About Us

Harmony Insurance Ltd. was established in June 1977 by Brigitte Bulda. Brigitte immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1964 to join her husband Horst, who moved to Canada in 1963 to work for Weldwood (now Hinton Pulp a Division of West Fraser). In 1974, Brigitte left her position as Assistant Manager at the Credit Union to run the Hinton branch office of Insco Insurance (based in Edson). After two years Brigitte decided it was time to go out on her own.

The main reason for going independent was that she wanted to increase her ability to serve the public. She wanted a direct link to the insurance companies so she could discuss unique situations with them and have her clients treated as individuals. This was long before the “you are a number” mentality became much more common in all aspects of our lives.

After much deliberation, Brigitte chose the name Harmony for her brokerage, because she wanted her business to be in harmony with her clients, the insurance companies she represented, and the community she lived in.

Harmony Insurance Ltd. has experienced steady growth since 1977. Although the focus is still to provide professional and friendly service to Hinton and area, we find that we are also serving our clients as they move to other towns and cities across the province of Alberta. And more than that, we are getting more referrals from out of town as well. The relationship of trust and sense of community remains important no matter where our clients live, and now the internet gives us another tool to maintain these relationships and develop new ones across the province.

One of the priorities for Brigitte in the beginning was the focus on educating her clients ... and this remains a key today. Nobody likes to pay for insurance - but clients need to know what coverage they need, what they have, why they pay what they do, and what they can do to control their risk and lower their premiums.

The current team of brokers – Christine Cassidy (Brigitte's Daughter), Sandra Roberts, Bev Kemp, Caroline Hughes - and receptionist Becky Kwasny and Ashish Karmacharya, all place the same emphasis on working for our clients. We do whatever can be done to find the best information, explain how and why things work the way they do, and find the best rates we can.

No matter what type of insurance is required - from auto to home, recreational vehicles to commercial buildings and oil & gas operations – we can help. We can provide a sounding board for ideas, research on what the insurance companies perceive as the risk, and arrange the proper coverage. And even if the type of risk is not “the everyday”, chances are we can find a market. For almost every risk there is a company somewhere that will sell the coverage - and we’ll do their best to match the you up with the coverage you need. There are even times that we will direct you to a company we don’t represent if we know they can provide coverage or information we can’t … although that’s our last resort since we are in business to meet your needs, not send you away.

In addition to the complete insurance services provided, we share office space with a full-service travel agency - Marlin Travel (Hinton) - founded by Teras Cassidy. Teras, together with partner Amanda Reitzel, are committed to the same high standards of customer service and professionalism, and can be contacted through our web-site or at (780)865-3331.