belairdirect, Intact Financial's direct-to-consumer insurance brand, has signed on as the official collaborating partner of 24h Tremblant.
This gives it one of the most visible sponsorships of the year in its home market of Quebec.
The deal makes belairdirect second only to presenting partner Sun Life in the lineup of the charity relay, which runs from December 11 to 13 at Mont-Tremblant Resort. Last year, the event raised $8.83 million from 4,648 participants in 521 teams, according to its organizers. It funds five children's foundations, including CHU Sainte-Justine and the Montreal Children's Hospital.
belairdirect said the sponsorship follows two years of fundraising by its employees, who raised more than $150,000 for the event's beneficiaries. It did not disclose the value of the deal.
"Becoming the official collaborating partner of 24h Tremblant strengthens our commitment to children's wellbeing and the organizations supported by the event," said Isabelle Girard, senior vice president at belairdirect.
The sponsorship comes as Intact continues to build its direct business alongside the broker channel that writes most of its premiums. The insurer distributes through independent brokers under the Intact Insurance brand, through its owned brokerage BrokerLink, and directly to consumers through belairdirect.
On its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, management cited direct-channel growth as one of the factors affecting its expense ratio. It also said it was working to make sure its brands appear prominently in search, including in emerging AI-driven channels. In its second-quarter 2026 results, Intact reported that operating direct premiums written grew 4%, driven mostly by continued strength in personal lines. It expects industry personal lines premium growth in Canada to range from high single digits to low double digits.
Intact does not report belairdirect's results separately.
Events like 24h Tremblant reach exactly the audience a direct insurer wants: thousands of participants, their donors and corporate teams, concentrated in Quebec and Eastern Ontario over a single weekend. The event markets itself to employers as a team-building challenge, so the sponsorship also reaches the workplaces those participants come from.
For brokers, a deal like this isn't a threat in itself. It does show that the largest carrier in the country is putting marketing money behind its direct brand in a hard personal lines market, where consumers are shopping around more. Brokers placing personal lines with Intact are dealing with a carrier that also competes for the same customers directly. That's long-standing, but sponsorships like this make it more visible.
