How COVID-19 is changing virtual medical assessments
March 16, 2020 by Adam MalikVirtual medical assessments could play a significant role in keeping the insurance industry moving along during the COVID-19 pandemic. But conducting such procedures will be changing as people are urged to stay home. “COVID-19 has brought this up to the…
What a ‘made-in-Alberta’ no-fault auto insurance regime would look like
March 13, 2020 by Adam MalikMoving to a no-fault system would help alleviate the pressures being put auto insurance costs in Alberta, and would be a unique model in the Canadian market, according to the head of the province’s brokers. “We feel this will kick…
How commercial lease terms affect gas bars’ pollution liability
March 12, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf a retail gas station has to remove underground tanks and contaminated soil, is the landlord or tenant responsible for the costs? Much of it depends on the terms of the lease and case law around commercial tenants’ trade fixtures,…
One business interruption risk from COVID-19 that your clients may overlook
March 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWill your business get interrupted because people working from home due to COVID-19 cannot log into their computer systems? “If you are asking staff to work from home, make sure that the technology systems to enable them to do that can…
Why this ski resort’s waiver argument doesn’t cut it with appeal court
March 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA British Columbia judge should not have used a North Vancouver ski resort’s warning notices to throw a personal injury lawsuit out of court, the province’s appeal court found in a ruling released March 4. In Apps v. Grouse Mountain…
Ingredients are there for N.B. flooding, but too early to forecast: officials
March 10, 2020 by Kevin Bissett - THE CANADIAN PRESSFREDERICTON – Public safety officials in New Brunswick say people living in flood-prone areas of the province should be prepared for rising waters, but it’s too early to say what this year’s flood season will bring. The province launched its…
How carriers are covering travel insurance in the age of coronavirus
March 9, 2020 by Jason ContantCarriers who offer travel insurance are taking different approaches to covering trip cancellations in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that claimed its first Canadian victim Monday. Typically, travellers with regular trip cancellation insurance with trips booked before the…
How not to handle a lawsuit alleging historical environmental contamination
March 9, 2020 by Greg MeckbachBrokers wanting to advise commercial clients on pollution liability risk might learn a lesson or two from London Transit Commission v. Eaton Industries (Canada) Company, released this past Friday by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. London, Ontario’s city bus…
Cause of 2018 Enbridge gas pipeline blast revealed
March 5, 2020 by Dan Healing - THE CANADIAN PRESSCALGARY – A delayed inspection and a failure to predict how fast cracks could develop from corrosion are cited in a report describing the cause of an explosion and fire in an Enbridge Inc. natural gas pipeline northeast of Prince…
Supreme Court Orphan Well ruling: the impact on brokers one year later
March 4, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you place pollution liability coverage, you could be hearing from banks and lenders concerned about oil and gas producers potentially going bankrupt. Inquiries about environment impairment liability are on the rise for at least one major Canadian brokerage following…
Snowed Under
March 3, 2020 by Naomi GrosmanCanada gets a lot of snow. So why is it so difficult to find snowplow insurance in this country?
Quebec broker offers his take on one major advantage of the province’s auto insurance model
March 3, 2020 by Jason ContantWhile Quebec’s auto insurance model offers low bodily injury compensation amounts, it also limits the amount of fraud in the system, a Quebec broker told Canadian Underwriter Monday. In Quebec, the government’s Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) pays…
