Who We Are

Our Past

Fortress formed in 2004 as an Alberta registered and regulated insurance company which exclusively provided third party automobile liability coverage in the rental car and airport services business in Calgary.

In 2019, the Western Investment Company of Canada Limited purchased a fifty percent stake in Fortress Insurance with a plan to expand the company’s licensed operations to include all four Western Canadian provinces and to offer various insurance products geared towards niche customers.

The Present

Fortress Insurance has assembled a strong management team poised to expand the company and its product offerings. Both the Fortress Insurance and Western Investment Boards have extensive backgrounds in the insurance industry and successes in founding and growing businesses that add value to Western Canada.

Licensed to offer insurance in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, Fortress is gaining momentum as a reputable provider of products to its growing network of independent insurance brokers.

Our Future

Fortress intends to collaborate with a number of insurance brokers in Western Canada to exploit new insurance product niches and participate in current insurance programs. The management team also intends to grow the company through acquisitions in order to add new product lines and industry expertise.

“I’m delighted to hear that Fortress is proceeding through the regulatory process with a plan to…expand its product line and territory to include the B.C. marketplace. My team and I are eager to…work together.”

Jack Meier, President, InsureBC Group
“We at Harvard Western are pleased to voice our support for your plan to build an insurer to service the western Canadian market. We recently noticed a hardening in the insurance market here in Saskatchewan and we therefore would welcome additional insurance capacity into the province, particularly by an insurer with a focus on specialty lines and commercial property capacity.”

Dave Pettigrew, President & CEO, Harvard Western Insurance
“As one of the largest independent brokerages in Canada, with over 500 staff in our group of companies, Rogers Insurance Ltd. and myself are well-positioned to evaluate the need for new capacity in the market and am pleased to [support Fortress Insurance and its] efforts to bring new insurance capacity to Alberta and Western Canada.”

Bruce Rabik, Chief Operating Officer, Rogers Insurance Ltd.
“We believe that there is room in the western Canadian marketplace for a small, nimble, regionally focused insurer that can respond to special situations, develop innovative products and provide excess capacity in commercial insurance. With global insurers currently moving capital and capacity out of Canada, we agree with you that now is an opportune time to execute your plan.”

Joe Sirianni, Chief Operating Officer, Western Financial Group