Canadian Underwriter
Feature

On The Scene (August 01, 2010)


July 31, 2010   by


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Derek Ballard joined Blouin, Dunn LLP as of Jun. 15, 2010. Ballard obtained his law degree at the University of Manitoba in 2002 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003. Since his call, he has practiced in many areas of insurance litigation, including personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, disability insurance and class action disputes.

Paul Hancock has joined Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. as national director of Global Technical Services (GTS) Canada.

Hancock has a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation with more than 25 years of experience in the claims industry.

“Paul’s dedication to quality, excellence and customer service, along with his extensive experience in both claims investigation and claims management, have earned him a strong reputation within the industry,” said Pat Van Bakel, senior vice president of claims operations.

The 10th Annual Toronto Fraud Forum, a one-day insurance fraud conference hosted by CASIU and ACFE, will be held Sept. 29, 2010. For registration and details visit www.casiu.ca or www.acfetoronto.ca; contact Penny Hill by phone 416-480-9475 or email at acfe.toronto@sympatico.ca.

If any unusual registration problems, contact Tom Eby at 416-423-1957 or ebyt@idirect.com.

The Nova Scotia Pond of the Honourable Order of Blue Goose held its annual Blue Goose Honker Classic Golf Tournament on Jun. 4, 2010 at the Chester Golf & Country Club. Gander Gene Poulsen of Economical Mutual Group presented a $5,000 to Mike Greek, president of the Nova Scotia Special Olympics.

The Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association attended the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta Convention 2010 in Edmonton May 16 to 19.

Paul Kovacs, executive director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, has been chosen as a lead author of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Specifically, Kovacs will serve as lead author of Chapter 26, North America, of the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). The appointment is the first step in a four-year drafting process, scheduled for completion in 2014. More than 1,200 people were nominated for the 311 available coordinating lead author, lead author and review editor positions. Candidates underwent a thorough review; input from observer organization representatives and senior leaders in climate science helped determine the final selections. Kovacs has been involved with the IPCC for a number of years, and served as a lead author of Chapter 14 of the Fourth Assessment Report, published in 2007. The work done by the IPCC also earned the group a Nobel Peace Prize — along with former U.S. vice president Al Gore — in 2007.

SPECS Limited, a provider of independent property damage valuations and cost control services, appointed John McAlister as Prairie regional manager. McAlister will execute SPECS’s business development strategies for the region, drive sales support and marketing activities, as well as build, maintain and strengthen client relationships. Prior to this new role, he served as the branch manager of SPECS’s Calgary branch.


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