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Markets / Coverages

B.C. and federal governments assessing impact of wildfires on province’s agriculture sector

The governments of British Columbia and Canada have announced that they are working under the federal-provincial AgriRecovery disaster framework to determine the type of assistance that may be required by the province’s agriculture sector to recover from the impact of wildfires. The announcement was made on Wednesday following the first meeting between Lawrence MacAulay, the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and B.C. Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham.

Government officials are working together to quickly assess the “extraordinary costs” farmers are incurring and what additional assistance may be required to recover and return to production following the wildfires, noted a joint statement from B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Many polled Canadians aren’t researching options before buying financial products: LowestRates.ca survey

While Canadians may head online to compare prices on flights or when booking a hotel, most aren’t researching their options before buying financial products, according to a new survey from comparison site LowestRates.ca. The online survey, conducted last month by…

Canadian farmers turn to specialized forecasting in face of rising extreme weather threat

CALGARY – In an industry that lives and dies by the weather, farmers like Dwight Foster are looking for all the help they can get to know what’s coming. “We use every tool in the toolbox we can get our…

Smoke from fires in northwestern Ontario prompts evacuation of First Nation members

Smoke from a growing number of forest fires in northwestern Ontario has prompted the evacuation of community members from a First Nation in the region. Ontario’s Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services says members of the Nibinamik First Nation…

More vehicle crashes, increased injury payouts and higher vehicle repair costs contributing to proposed rate hike: ICBC

A greater number of vehicle crashes, increased injury costs and higher vehicle repair costs are all contributing to the increase in proposed insurance rates for drivers in British Columbia, the province’s Crown corporation responsible for auto insurance said on Monday.…

Cat Claws

Can a single catastrophic event turn the reinsurance market? With the influx of capital, excess capacity and competition for business  high – perhaps as high as it has ever been – is the notion that an event can right the…

Backcountry closures due to wildfires put further economic damper on B.C. region

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. – Businesses in British Columbia’s wildfire-ravaged Cariboo region are bracing for more economic hardship after the closure of much of the backcountry during peak tourism season. Executive director Claudia Blair of the Williams Lake Visitor Centre says…

Alberta government addressing flood resilience in Calgary

The province of Alberta reported on Friday that it has begun implementing advice from a report that identifies ways to improve flood resilience in Calgary and better water management throughout the Bow River basin. The Advice to Government on Water…

TSB urges fishing industry to recognize ‘interdependency among safety issues’

The frequency of fatal accidents involving Canadian fishing vessels is too high and crew members will continue to be at risk until “the complex relationship and interdependency among safety issues is recognized and addressed,” the Transportation Safety Board of Canada…

CatIQ enters into agreement with Impact Forecasting to use cat event flood response footprints for Canada

Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) announced that they have entered into an agreement whereby Impact Forecasting’s cat event response flood footprints for Canada will be made available as a layer on CatIQ’s CatHUB module. “Aon Impact Forecasting’s Canadian…

Uber launches fleet of mapping vehicles in Vancouver ahead of fall rollout

VANCOUVER – A popular ride-hailing company wants to get the lay of the land as it gears up to hit the streets of Metro Vancouver by the end of the year. Uber Canada is launching an urban mapping program this…

NOAA upwardly revises forecast for 2017 Atlantic hurricane season

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States is now forecasting 14-19 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and two to five major (Category 3+) hurricanes between June and November for the Atlantic Basin. The agency’s August…