Canadian Underwriter

Keyword
fire

2014 fire at seniors' residence in L'Isle-Verte, Que.
News ClaimsClaims CanadaClimate ChangeInsuranceLegislation / Regulation

Decade after fatal fire, some Quebec seniors’ residences unable to install sprinklers

January 22, 2024 Pierre Saint-Arnaud – The Canadian Press

MONTREAL – Ten years after 32 people died in a fire that ripped through a residential complex for seniors in rural Quebec, around a quarter of all private seniors’ residences in the province are still struggling to comply with a

Close up of an industrial bricklayer installing bricks to build back on a construction site
News BrokersCatastrophesClaimsInsurance

Should insurers help customers build back better…or not at all?

January 4, 2024 Philip Porado

Increased severity and frequency of NatCats has Canada’s P&C insurance ecosystem seeking ways to add resilience to the claims process. This includes build back better initiatives to encourage adding things like hurricane straps or hail-resistant shingling to roof rebuilds to

Fire, flood, hurricane
News BrokersCatastrophesClaimsInsurance

Can Canada’s P&C industry catch up to NatCats?

December 14, 2023 Philip Porado

In much of Nova Scotia, last summer was hell. The Tantallon wildfire in May and June generated $165 million in insured damage, mostly for personal property, by the time the flames went out July 4. In a normal year, residents

Farm in rural Ontario
News Commercial LinesConstructionEngineeringInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Will building code changes affect farm fire severity?

November 2, 2023 by Jason Contant

With changes from the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) in the process of becoming law in Ontario next spring, farm insurance experts are raising concerns that the maximum barn size restriction will be removed and Ontario’s Fire Code (OFC)

Fire at a metal recycling yard in Saint John, N.B.
News ClaimsClaims CanadaCommercial LinesInsurance

New Brunswick premier vows comprehensive review after massive Port Saint John fire

September 19, 2023 The Canadian Press

SAINT JOHN, N.B. – A joint task force investigation into last week’s major fire at a scrapyard in Saint John, N.B., will consider whether the recycling plant should continue operating at the city’s port, says Premier Blaine Higgs. Higgs made

Agriculture and technology concept
News ClaimsClaims CanadaCommercial LinesInsuranceMarkets / CoveragesRiskTechnology

What will help reduce farm fire severity?

August 15, 2023 by Jason Contant

The severity of fire losses in the agricultural sector is increasing as Canadian farms get bigger in size and value, but technologies are available to help reduce the frequency of that severity, a farm insurance expert told Canadian Underwriter. In

Smoke rises from a massive fire at an industrial site in Toronto
News ClaimsClaims CanadaCommercial LinesInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Health concerns raised after massive fire at Toronto industrial site

August 11, 2023 The Canadian Press

Toronto firefighters were battling to control a major blaze at an industrial site where chemicals are stored in the city’s west-end, as area residents were ordered to stay indoors with their windows shut amid concerns about hazardous smoke. Firefighters are

Smoke and fire from a barn explosion
News ClaimsClaims CanadaCommercial LinesInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

How is farm fire severity trending?

August 9, 2023 by Jason Contant

As Canadian farms increase in size, so too does the severity of fire losses in the agricultural sector, a farm insurance expert told Canadian Underwriter. In general, the number of farms in Canada is dropping, but they’re getting much larger.

Fighting a bad fire
News ClaimsClaims CanadaCommercial LinesInsuranceRestoration

Fierce blaze damages several businesses, forces evacuation in B.C. city

July 4, 2023 The Canadian Press

VERNON, B.C. – A restaurant, boutique, salon and costume shop are among the businesses believed to have been destroyed in an early morning fire in downtown Vernon, B.C. Flames broke out in the commercial building at about 2:30 a.m., blanketing

Five-alarm blaze at former monastery in Quebec
News ClaimsClaims CanadaInsuranceRestoration

‘Immense sorrow:’ Major fire at Montreal heritage building that once housed monastery

May 26, 2023 Sidhartha Banerjee - THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL – A major fire at a Montreal heritage building was still not under control Friday and authorities were not able to provide a firm timeline of how long it would take to extinguish the blaze. The fire broke out

Vacant retail space at an abandoned shopping mall must still be insured
News BrokersCommercial LinesConstructionInsuranceRisk

Vacant retail and office space: How to advise clients on this post-pandemic trend

May 12, 2023 Philip Porado

With office vacancy rates rising in many Canadian cities, brokers need to coach building owners on the need to manage their insurance obligations. A 2023 Q1 report from commercial real estate firm Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) Canada notes, “The

Bridge over the Fraser River in Prince George, B.C.
News ClaimsClimate ChangeInsuranceMarkets / CoveragesRisk

Hot spell hikes risks of flooding, avalanches and fire across British Columbia

April 27, 2023 The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER – As British Columbia heads into its first warm spell of the year, forecasters are warning the heat could raise avalanche and flood risks, while the danger of wildfires has already nudged up to a “moderate” rating in some