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• Heart attack*

Refers to the death of heart muscle caused by a blockage in blood flow. To be considered a heart attack, there must be a rise and fall of biochemical cardiac markers at levels that are diagnostic of myocardial infarction. Additionally, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

1. The presence of heart attack symptoms.
2. New electrocardiogram (ECG) changes that are consistent with a heart attack.
3. The development of new Q waves during or immediately after an intra-arterial cardiac procedure, such as coronary angiography or coronary angioplasty.

The benefit becomes payable after a survival period of 30 days following the date of diagnosis

• Stroke*

Refers to an acute cerebrovascular event caused by intra-cranial thrombosis or hemorrhage, or embolism from an extra-cranial source. To be considered a stroke, the following conditions must be met:

1. There must be an acute onset of new neurological symptoms.
2. There must be new objective neurological deficits observed during a clinical examination.

These symptoms and deficits must persist for more than 30 days following the date of the condition. Diagnostic imaging testing must also corroborate these new symptoms and deficits.

The benefit becomes payable after a survival period of 30 days following the date of diagnosis.

• Coronary artery bypass surgery*

Refers to undergoing heart surgery to correct the narrowing or blockage of one or more coronary arteries using bypass graft(s). The surgery must be deemed medically necessary by a specialist.

The benefit becomes payable after a survival period of 30 days following the date of surgery.

• Cancer (life threatening)*

Refers to a tumor characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of malignant cells, as well as the invasion of tissue. Types of cancer include carcinoma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, and sarcoma.

• Kidney failure

Refers to chronic irreversible failure of both kidneys to function, as a result of which regular haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or renal transplantation is initiated.

• Blindness

Refers to the total and irreversible oss of vision in both eyes. This loss of vision is evidenced by either of the following conditions:

1. The corrected visual acuity is 20/200 or less in both eyes.
2. The field of vision is less than 20 degrees in both eyes.

• Major organ transplant

Refers to the irreversible failure of a vital organ, including the heart, both lungs, liver, both kidneys, or bone marrow. The transplantation procedure must be deemed medically necessary. To qualify under major organ transplant, the person must undergo a transplantation procedure as the recipient of a heart, lung, liver, kidney, or bone marrow. The benefit is limited to these specific organs.

• Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease*

Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, refers to a progressive deterioration of memory and at least one of the following areas of cognitive function: aphasia (speech disorder), apraxia (difficulty performing familiar tasks), agnosia (difficulty recognizing objects), or disturbance in executive functioning (difficulty with abstract thinking, planning, initiating, sequencing, monitoring, and stopping complex behavior) that affects daily life.

To qualify, the person must exhibit dementia of at least moderate severity, as evidenced by a Mini Mental State Exam score of 20/30 or less, or an equivalent score on another generally accepted test of cognitive function. There must also be evidence of progressive deterioration in cognitive and daily functioning over a period of at least six months, either through serial cognitive tests or historical documentation.

• Parkinson's disease and specific atypical Parkinsonian disorders*

Refers to a permanent neurologic condition characterized by bradykinesia (slowness of movement) and at least one of muscular rigidity or rest tremor. The person must exhibit objective signs of progressive deterioration in function for at least one year, and their treating neurologist must have recommended dopaminergic medication or an equivalent treatment for Parkinson's Disease.

Specified Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders include progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and multiple system atrophy.

Medical information about the diagnosis and related signs, symptoms, or investigations must be reported to Canada Life within six months of the diagnosis. Failure to provide this information within the specified period may result in the denial of any claim related to Parkinson's Disease, Specified Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders, or any critical illness caused by these conditions or their treatment.

• Paralysis

Refers to total loss of muscle function of two or more limbs as a result of injury or disease to the nerve supply of those limbs, for a period of at least 90 days following the precipitating event

• Multiple sclerosis

Refers to a condition that can be confirmed by specific criteria:

1. Two or more separate clinical attacks, supported by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the nervous system, showing multiple lesions of demyelination.
2. Well-defined neurological abnormalities lasting more than six months, confirmed by MRI imaging of the nervous system, showing multiple lesions of demyelination.
3. A single attack, confirmed by repeated MRI imaging of the nervous system, which shows multiple lesions of demyelination that have developed at intervals of at least one month apart.

• Deafness

Refers to the total and irreversible loss of hearing in both ears, with an auditory threshold of 90 decibels or greater within the speech threshold of 500 to 3000 hertz.

• Loss of speech*

Refers to the complete and permanent loss of the ability to speak due to physical injury or disease for a period of at least 180 days.

• Coma*

Refers to a state of unconsciousness with no reaction to external stimuli or response to internal needs for a continuous period of at least 96 hours, and for which period the Glasgow coma score must be four or less.

• Severe burns

Refers to third degree burns over at least 20% of the body surface.

• Aortic surgery*

Refers to the surgical procedure of removing and replacing a diseased part of the aorta with a graft. The aorta refers to the main artery in the body, including the thoracic and abdominal sections, but not its branches. The surgery must be deemed medically necessary by a specialist.

The benefit is payable after a survival period of 30 days following the date of surgery.

• Benign brain tumour*

Refers to a non-malignant tumour located in the cranial vault, limited to the brain, meninges, cranial nerves, or pituitary gland. The tumour must require surgery or radiation treatment or cause irreversible objective neurological deficits.

• Heart valve replacement or repair*

Refers to the surgical procedure of replacing a heart valve with either a natural or mechanical valve or repairing defects or abnormalities in a heart valve. The surgery must be deemed medically necessary by a specialist.

The benefit is payable after a survival period of 30 days following the date of surgery.

• Loss of independent existence

Refers to the complete inability to perform at least two out of six activities of daily living for a continuous period of at least 90 days, with no reasonable chance of recovery.

The six activities of daily living are:

1. Bathing - the ability to wash oneself in a bathtub, shower, or by sponge bath, with or without the use of assistive devices.
2. Dressing - the ability to put on and remove necessary clothing, braces, artificial limbs, or other surgical appliances, with or without the use of assistive devices.
3. Toileting - the ability to get on and off the toilet and maintain personal hygiene, with or without the use of assistive devices.
4. Bladder and bowel continence - the ability to manage bowel and bladder function in a way that maintains a reasonable level of hygiene, with or without the use of protective undergarments or surgical appliances.
5. Transferring - the ability to move in and out of a bed, chair, or wheelchair, with or without the use of assistive devices.
6. Feeding - the ability to consume prepared food or drink, with or without the use of assistive devices.

• Loss of limbs

Refers to the complete severance of two or more limbs at or above the wrist or ankle joint as the result of an accident or medically required amputation.

• Motor neuron disease

Refers to one of the following: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), primary lateral sclerosis, progressive spinal muscular atrophy, progressive bulbar palsy, or pseudo bulbar palsy, and limited to these conditions

• Occupational HIV infection*

Refers to the infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that occurs as a result of accidental injury during the person's normal occupation, which exposed them to HIV-contaminated body fluids. The accidental injury leading to the infection must have occurred after the later of the person's effective date of insurance or the effective date of an increase in coverage.

To receive payment under this condition, the following requirements must be met:

1. The accidental injury must be reported to Canada Life within 14 days of the incident.
2. A serum HIV test must be taken within 14 days of the accidental injury, and the result must be negative.
3. A serum HIV test must be taken between 90 and 180 days after the accidental injury, and the result must be positive.
4. All HIV tests must be conducted by a licensed laboratory in Canada or the United States.
5. The accidental injury must be reported, investigated, and documented in accordance with current Canadian or United States workplace guidelines.

• Bacterial meningitis*

Refers to meningitis, confirmed by cerebrospinal fluid showing growth of pathogenic bacteria in culture, resulting in neurological deficit documented for at least 90 days from the date of diagnosis.

• Aplastic anemia

Refers to chronic persistent bone marrow failure, confirmed by biopsy, which results in anaemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia requiring blood product transfusion, and treatment with at least one of the following:

1. marrow stimulating agents;
2. immunosuppressive agents; or
3. bone marrow transplantation.

• Heart attack

No benefits will be paid if there are elevated biochemical cardiac markers after an intra-arterial cardiac procedure without the presence of new Q waves. Additionally, ECG changes suggesting a prior myocardial infarction that do not meet the definition of a heart attack as described above will not be eligible for benefits.

• Stroke

No benefits will be paid for transient ischaemic attacks or intracerebral vascular events caused by trauma. Lacunar infarcts that do not have the specified neurological symptoms and deficits persisting for more than 30 days do not meet the definition of a stroke.

• Coronary artery bypass surgery

No benefits will be paid under this condition for angioplasty, intra-arterial procedures, percutaneous trans-catheter procedures or non-surgical procedures

• Cancer (life threatening)

No benefits will be paid for lesions described as benign, pre-malignant, uncertain, borderline, non-invasive, carcinoma in-situ (Tis), tumours classified as Ta, any non-melanoma skin cancer, without lymph node or distant metastasis. Additionally, certain criteria must be met for specific types of cancer, such as melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), and malignant carcinoid tumors.

There is a cancer exclusion period. No benefits will be paid if, within the first 90 days following the late of the effective date of insurance or an increase, the person has signs, symptoms, investigations leading to a cancer diagnosis, or a diagnosis of cancer (covered or excluded under the policy). Medical information about the diagnosis and any related signs, symptoms, or investigations must be reported to Canada Life within six months of the diagnosis.

Failure to provide this information within the specified period may result in the denial of any claim related to cancer or any critical illness caused by cancer or its treatment.

• Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease

No benefits will be paid for affective or schizophrenic disorders, or delirium.

• Parkinson's disease and specific atypical Parkinsonian disorders

There is an exception to the benefit provision, as no benefits will be paid for any other type of parkinsonism.

There is also a Parkinson's Disease and Specified Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders exclusion period. No benefits will be paid if, within the first year following thelater of the effective date of insurance or an increase, the person has signs, symptoms, investigations leading to a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, Specified Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders, or any other type of parkinsonism, or receives a diagnosis of any of these conditions.

Medical information about the diagnosis and related signs, symptoms, or investigations must be reported to Canada Life within six months of the diagnosis. Failure to provide this information within the specified period may result in the denial of any claim related to Parkinson's Disease, Specified Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders, or any critical illness caused by these conditions or their treatment.

• Loss of speech

No benefits will be paid under this condition for all psychiatric related causes.

• Coma

No benefits will be paid for a medically induced coma.

• Aortic surgery

No benefits will be paid for angioplasty, intra-arterial procedures, percutaneous trans-catheter procedures, or non-surgical procedures.

• Benign brain tumour

No benefits will be paid for pituitary adenomas that are less than 10 mm in size.

There is also a benign brain tumour exclusion period. No benefits will be paid if, within the first 90 days following the later of the effective date of insurance or an increase, the person has signs, symptoms, or investigations leading to a diagnosis of a benign brain tumour (whether covered or excluded under the policy), or receives a diagnosis of a benign brain tumour.

Medical information about the diagnosis and related signs, symptoms, or investigations must be reported to Canada Life within six months of the diagnosis. Failure to provide this information within the specified period may result in the denial of any claim related to a benign brain tumour or any critical illness caused by a benign brain tumour or its treatment.

• Heart valve replacement or repair

No benefits will be paid for angioplasty, intra-arterial procedures, percutaneous trans-catheter procedures, or non-surgical procedures.

• Occupational HIV infection

No benefits will be paid if:

1. The person has chosen not to take any available licensed vaccine for HIV protection.
2. A licensed cure for HIV infection becomes available before the accidental injury.

It is important to note that non-accidental injuries, such as sexual transmission or intravenous (IV) drug use, do not meet the definition of Occupational HIV Infection.

• Bacterial meningitis

No benefits will be paid under this condition for viral meningitis