (director, leadership giving and campaigns), and Abigail McIlquham (associate director, health care advancement). Leverette shared his heart-felt thanks for the “incredibly generous donation” and its lasting impact, where he said it was a “truly significant contribution to the health and well-being of our region”.

He said it is a substantial investment that arrives at a pivotal time, where he spoke to how the landscape for local and regional healthcare is changing.

“Advancements in medical innovation have allowed patients to live longer with a better quality of life, but the cost to the system has never been greater. The province continues to cover the cost of hospital operations, but hospitals can’t use their government operating grants for equipment or new buildings, and with rising costs, hospitals increasingly depend on local philanthropy to provide modern care.”

“This leadership gift not only celebrates your 150th anniversary, but it also underscores your commitment to enhancing healthcare in our region,” said Leverette. “This donation will significantly bolster our efforts to save lives, improve health outcomes, and support the entire south-eastern Ontario community. This is truly neighbours helping neighbours.”

While 15 further donations each in the amount of $10,000 (totalling a further $150,000) to local and regional charities, spread across the company’s geographic area, were also expected to be announced during the anniversary celebration, that announcement is anticipated to come at a later date.

Prince Edward County mayor Steve Ferguson acknowledged the special anniversary, the organization’s humble beginnings, and how the company has stood the test of time.

“I’m aware the company’s theme is ‘honouring our past and shaping our future’, and as we are gathered here today, we are not just celebrating 150 years of resilience, but also the unwavering commitment of Bay of Quinte Mutual to our community, to Picton in particular, but also elsewhere in Prince Edward County.

“Started in 1874, I can imagine back then, like a lot of good ideas, it started with a conversation around a kitchen table, and has now evolved into what it has become over the years.

“A century-and-a-half is a long time to be in business, it’s a long time to be a major player in Picton’s business community, but that’s exactly where the story begins for the Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance Company, right here in Picton.”

Howell spoke at length to the company’s history and background including how it all it started and how it has evolved, how the geographic coverage area has expanded significantly, sharing a few stories and memories along the way, as well as some interesting facts and figures.

“Today, we stand at the intersection of honouring our past and continuing to shape our future; we embrace our traditions while embracing innovation.”

Taylor also spoke to how it all started, and the company’s very humble beginnings, while also recognizing past directors who had made a significant contribution to the company over the years, some of whom were in attendance.

“We can only imagine 150 years ago how this all started, and how people strived to help one another in order to make it work, and how hard they worked through the years in order to make the company succeed, and we all have a little part of that as the years go by,” Taylor said.

While the company has always been headquartered in Picton, back in the day, it was called Bay of Quinte Agricultural Mutual Fire Insurance Company, organized on Aug. 11, 1874, commencing business on Oct. 31 the same year. Howell notes how the policy holders voted to change the name of the company in February 1993 to the name known today.

Founded by farmers 150 years ago, Howell said it was because insurance for farms was not readily available, and if a farmer could find insurance, it was generally too expensive for them to afford.

“That was because farming was considered a very risky business, and I think there are many of us in the room that say it still is today,” Howell said. “To address their needs for insurance, they started to group together, insuring themselves and others in the group.”

He explained how the original insurance policies covered only the perils of fire and lightning, until a few years later, the standard policy was introduced, expanding to include the explosion of natural coal and manufactured gas. In 1956, wind storm and other extended perils were added, and in 1981 policies expanded to include commercial insurance.

“The insurance policies that we issue today were introduced in the 1980s and 1990s and have been updated several times to reflect the changing needs of our policy holders.”

Howell said that while insurance was really the beginnings and the reason for Bay of Quinte; today, working farms represent only about 10 per cent of premiums, hobby farms about 17 per cent as residential is now 53 per cent, and commercial is about 20 per cent.

Prince Edward County was the only place Bay of Quinte Mutual operated in until 1920, when coverage expanded to Northumberland and the town of Yarker. The city of Belleville and the townships of Sidney and Thurlow were included in 1931. And up until 1927, Bay of Quinte Mutual was exclusively farm insurance when it issued the first residential policy to a home in Picton, where Howell notes the minutes of the day identified residential business and homeowners as a source of opportunity for growth.

What the company doesn’t insure is automobiles – one of only a few insurance companies in Ontario that does not write automobile insurance. Howell notes how they did dip their toes into automobile insurance for six years in the 1980s, where in 1986 it was decided to exit, citing it as a distraction to their core business.

“Our company’s geography has continued to expand and today we insure policy holders in a fairly large geographic area that starts here in Picton, heads west to the edge of the GTA, we go north to include Peterborough, Bancroft, Renfrew, Arnprior, and we go east along the St. Lawrence to Carleton Place.”

Howell also spoke to the company’s financial growth and strength, something he said continues to grow 150 years after it all started.

“Today, we are able to boast that Bay of Quinte Mutual is one of the most financially-sound insurance companies in the province,” said Howell. “A lot has occurred in our 150 years, the founding principles of insurance at cost and neighbours helping neighbours still guide the decisions we afford.”

In the company’s first year, there were about 115 policies in force, and no surplus. In 1920, the policies in force expanded to 1,000 and surplus was $1,702. After 100 years, the number of policies in force was 4,253, gross revenue premium was $326,000, and surplus was $605, he said.

“As we begin our 150th year, we now have 16,619 policy holders, gross revenue premium is $31.3 million, and our surplus exceeds $54 million.”

Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance Co. is located at 13379 Loyalist Parkway in Picton. Learn more at bayofquintemutual.com