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PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT2016
ABOUT EMPIRE LIFE
The Empire Life Insurance Company
(Empire Life) is a proud Canadian company
that has been in business since 1923. We offer
individual and group life and health insurance,
investment and retirement products, including
mutual funds through our wholly-owned
subsidiary Empire Life Investments Inc.
Empire Life is among the top 10 life insurance
companies in Canada1 and is rated A (Excellent)
by A.M. Best Company2. This statement contains
information about Empire Life and Empire Life
Investments Inc. All data is reported for the
financial year ending December 31, 2016.
OUR CORE VALUES
• We are honest and fair and we honour
our commitments to our customers
and to each other.
• We treat each other with respect.
• We hold ourselves and each other
accountable.
OUR VISIONCanada’s most convenient
insurance and investment
company.
OUR MISSIONInsurance & Investments Simple. Fast. Easy.®
EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 20162
1 Based on general fund and segregated fund assets in Canada as at December 31, 2016 as reported in regulatory filings
2 As at May 27, 2016
EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016 3
2016 Community Investment
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
$361,402IN-KIND
$2,640EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERISM
$45,492COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIPS
$71,543CHARITABLE DONATIONS
$241,727
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PROGRAMIn 2016, we continued our community investment in four key areas: community well-being, health and medical research, education, and arts and culture.
Financial Contributions by Sector
COMMUNITY
WELL-BEING
57% HEALTH &
MEDICAL RESEARCH
23%EDUCATION
11%ARTS &
CULTURE
9%
4 EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016
OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS WRITE…
“Thank you for your leadership gift towards Hospice Kingston’s The Time is Now
residential hospice campaign. Your compassion and commitment to the philosophy of
hospice care is greatly appreciated. With your continued generosity, we are taking the
important next step to build a residential hospice that will emphasize a human touch for
all of us and the generations to follow. Thank you again for your compassionate support.”
Allen Prowse, Chair, Board of Directors, Hospice Kingston, and
Peter Kingston, Chair, Capital Campaign, Hospice Kingston
“It is a pleasure and a privilege to thank you for your continued and generous
support. You have made such a positive impact on our programs and in the
Kingston community. Thank you!”
Ronda Candy, Executive Director, Martha’s Table
• “
“I’m writing to express my gratitude for your generosity
and long-time commitment to our program. Your belief
in the power of youth and education is truly inspiring.
On behalf of the students, staff and volunteers at
Pathways to Education and Kingston Community Health
Centres, thank you for helping the youth of Kingston
achieve their full potential.”
Quinn Bingham, Vice-President and Chief Development
Officer, Pathways to Education
EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016 5
“Through contributions like yours, our students are being provided with the opportunity
to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes for a lifetime of practice, learning and discovery.
Your gift to the Empire Life Public Health Sciences Fellowship enables our students
to pursue excellence.”
Dr. Richard K. Reznick, Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University
“Thank you for your generous contribution to
our 2016 Season as the production sponsor for
Assassinating Thomson. We feel truly honoured and
privileged that you decided to invest in the local
arts community. Know that your support has made
the Playhouse reputation what it is.”
Brett Christopher, General Manager,
Thousand Islands Playhouse
“Thank you for being a part of Community
Rocks and for celebrating International Day
of Persons with Disabilities with us. Know
that your support goes far beyond the
value of the sponsorship. With the help of
people like you, Community Living Toronto
is able to reach out and provide support to
many individuals in need.”
Brad Saunders, CEO,
Community Living TorontoCredit: Louis Thomas Photography
For 94 years, Empire Life has been helping Canadians and their families achieve financial security.
During that time, we’ve also supported those in need in our community. From donations to
agencies and foundations, to sponsorships of festivals and fundraisers, the funds we provide help
enrich the lives of individuals in communities across Canada and help make our communities
stronger. Here are just a few of the events and organizations we supported in 2016:
INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Pathways to Education – Canada opened its doors
in Kingston in 2010, and Empire Life has been a key
supporter ever since. In 2016, we made a $25,000
donation to the program which helps youth in low-
income communities graduate from high school.
Seventy-four percent of Pathways to Education
students have gone on to post-secondary education.
Girls E-Mentorship, also known as GEM, is a
charitable organization in Toronto that connects
high-achieving diverse young women with
successful professional women. This mentorship
program helps female youth facing multiple barriers
reach their full potential, develop skills for their
future, and engage in influential and beneficial
relationships. Our $10,000 donation will help female
youth emerge as empowered young women and
future leaders.
EDUCATION
Built in 1832, Fort Henry protected the naval
dockyard at Point Frederick and Kingston, a major
point along the supply route between Montreal and
Ottawa. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
in 2007, it is now a museum and historic site offering
tours, scenic views, musical performances and
precision military demonstrations. Our sponsorship of
the annual Tattoo performance is an opportunity for
Kingstonians and visitors to journey back in time and
experience the excitement of history in modern times.
As the performance sponsor for Assassinating
Thompson at the Thousand Islands Playhouse,
we were delighted to be part of a unique play
that intertwined art, politics, murder and laughter
in a one-man investigation of Canadian icon
and Group of Seven artist Tom Thomson. Visual
artist and performer Bruce Horak regaled the
audience with personal stories that paralleled the
life of Tom Thomson. While he spoke, he painted
a picture of the audience how he saw them—
through his limited 9% vision.
ARTS & CULTURE
EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 20166
When disaster struck in Fort McMurray, Alberta in May
2016, our employees responded immediately to help
those affected by the tragedy. As fire swept through
the small town, a company-wide fundraiser for the
Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fires Appeal raised more
than $3,300 in individual employee donations, along
with a corporate donation of $10,000.
Community Rocks is the bi-annual fundraiser
for Community Living Toronto, an organization
dedicated to giving people with intellectual
disabilities the freedom to choose where they
live, learn, work and play. We were proud to
sponsor their 2016 rock n’ roll event which
brought together business and community
leaders in Toronto to raise funds and celebrate
individuals with an intellectual disability.
COMMUNITY WELL-BEING
In 2016, we completed a 10-year, $1 million pledge
to the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation
Campaign, with much of the funds supporting the
construction of the new Providence Care Hospital.
Opening in the spring of 2017, tremendous care and
thought has gone into creating an environment that
inspires and instills hope, and enhances treatment,
rehabilitation and recovery for patients of the new
facility. With 270 private rooms, plenty of natural light,
outdoor courtyards and rooftop terraces, the hospital
is a warm and comfortable patient-centred approach
to health and mental wellness.
Hospice Kingston’s The Time is Now campaign
is dedicated to providing innovative opportunities
for education and teaching, enhancing local and
regional system approaches, and transforming
how we care for the terminally ill. Our donation will
give community members access to the full range
of healthcare options, while understanding and
respecting that living and dying well helps to create a
healthy culture and a strong community.
HEALTH & MEDICAL RESEARCH
7EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016
8 EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016
EMPLOYEES MAKING A DIFFERENCE
We’re proud that our employees share the same passion and commitment
to helping in the community. Empire Life employees volunteered more than
1,000 hours in 2016, participating in dozens of events, including the United Way
Day of Caring and Success by 6 Children’s Corner, the Big Brothers Big Sisters
Bowl for Kids, the Rose of Hope golf tournament in support of the Cancer Centre
of Southeastern Ontario, and the Big Bike for Heart & Stroke Foundation. We’re
honoured to recognize two of our many employees who helped make a difference
this year during their personal time and on behalf of the company.
Michelle Reynolds, Service Representative
For seven years, Michelle had no idea she had
epilepsy. It was only after a major seizure that she
was finally diagnosed. Michelle believes that long
period of not knowing was in part due to a lack
of public awareness and the stigma surrounding
epilepsy. It was also the reason Michelle decided to
share her struggles and story with others.
“Being able to act as an ambassador with Epilepsy
South Eastern Ontario, and being supported by
Empire Life through various stages—including a
successful brain surgery—have given me so much
positivity. I’m grateful to have such an incredible
work place and fantastic co-workers who are willing
to hear me speak about my experiences, and who
are excited to be part of the epilepsy Pull Together
fundraiser. It has been heart-warming.”
Michelle and her team celebrate their successful firetruck pull at the
Epilepsy South Eastern Ontario Pull Together for Epilepsy fundraiser.
EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016 9
Geoff Gibson, Director, Investment Marketing and Product Development
Geoff’s passion for United Way was ignited in 2009 when he joined our Kingston United Way committee
as a workplace campaign co-chair. It’s no coincidence that it was also the year we crossed the $200,000
mark for money raised. For the next two years, he helped lead the campaign by inspiring his co-workers
to participate and donate.
Once his term as co-chair was over, he was approached by the President of United Way Kingston,
Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) to build their NextGen committee, a group dedicated to getting
the younger generation engaged in community volunteering. Geoff helped build the committee from
the ground up, and was the NextGen Cabinet Chair until October 2012. The launch and first events were
successful, and the committee has continued to attract younger people getting involved and giving back
to the community. Geoff also represented Empire Life on the city-wide campaign cabinet for KFL&A.
When Geoff took on a new opportunity in our Toronto office in 2012, United Way in Oakville got wind of his
NextGen success and recruited him to launch the Oakville GenNext campaign. Geoff was a co-chair until
February 2016 and remained on the campaign cabinet, as well as on Oakville’s city-wide campaign cabinet,
to provide support and advice.
Asked why he has been such a staunch supporter of United Ways across Canada, Geoff says, “United Way
is the most efficient way to donate your time, energy and money. Giving back to the community through
United Way is the easiest way to make a difference in the lives of those around you.”
Geoff received the 2015 Outstanding Campaign Cabinet Volunteer Award
from Jennifer Loker, Director, Resource Development, United Way Oakville.
10 EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016
ProvinceNumber of Employees Full-Time Part-Time
Alberta 6 6 0
British Columbia 19 19 0
Manitoba 3 3 0
New Brunswick 1 1 0
Ontario 662 657 5
Quebec 76 74 2
Saskatchewan 2 2 0
Total 769 762 7
Improving access to our services
We are committed to respecting the dignity and independence of people with disabilities by preventing
and removing barriers to accessibility. As part of our commitment:
• we have policies and procedures to ensure we meet the accessibility requirements under the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and we apply them across Canada;
• we ensure persons living with disabilities can access areas of our company that are open to the public.
• we have telephone services available to our customers using a relay service;
• our customer service employees are trained on how to communicate with and accommodate
people with various types of disabilities; and,
• we have a feedback process to ensure we meet the accessibility expectations of our customers.
We are making our websites accessible, applying Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A
requirements into new external websites and current external websites that undergo a significant refresh.
All of our employees complete accessibility training so they can help identify, remove and prevent
barriers to accessibility.
For more information about how we are improving access to our services, read our Accessibility Policies.
Employees in Canada (2016)
EMPIRE LIFE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT 2016 11
Taxes by Jurisdiction
Premium Taxes
Income Taxes
Other Taxes
Total Taxes
Newfoundland & Labrador $82 $74 $1 $158
Prince Edward Island $55 $74 $1 $131
Nova Scotia $238 $317 $8 $562
New Brunswick $86 $112 $3 $201
Quebec $8,005 $6,108 $1,328 $15,441
Ontario $7,141 $10,112 $3,711 $20,964
Manitoba $251 $317 $47 $614
Saskatchewan $466 $503 $5 $974
Alberta $1,661 $2,030 - $3,691
British Columbia $1,539 $2,123 $73 $3,735
Yukon $2 - - $2
Northwest Territories $2 - - $2
Nunavut $1 - - $1
Federal - $31,931 $5,393 $37,324
Total Taxes $19,529 $53,701 $10,570 $83,800
Taxes paid (2016, in thousands of dollars)
® Registered trademark of The Empire Life Insurance Company. Policies are issued by The Empire Life Insurance Company.
Contact us
1 877 548-1881
259 King St. East
Kingston, ON K7L 3A8
For more information about our Community Investment program, visit our website or email us at [email protected].
Empire LifeEmpire Life Insurance
@EmpireLife@EmpireLifeIns@EmpireLifeInv
Empire LifeEmpire Life Investments
@EmpireLife
Insurance & Investments – Simple. Fast. Easy.®
www.empire.ca [email protected]