Topic
Legal
Quebec insurers simplify auto insurance policy language
January 16, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA), an industry group in Quebec, has announced a new plain language auto insurance policy to take effect March 1. In 2010, GAA and Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), the provincial regulator, began reviewing policies…
Ontario auto insurance rates dropped 4.66% on average since August, government says
January 15, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterAuto insurance rates in Ontario have dropped 4.66% on average since August 2013, Ontario’s Ministry of Finance said Wednesday. Its announcement came a day after a news report citing unnamed sources that said rates had decreased 4% since the Liberal…
Canadian non-profit fighting insurance crime selects U.K. firm to analyze pooled data
January 15, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterCanadian National Insurance Crime Services (CANATICS), a non-profit focused on fighting insurance crime, has closed a five-year deal with an analytics service based in the United Kingdom to use for pooled industry data. “We chose BAE Systems Detica as our…
Court orders government insurer to pay upkeep costs for auto accident victim’s lap pool
January 15, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan recently ruled against Saskatchewan Government Insurance in deciding that the carrier must pay some of the ongoing operating costs of a lap pool used by a vehicle accident victim for rehabilitation. Dennis Scott was…
Three Ontario rehabilitation clinics convicted in auto insurance fraud cases
January 14, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterThree Toronto-area rehabilitation clinics have been convicted of several offences, resulting in maximum fines of $100,000 per conviction, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said Tuesday. The convictions come after co-operative investigation efforts from IBC’s investigative services division, multiple insurers, police…
Supreme Court rejects appeal applications in dispute over homeowner policy vehicle exclusion
January 10, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Supreme Court of Canada ruled this week partly in favour of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company over a dispute as to whether a homeowner’s policy requires The Dominion to defend a couple and their son, who are…
Calgary police charge autobody shop worker with fraud
January 8, 2014 THE CANADIAN PRESSCALGARY – Police have laid fraud charges against an autobody shop worker. The auto theft unit in Calgary says it received complaints in late 2012 about a worker who offered to ship damaged vehicles to another country. The intent was…
FSCO puts out request for arbitration services
January 7, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Financial Services Commission of Ontario has issued a request for proposal for arbitration services, after continuing to face a backlog. FSCO had previously entered into an agreement with ADR Chambers to help eliminate its mediation backlog and assist with…
Few Katrina legal battles linger as federal judge wraps up litigation over broken levees
January 6, 2014 Michael Kunzelman, THE ASSOCIATED PRESSNEW ORLEANS – A team of plaintiffs’ attorneys has spent roughly $16 million to sue the Army Corps of Engineers over levee breaches that flooded most of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Joseph Bruno, one of those lawyers, estimates that…
Manitoba Public Insurance investigations led to $8 million in ‘fraud savings’ last year
January 3, 2014 by Canadian UnderwriterEfforts by Manitoba Public Insurance’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) resulted in $8 million of fraud savings for rate payers in he province in 2013, according to the organization. The special unit investigates roughly 3,000 claims per year, according to MPI.…
Texting, dialing cellphone while driving raises crash risk especially for teens, study finds
January 2, 2014 Marilynn Marchione, THE ASSOCIATED PRESSA sophisticated, real-world study confirms that dialing, texting or reaching for a cellphone while driving raises the risk of a crash or near-miss, especially for younger drivers. But the research also produced a surprise: Simply talking on the phone did…
External Considerations
January 1, 2014 Michael Teitelbaum, Partner, Hughes AmysOntario’s Divisional Court has determined the precise cause of damage arising from a fortuitous event is not required for recovery under an all-risks insurance policy. As such, the ruling proposes that a much lower threshold is required to establish coverage under these policies.