insurance investment real estate founded 1944 in quebec city canada founder jacques tremblay key people jean fran ois chalifoux president and ceo pierre genest chairman of the boards products group insurance individual insurance general insurance investment real estate revenue nearly 3 billion cad total assets 11 billion cad number of employees 2 000 employees parent ssq life insurance company inc. subsidiaries ssq general insurance company inc. ssq insurance company inc. ssq realty inc. slogan values in the right place website https ssq.ca ssq financial group s head office in quebec . ssq financial group is a mutual diversified financial institution founded in 1944 in quebec canada which offers insurance and investment products . ssq financial group is headquartered in quebec city with offices in montreal calgary halifax vancouver and toronto . 1 the group which serves over three million customers and employs 2 000 employees is one of the major insurance companies in canada according to the insurance bureau of canada . ssq financial group is also one of the 500 largest companies in quebec ranking 83rd in 2015 . 2 with a business volume approaching 3 billion and 11 billion in assets under management 3 4 ssq financial group is one of the 10 canadian co operatives present in the ranking of the most prominent coops worldwide placing in 173rd in 2014 . 5 contents 1 history 1.1 1940 1948 putting down roots 1.2 1949 1960 a new vocation 1.3 1961 1973 quebec society undergoing change 1.4 1974 1985 growth and democracy 1.5 1986 1995 general insurance and restructuring 1.6 1996 2002 prescription drug insurance and canadian debut 1.7 2003 to today growth and recognition 2 products and services 3 mutualist democracy 4 company structure 5 senior management 6 boards of directors 7 sustainable development and social responsibility 8 donations and sponsorships 9 awards and distinctions 10 see also 11 references 12 external links history edit 1940 1948 putting down roots edit at the beginning of the 1940s dr. jacques tremblay out of concern for social justice took up the cause of quebec city s working class who could not afford adequate medical care . 6 there was no public medical plan . on may 9 1944 dr. tremblay founded the coop rative de sant du qu bec which provided needed medical care to members . in 1945 the cooperative changed its name to les services de sant du qu bec hence inspiration for the later ssq . 1949 1960 a new vocation edit starting in the 1950s the cooperative shifted its focus towards business development and customer service . contributions would be based on each group s risk profile and sales agents positioned themselves as advisors . as early as 1955 to diversify its products and pursue its growth objectives the cooperative changed status to become a mutual aid company specialized in group insurance . the company expanded its customer and geographical base at the start of the 1950s offering new products such as life insurance and disability insurance . 1961 1973 quebec society undergoing change edit in 1961 further to the implementation of the public hospital insurance plan ssq adjusted by offering services not covered by the plan and innovated by providing coverage for private and semi private hospital rooms surgery fees and extended coverage for doctor s visits . ssq added disability insurance in 1963 . at the end of the 1960s its products and services were diversified to meet the public s needs additional annuity plans ; dental vision and chiropractic care ; and prescription drug insurance . in 1969 ssq moved its head office to boulevard laurier in quebec city . the introduction of health insurance in 1970 represented both a significant advance for society and a new challenge for ssq . 1974 1985 growth and democracy edit in 1974 the act respecting insurance changed ssq s status turning it into a mutual life insurance company . at the end of the 1970s regional assemblies were set up and regional delegates were elected to represent their groups at the annual general meeting . the company s assets topped the 100 million mark in 1979 . in addition to launching mortgage loans ssq also created a real estate subsidiary in 1982 . 1986 1995 general insurance and restructuring edit by member request a general insurance subsidiary was created in 1986 . in 1991 ssq mutual was split in two to create ssq mutual management corporation and ssq life insurance company inc. in 1992 following the global real estate crisis and significant losses the fonds de solidarit ftq became ssq s principal shareholder helping the company to quickly get back on its feet . 1996 2002 prescription drug insurance and canadian debut edit the introduction of the mixed public and private plan in 1997 profoundly changed this sector of the insurance market . in 2000 ssq signed an agreement with its first pancanadian group . to reflect its sustained growth and broadening scope the company changed its name to ssq financial group in 2001 and the canadian venture continued with new offices opening in toronto in 2002 . 2003 to today growth and recognition edit in 2003 ssq financial group was named among the 50 best managed companies in canada . ssq also launched its health insight program in a bid to be actively involved in the health and wellbeing of its customers and received authorization to offer individual savings plans in ontario and to organizations with a federal jurisdiction . in 2012 ssq and the fonds de solidarit ftq jointly acquired axa life insurance 7 and renamed it ssq insurance . 8 the transaction added products and services to ssq s offering in addition to rebalancing the company s internal organization and positioning it within the canadian market . ssq financial group has acquired several other companies in recent years including finance & indemnisation and assurancevoyages.ca . products and services edit ssq financial group offers financial products and services across canada group insurance life insurance ; death and dismemberment ; disability insurance ; prescription drug insurance ; health insurance ; travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance ; dental care insurance ; compassion insurance ; 9 health and wellness program ; individual insurance retirement and end of employment ; critical illness ; 10 11 long term care ; expatriate insurance individual insurance term life insurance ; permanent life insurance ; universal life insurance ; 12 credit insurance ; critical illness insurance ; travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance general insurance auto insurance ; replacement insurance ; home insurance ; business insurance investment segregated funds ; guaranteed interest accounts gia ; individual savings and retirement plans registered retirement savings plan rrsp tax free savings account tfsa locked in rrsp non registered savings plan nrsp individual pension plan ipp registered retirement income fund rrif locked in rrif and annuity ; registered retirement plan without member management private wealth management real estate development and management of ssq financial group s real estate properties including property in quebec city longueuil and toronto . mutualist democracy edit ssq financial group is a company with mutualist values whose shareholders are also its members . all ssq life insurance company inc. policy and contract holders group insurance individual insurance and investment products become co owners or participant members of ssq financial group . this shared ownership is expressed democratically through ssq mutual management in keeping with its values of solidarity equity responsibility and equality . at the annual meeting designated delegates have the opportunity to elect directors to the board of ssq mutual management . company structure edit ssq financial group is made up of four companies the parent company ssq life insurance company inc. and its three affiliates 13 ssq general insurance company inc. ssq insurance company inc. ssq realty inc. senior management edit ssq financial group s management team is made up of managers from the business and corporate sectors of the parent company ssq life insurance company inc. and the chief executive officer of ssq general insurance inc. ssqauto 14 jean fran ois chalifoux chief executive officer patrick cyr senior vice president finance and realty carl laflamme senior vice president group insurance marie lamontagne senior vice president communications and e business denis l gar senior vice president human resources and internal communications michel loranger senior vice president information technology gilles mourette chief executive officer ssq general insurance company inc. ric trudel senior vice president corporate services investment and retirement and ssq insurance company inc. boards of directors edit five boards of directors chaired by pierre genest support ssq financial group by ensuring the smooth operation of its companies . 15 sustainable development and social responsibility edit ssq financial group strives to put its economic and financial aims to work for great social and environmental causes . 16 the company has followed this path from the start as it strongly believes that all companies must give back to their communities . in 2014 43 concrete actions were taken to this effect and detailed in the sustainable development and societal responsibility report 17 which is published each year . donations and sponsorships edit ssq is the title sponsor of the ssq quebec city marathon 18 and presenter of the ssq health 5k . 19 this activity raises funds for organizations in the health sector . ssq partners with the ssq longueuil marathon 20 as the title sponsor of the event . ssq s commitment to its communities is expressed through financial support to several organizations such as centraide united way of canada 21 fondation centre hospitalier universitaire sainte justine fondation du centre hospitalier universitaire de qu bec le grand chemin pignon bleu la maison pour grandir r seau qu b cois des cfer sickkids foundation and socodevi . 22 awards and distinctions edit 2011 elite healthy enterprise certification awarded by the bureau de normalisation du qu bec 2012 canada award for excellence healthy workplace gold award awarded by excellence canada 23 2012 193 rd place among the top 300 global co operative and mutual enterprises awarded by the international co operative alliance ica 24 2012 sustainable building innovation award for cit verte awarded at gala habitation 2012 event 25 2013 laureate of the 23rd edition of the nergia contest for the renovation of ssq building s st. lawrence tower over 10 000 m2 given out by the association qu b coise pour la ma trise de l nergie 26 2013 among the top 50 urban planning projects that have marked the history of urban planning in the last 50 years for the ecofriendly cit verte housing project distinction handed out by the ordre des urbanistes du qu bec 27 2013 recognition by goodlife fitness health & wellness leadership 28 2014 5th place for ren hamel in top 25 of quebec s financial industry awarded by the healthy enterprises group 29 2014 prix distinction in the large company category awarded by the healthy enterprises group 30 2014 quebec city s m rites d architecture special jury prize with the cit verte project 31 2014 prix d excellence cecobois awards in the industrial building and architectural details categories for the waste disposal and collection system in cit verte project 32 33 2014 recipient of loma s excellence in education award awarded by the loma society 34 2015 ren hamel among quebec s top 25 financial sector personalities awarded by investment executive 35 2015 maestria award and special mention in the major donors category awarded by qu bec et chaudi re appalaches chapter of centraide united way of canada see also edit companies portal cooperatives portal quebec portal canada portal insurance list of canadian insurance companies references edit six grandes coop ratives et mutuelles qu b coises in french . la presse . 6 october 2014 . retrieved 20 may 2015 . fiche entreprise ssq groupe financier in french . la presse . retrieved 20 may 2015 . 2014 annual report . ssq financial group . retrieved 20 may 2015 . 2014 financial results 70