Regina, Saskatchewan — Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has officially recognized Certified Collision Care as an approved third-party OEM certification program as part of SGI’s provincial accreditation program and its Safe and Quality Auto Repair project.
Facilities that become certified with Certified Collision Care before March 1, 2021, will be eligible for a $6,000 one-time lump-sum payment for meeting the minimum accreditation requirements, plus an additional one- time lump-sum payment of $9,000 for becoming OEM certified (total of $15,000).
The training and tooling incentive was announced by Joe Hargrave, the minister responsible for SGI, on Sept. 21, 2019, at the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) annual general meeting as one of many changes to its accreditation program designed to ensure a healthy, sustainable collision repair industry.
In a bulletin, SGI acknowledged that the Safe and Quality Auto Repair project represents “a significant change for the industry.” The bulletin states it is “a big change for repair shops, and it’s a big change for us. As vehicles continue to become more complex, we need to ensure we have an industry capable of repairing them safely.”
The Certified Collision Care program is the largest OEM certification program in Canada. Managing and administering OEM certification programs for Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Kia, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota and Lexus, the program represents more than 50 percent of vehicles on today’s roads.
“We are extremely pleased that collision repair facilities in Saskatchewan will see an immediate financial benefit of achieving our certification through the training and tooling incentive of $15,000 from SGI,” says Leanne Jefferies, vice president of Canadian operations for Assured Performance Certified Collision Care. “When combined with the certification marketing tools and OEM referrals that our certified shops are provided with, becoming a part of Certified Collision Care is a way to bring cars to your door and increase the value of your business”.
Certification is awarded to shops that have invested in the tools, equipment and technical training required to repair vehicles to OEM specifications, and who successfully complete the Certified Collision Care assessment, pass an onsite inspection and audit and are approved by our OEM partners.
Certified Collision Care Providers gain access to a suite of marketing tools including OEM-certified signage, use of OEM logos, listing on multiple online consumer and insurer-facing locators, press releases, OEM marketing initiatives and customer referrals.
For more information or to join Certified Collision Care, collision repairers can visit www.certifiedcollisioncare.ca.
