Moving insurance in Canada: what movers actually cover

Basic protection pays by weight, not by value

Most moves come with a basic level of protection at no extra cost. It pays a set amount per pound of the item that was lost or broken. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs says the mover’s liability is “generally” $0.60 per pound ($1.32 per kg) per item (OCA).

So a light, expensive item gets very little. The Canadian Association of Movers is the industry’s trade group. Its example: a 100 lb table worth $1,000, damaged beyond repair, gets $60 (CAM).

The same math caps the whole move. If a 5,000 lb shipment were lost, basic protection would pay at most $3,000 (CAM).

Check what an item would get

Pick an item, or enter your own weight and value. The result uses the basic level of $0.60 per pound.

Three levels of protection

Movers in Canada usually offer some version of these three. Ask which one your quote includes, and get it in writing.

Replacement value is the only level that pays for what it costs to replace a thing today. The industry group says movers often set a minimum for it, such as $10 per pound times the weight of your goods (CAM). That’s an industry practice, not a law.

What the law says in your province

Ontario, Alberta and BC have set rules for moving contracts. If you don’t choose a level, the mover’s limit is the value you declared or $4.41 per kg of the whole shipment, whichever is higher. It can’t be more than what your things were worth when they were picked up. The $0.60 per pound level applies only when you choose it in writing (Ontario, Alberta, BC).

That makes the valuation box on your contract the most important line to read before you sign.

A few details matter:

• Moves inside one city in Ontario. Ontario’s rule doesn’t apply to goods carried only within one local municipality (O. Reg. 643/05, s. 2). For a move within one city, your contract and general consumer law may apply instead.
• Moves between provinces. The rules of the province where the move starts apply (federal Conditions of Carriage Regulations).
• Québec. The mover must make up for damage from the move. It can only escape that by proving superior force, a defect in the item or natural shrinkage (Civil Code, art. 2049). Québec’s consumer law bans clauses that free a business from the results of its own acts (Consumer Protection Act, s. 10).
• A limit has to be clear. In a 2024 case, BC’s Civil Resolution Tribunal refused to apply a $0.60 per pound limit. The mover hadn’t clearly pointed it out to the customer (Watson v. Move Me Canada, 2024 BCCRT 361).

Your home or tenant insurance may help

Your own insurance and the mover’s together “may cover you”, says the Office of Consumer Affairs. It adds that household insurance usually covers a catastrophic loss (OCA). Ontario’s advice is the same: check your home insurance, because it may cover these items (Ontario.ca).

Policies differ a lot. Some list “transportation” of your belongings as a covered risk (Insurance Bureau of Canada). Others cover a move for a limited number of days, or leave out scratches and breakage. Call your insurer before moving day and ask:

• Are my things covered while they’re on a mover’s truck?
• Does that include breakage, or only events like fire and theft?
• For how many days, and does it cover storage between homes?
• What is my deductible?

A certificate of insurance doesn’t cover your things

Condo buildings often ask the mover for a certificate of insurance. It proves the mover has liability insurance, which protects against damage to the building, a neighbour’s property or a person. The Office of Consumer Affairs is clear. This insurance “does not apply to your goods unless you buy replacement value protection from the mover” (OCA).

Still ask for one. Québec’s consumer office suggests a mover with liability insurance of at least $1 million, and basic insurance on the goods it moves (OPC). In Ontario, a carrier covered by the moving rule must carry insurance for the goods it carries (O. Reg. 643/05, s. 3). That insurance protects the mover; it doesn’t raise what the mover owes you.

What usually isn’t covered

In Ontario, Alberta and BC, the mover isn’t liable for these unless it was negligent. If it says it wasn’t, the mover has to prove that (Ontario, Schedule 3):

• Fragile items the mover didn’t pack and unpack
• What’s inside boxes you packed, unless the boxes were opened for the mover, listed on the contract and signed for
• How electronics work inside, like a TV or computer that won’t turn on, unless the mover prepared them
• Plants, pets and food that spoil or get hurt
• Items of extraordinary value, like art or jewellery, that you didn’t declare

For a set, like a dining set, the mover pays only for the piece that was lost or damaged. Tell the mover about valuable items before moving day, and keep jewellery, papers and cash with you.

What movers’ websites tell you

We read the websites of 1,123 Canadian moving companies for MoverDash. 74% mention insurance. Only 13% say how your belongings are protected, with a per-pound limit or a replacement value option. Just 3.5% name the $0.60 per pound figure.

So “fully insured” on a website tells you little about what you’d get back. The industry group says its number one complaint is customers who didn’t understand how their goods were protected (CAM). Ask the mover to put the level in writing.

MoverDash data: home and service pages of movers’ own websites, read October 2026. Contracts and PDFs not included.

Before you sign

Send this to each mover you’re comparing. Their answers belong in the written quote or the contract.

On moving day, look at the valuation box before you sign, and take photos of anything valuable before it’s wrapped. If something arrives broken, note it on the delivery papers and write to the mover within 60 days.