Steve Passey, Manager, Insurance and Risk

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Barnwell, Alberta and attended high school in Taber. I began my working career in a property and casualty insurance brokerage in Taber and have since spent time in that industry in Lethbridge and Calgary. I primarily worked in insurance and commercial real estate development and management before joining ULethbridge. The risk management position here seemed to me to be a perfect blend of the two things I was most interested in — contract law and insurance/risk.

How long have you been at ULethbridge, and what do you do here?

I have been here since February 2025. My day-to-day is primarily to act as a liaison between ULethbridge and its insurers, and to review contracts, indemnities, claims, losses, loss control and risk mitigation strategies, as well as to act as a resource for the University in those regards.

What's the best part of your job?

We touch on every other department, faculty and institute at ULethbridge and are part of the broader post-secondary industry in Canada. The University has many exciting things going on all the time — research, events, construction projects —there’s no such thing as a rut. No two days are the same.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

If it were up to me, I’d expand the work week and get rid of some stat holidays, which are, as we all know, for the weak. Then we could all be here together all the time. Just kidding.

Although I have aged out of competing, I enjoy almost all sports, and I am a writer with three books published conventionally under my own name, with one more under a pen name. I have also begun recording a series of interviews with writers and musicians under the title “Just Sayin’” for CKXU and should have some episodes edited and ready for your listening enjoyment shortly. I am embracing all that the post-secondary community here at the University has to offer.