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DEFINITIONS

Canadian government travel advisory means the following recommendations from the Canadian government: 

  • Avoid all non-essential travel 
  • Avoid all travel 


Travel advice and advisories by destination can be consulted at any time at https://travel.gc.ca/ 

Dependent child means a child of the contract holder, their spouse, or both and who is over 30 days old at the departure date or at the time of adoption, who is unmarried and depends on the contract holder for support. Also, to be considered a dependent child, the child must be: 

  • 20 years of age or under, or 
  • 21 to 24 years of age and attends an educational institution as a full-time student, or 
  • Physically or mentally disabled, no matter the age 


For international adoption, a child who is over 30 days old, not a Canadian resident and who is in the process of being adopted abroad by a Canadian resident is considered to be a dependent child from the moment the required documents have been completed and when the competent authorities of the country where the adoption takes place hand over the child, definitively and without appeal, to the physical, visual and exclusive custody of the adoptive parents or of the person who will accompany the child until their arrival in Canada. A child in the process of adoption does not have to be a beneficiary of the Health Insurance Act or the Hospital Insurance Act of a Canadian province. 

Effective date of the contract means the date the coverage begins. This date is indicated on the insurance certificate. 

Family member means the spouse, father, mother, grandparents, grandchildren, parents-in-law, a child (not only a dependent child) of the insured person and/or the spouse, a brother, a sister, a half-brother, a half-sister, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, an uncle, an aunt, a nephew, a niece. 

High-risk pregnancy means: 

  • Multiple pregnancy 
  • Pregnancy resulting from in vitro fertilization 
  • Pregnancy requiring follow-ups in a clinic specializing in high-risk pregnancies 
  • Pregnancy for which a medical leave of absence was prescribed to you for a reason other than preventive withdrawal due to the nature of your work 
  • Pregnancy for which the physician established one the following diagnoses: preeclampsia, eclampsia, gestational hypertension, placenta previa, cervical incompetence 

Immediate family member means the spouse, father, mother, and children (not just dependent) of the insured person, the spouse or both. 

Medical emergency/Urgent means a sudden and unforeseen medical condition requiring immediate treatment. An emergency no longer exists when the evidence reviewed by Blue Cross Travel Assistance indicates that no further treatment is required at destination or that your client is able to return to his province of residence for further treatment. 

Pandemic means a disease outbreak that spreads across continents or the world and that the World Health Organization (WHO) declares to be a pandemic. 

Prepayment means a non-refundable amount paid for travel expenses in connection with planning a trip and to secure, before the departure date, the availability of a product or service. 

Spouse means the person to whom the contract holder is married or with whom the contract holder has lived permanently for at least one year. Dissolution of marriage by divorce or annulment as well as de facto separation of more than 3 months cancels this status. 

Stable means a pre-existing medical condition that has remained unchanged for several months prior to the date the coverage takes effect. 

For a pre-existing medical condition to be considered stable, it must meet all the following criteria: 

  1. No new medical diagnosis has been made 
  2. No new symptoms appeared and there was no worsening or increase in the frequency of existing symptoms 
  3. No hospitalization has taken place 
  4. No new medication was prescribed or recommended 
  5. No change of dosage1 was made to a medication already prescribed or recommended (dose increased or decreased, or consumption stopped) 
  6. No new treatment or medical test is pending or has been prescribed, ongoing or recommended 
  7. No ongoing treatment has been changed or discontinued 
  8. No prescribed or recommended treatment, nor medical advice has been ignored 


1 We do not consider the following elements as a change of dosage of existing medication: 

  • Routine insulin or Coumadin® adjustment 
  • Replacement of a medication by an equivalent generic brand if its dosage remains unchanged 
  • Decrease in dosage of cholesterol medication 
  • Adjustment to hormone replacement therapy treatment 
  • Change in consumption of non-prescribed medication such as: Aspirin®, vitamins, minerals, etc. 
  • Use of cream or ointment prescribed for skin irritation 

Travelling companion means an immediate family member and up to 6 other people. To qualify as such, a travelling companion must: 

  • Have planned the trip with your client 
  • Have the same travel dates as your client 
  • Have the same trip departure and return points as your client 

Trip generally means temporarily being away from the province or territory of residence. 

Trip also means temporarily being away from the usual place of residence inside of the province of residence if it includes at least a 2-night stay in a commercial accommodation establishment located more than 100 kilometers from the usual place of residence. 

For the Trip Cancellation or Interruption coverage, the trip begins when the insured person leaves their usual place of residence and ends when they return to it. 

The Annual covers trips made only outside the province or the territory of residence.