Topic
Climate Change
Wildfires: Where there’s smoke, there’s damage
July 18, 2023 by David GambrillAs smoke from almost 900 of Canada’s wildfires descends upon the United States, resurrecting media reports about air quality, Canadian property and casualty insurers have an eye on a different type of exposure — property damage claims due to wildfire…
Montreal-Barrhaven storm declared a Cat
July 18, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoThe storm that hit Montreal on Thursday, downing trees and power lines and causing localized flooding, has been declared a catastrophe, Laura Twidle, president and CEO of Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) told Canadian Underwriter. A ‘catastrophe’ is an…
How much Intact paid in second quarter Cat losses
July 13, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoIntact Financial Corporation saw an estimated $335 million in catastrophe losses in Canada for the second quarter of 2023, the insurer revealed in a release. Comparatively, the company handled over a million claims and paid out over $10 billion globally in…
OSFI calls for detailed reporting of insurers’ climate risks
July 12, 2023 by David GambrillCanada’s solvency regulator has published its draft Climate Risk Returns for federally regulated P&C insurance companies, proposing in detail how insurers should be calculating any real and potential climate risks on their books. The forms were created in partnership between…
Will powerful Alberta tornado be declared a Cat?
July 7, 2023 by Jason ContantA powerful Canada Day tornado that swept through a section of rural Alberta likely won’t result in much insured damage despite strong winds that reached an estimated 275 km/h. The EF4 tornado tore through an area south of Didsbury, Alta.…
Record-breaking wildfire season will continue to burn hot for months: officials
July 6, 2023 The Canadian PressOTTAWA – Natural Resources Canada says the country’s record-breaking wildfire season will continue to be abnormally intense throughout July and into August. The projections are based on anticipated high temperatures, dry conditions and historical comparisons. The risk is expected to…
What the Nova Scotia wildfire cost the P&C industry
July 5, 2023 by David GambrillNova Scotia’s Tantallon wildfire is estimated to have caused more than $165 million in insured damage, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). Nearly 90% of all claims related to the Nova Scotia wildfire were personal…
B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report
June 30, 2023 Dirk Meissner - THE CANADIAN PRESSVICTORIA – British Columbia’s independent forests watchdog is calling for the provincial government to make critical changes to how it manages forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The report, released Thursday by the B.C. Forest Practices Board, says…
Which peril might bankrupt the Canadian P&C industry?
June 28, 2023 Canadian Underwriter StaffOttawa’s effort to build policy around flood risk in the face of climate change is important, but it overlooks a peril that could be far more catastrophic for Canadian P&C insurers, Alister Campbell, president and CEO of Property and Casualty…
Despite easing inflation, P&C insurers face challenges
June 27, 2023 Philip PoradoCanada’s May inflation rate slipped to an annualized 3.4%, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. That’s the lowest rate in two years and solidly below the 4.4% annual rate posted in April. It’s also in line with the Bank of Canada’s efforts…
How trade agreements could change claims adjusting in Canada
June 20, 2023 Alyssa Di SabatinoWhen a NatCat occurs in Canada, it’s common for U.S. adjusters to be on the scene — sometimes before Canadian adjusters, who are bound by provincial licensing restrictions. And while processes for getting either country’s adjusters on the scene are…
Top court rejects Travelers appeal in dirt bike accident benefits case
June 15, 2023 by David GambrillIt’s the end of the line for Travelers’ appeal of an accident benefits case involving a dirt bike driven in a closed course competition. The Supreme Court of Canada rejected the insurer’s leave to appeal Thursday. This means a dirt…