On The Scene (February 01, 2011)

MEA Forensic has appointed Xaine Bhatia as its business development specialist in Ontario.
Bhatia has more than 13 years of experience in business development, project management and communications. She has a Masters degree from the University of Toronto.
“This unique combination of education and experience equips Xaine with the insight needed to understand and fulfill the specialized needs of the legal and insurance communities,” an MEA release says. “Xaine will ensure you receive the highest level of service from our team.”

New Brunswick’s provincial government has appointed prominent Tory lawyer Michel C. Leger of Shediac, N.B. to chair a working group established to review the existing cap and definition covering soft tissue automobile injuries in New Brunswick.
Other members named to the working group are:
• Frances McConnachie, New Brunswick Consumers for Insurance Fairness;
• Bill Adams, Atlantic vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada;
• Macgregor Grant, Insurance Brokers Association of New Brunswick;
• Nathalie Chiasson, trial lawyer;
• Stephane Viola, lawyer and member of the Canadian Bar Association;
• Dr. Richard Dumais, a pain specialist from Moncton; and
• Kathy Warren, a physiotherapist from Fredericton.
New Brunswick’s consumer advocate for insurance, Ronald Godin, will also be asked to participate with the working group in his role as advocate.
Public hearings will be held and individuals and organizations will be able to submit written or electronic submissions to the working group.

CSN Collision & Glass has expanded its network by two more shops – one in Ontario and one in Alberta.
Ravenhorst Motors Ltd.-CSN is located in Brockville, Ont. and has operated for 55 years through three generations.
Rick van Ravenhorst said his decision to join the CSN network came out of a desire to be connected beyond the local region by “being part of a network of like-minded shops.”
Baseline Collision Repairs-CSN is located in Sherwood Park, Alta.
Bruce Gordon of Baseline said that shop joined the CSN network to “gain further knowledge and share ideas within the collision community across Canada.”

Algom Insurance Adjusters, who has been located in Elliot Lake since 1957, celebrated a few milestones on Dec. 10, 2010. Roger Lauzon has been working in the insurance industry for 40 years, 20 of those with Blair Boilard at Algom Insurance Adjusters. Lauzon, who also celebrated a significant birthday on Dec. 10, will continue to work part-time until his official retirement in the summer of 2012.
More than 125 family, friends and business associates helped celebrate these milestones at the Mount Dufour Ski Chalet in Elliot Lake.

Atlantic Car Choice Collision, a member of the CSN Collision & Glass Network, partnered with Herron GM and the United Way of Pictou County in Nova Scotia to provide a family in need with a car that would otherwise be written off.
Often vehicles that need only minor mechanical and bodywork to get them road ready are written off, the joint release says.
Atlantic Car Choice and Herron worked with the United Way to identify Tracy Coady, a single mother of two small children, as the recipient of the refurbished 2008 Pontiac G6.

McLarens Canada has acquired Mercer Myers & Associates Insurance Adjusters Ltd.
Mercer Myers will continue to operate under the same brand name, as a division of McLarens Canada. It’s a full-service adjusting firm, with expertise in bodily injury investigation and negotiation, accident benefit claims management, residential and commercial property, as well as general liability claims handling.
The Mercer Myers team consists of principals Paul Mercer and Craig Myers, both of whom will continue to co-manage the office, along with 17 adjusters and support staff.

The International Federation of Adjusting Associations (IFAA), of which the Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA) is an active member, held the second Regional Claims Conference at the AXA University Campus in Singapore on Nov. 9, 2010. The one-day symposium drew participants from around the world to discuss The Claim Life-Cycle.
IFAA president and conference organizer Paul May of Concordia Consultancy (right) stands with Fred Plant, CIAA’s sponsored delegate (left) and Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters president and conference presenter, Andrew Homewood.

The International Institute of Loss Adjusters (IILA) held its annual general meeting in Singapore on Nov. 8, 2010. Elected to the Institute executive for the 2010 – 2011 term were, left to right: Brent Demnar, immediate past president (Agri Business Consulting Group Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Australia); Tom Moss, secretary (Tenco Services, Inc., Nashville, Tenn.); Ted Wheeler, director at large (National Adjusters Partnership, Sydney, Australia); Fred Plant, first vice president and treasurer (Plant Hope Adjusters, Atlantic Canada); Hakan Ileri, second vice president (Ileri Sigorta Eksperligi Ltd, Izmir, Turkey); and Michael Hale, president 2010-2011 (Carter Insurance Claims Service, Inc., Tustin, Calif.). The 2011 AGM will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand in October 2011.

Every year Plant Hope Adjusters Ltd honours the Top CIP student in New Brunswick with the Brian E. Taylor Professional Award. Brian Taylor, a guiding light in the p&c claims business who passed away in 2004, was a man of high professional standards and integrity who very much believed in the value of continuing education. The award was named in Taylor’s honour in 2005. The 2010 recipient of this award was Trisha Cormier, CIP of the Economical Insurance Group in Moncton, N.B. Judi Guidry of Plant Hope Adjusters presents Cormier with her well-earned award at the Insurance Institute Convocation held in Saint John, N.B., on Nov. 5, 2010.

Members of the International Institute of Loss Adjusters (IILA) gathered in Singapore in November for the Institute’s Annual General Meeting and to attend a seminar on The Claim Life-Cycle hosted by the International Federation of Adjusting Associations (IFAA). Canadian litigation lawyer and umpire, Larry Gilbertson (second from right), chats with IILA Australian members, (l to r), Ted Wheeler, Brent Demnar and Leo Fluitsma during a seminar break.

Greg Thierman, branch manager of Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.’s Kelowna, B.C. branch, is a recipient of the CIP Society’s 2010 Established Leadership Award.
The award recognizes individuals who have shown exceptional leadership abilities and a strong commitment to upholding the CIP’s tenants of imparting knowledge and instilling professionalism within the insurance industry.
Thierman is one of only three recipients to be named this year.
“Greg has been a lifelong advocate of continuous learning and development, and the CIP Society has now officially recognized his success as a stud
ent, instructor and leader in the industry,” said Walter Waugh, vice president of operations for Western Canada.
“His work with charities and fundraising for worthy causes is exemplary.”