Intact Insurance and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) have named the first 12 recipients of the Intact Olympian Impact program, a $1 million, three-year fund for community projects led by Olympians.
The first grants go to four current and eight retired Olympians running projects across Canada. Applications opened in August and closed in September.
Projects fall under the three pillars of the COC’s Team Canada 2035 strategy: podium (strengthening the sport system and athlete pathways), play (accessibility and inclusion) and planet (environmental sustainability).
Under podium, sprinter Andre De Grasse’s Future Champions Scholarship supports emerging track and field athletes from marginalized and remote communities. Wrestler Leah Ferguson’s Girls CAN Wrestling trains women coaches to run programs for girls. Rower Jill Moffatt’s MOMentum gives grants to pregnant and parenting Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and freestyle skier Nicolas Fontaine’s Projet Air Force introduces young Quebec skiers to aerials.
The play projects range from free multi-sport programming for 2,900 young people in Ontario, led by bobsledder Jay Dearborn, to free cross-country skiing for Iyarhe Nakoda youth in Alberta led by biathlete Megan Imrie. Other play projects come from basketball player Paige Crozon, snowboarder Juliette Pelchat, hockey player Sami Jo Small and skateboarder Annie Guglia.
Under planet, swimmer Tim Peterson’s Bike Bus in BC turns the school commute into supervised group cycling. Skeleton athlete Mirela Rahneva’s project funds a collection trailer for the Calgary Flames Sports Bank, which reuses and recycles donated equipment.
“Intact has long supported sport in Canada, from grassroots programs to the podium,” said Imen Zitouni, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Intact Insurance.
Intact Insurance became a national partner of the COC last October in a multi-year agreement covering the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, supported by a national campaign with CBC/Radio-Canada. It built on more than 20 years of Intact support for speed skating in Canada.
Intact Insurance is the brand Intact Financial distributes through independent brokers. The company’s direct-to-consumer brand, belairdirect, recently signed its own sponsorship as the official collaborating partner of the 24h Tremblant charity event in Quebec. Together, the deals show Intact putting marketing money behind both its broker and direct brands.
For brokers who place business with Intact, the Olympic partnership raises the profile of the brand they sell, which can help with client recognition and trust in a competitive personal lines market. As Canada’s largest P&C insurer competes with brokers through belairdirect while also backing them through Intact Insurance, brokers have reason to watch where Intact’s brand investment goes.
