Moves (December 01, 2007)

Gore Mutual Insurance Company hosted a reception on Oct. 26 to celebrate the efforts of local charities. The Gore Mutual Foundation proudly donated more than Cdn$100,000 to the following charities: United Way of Cambridge & North Dumfries, KidsAbility Foundation, Cambridge Shelter Corporation, Cambridge and District Humane Society, Bereaved Families of Ontario (Midwestern Region), Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Grand River Conservation Authority, HopeSpring Cancer Support Center, House of Friendship, Lisaard House, St. John Ambulance, and Salvation Army (Cambridge). “Gore Mutual recognizes the important role these organizations play in our community,” said Bill Hetherington, chairman of the Gore Mutual Foundation and Gore Mutual’s board of directors. “Not only are we here to celebrate and recognize these charities, but also to support them in their efforts to provide worthwhile services to our community.” The Foundation grants funds to social services, education, health, cultural and environmental activities. The Gore Mutual Foundation in 2007 will support more than 100 charitable organizations across Canada. n

AXA Assistance Canada has launched a roadside assistance program, Vengo, that allows consumers to choose from a variety of roadside assistance options. The new program allows customers experiencing roadside difficulties to obtain round-the-clock towing services, battery boost, gas delivery, vehicle unlock, flat tire change and pull-out winch. Also, the program allows the customer to choose from a number of annual roadside services, including allocated towing distance (ranging from closest garage to 250 km); geographical coverage (including provincial, country-wide and continental); and coverage for only the vehicle (no matter who is driving) or the person (no matter what vehicle is being driven). According to Vengo project manager Sylvain Gaullier, “this product is the first roadside assistance program that adapts to any customer, allowing them to choose and pay for only the services they need.”

Sandra DiLecce will assume the role of national marketing manager for Canadian Farm Insurance (CFI) Services Inc. DiLecce, who has 22 years of industry experience, will lead the marketing of the wholesale division of the CFI group of companies across Canada, a release says. CFI is based in Alberta, but DiLecce will be based out of Vaughan, ON. CFI Underwriting Managers, Lloyd’s Cover-Holders, also represents the agriculture division of Lombard General Insurance Company of Canada. CFI Group is also represented in Ontario by Alan Bland, who is based in Toronto and is responsible for expanding brand awareness of the company. n

The Co-Operators Group Ltd. announced it is reducing the emissions of its fleet of 400 vehicles and improving its overall fuel efficiency by 20%. The PHH GreenFleet program was developed by PHH Arval and Environmental Defense, a release from The Co-Operators says. None of the organizations belonging to The Co-Operators’ group of companies will order any new trucks, vans or eight-cylinder vehicles — and every driver in its fleet program will have the option of selecting a hybrid vehicle, the company statement says. “As an organization that insures more than a million vehicles in Canada, we felt it was important that we assess our own fleet and do what we can to minimize the impact our vehicles have on the environment,” said The Co-Operators president and CEO Kathy Bardswick. n

Crawford & Company has changed the name of its training and continuing education unit to Crawford Educational Services. It will continue to provide a full complement of general and specialized training in all areas of claims and risk management, according to a release. “Crawford Educational Services more accurately reflects what we offer to the market, which is a full range of training and educational services for the loss-adjustment industry,” Bill Beach, senior vice president of training and development for Crawford, said in a release. The name change comes as a part of a major expansion of services, including the recent acquisition of ClaimStar, rebranded as Crawford Online.

In a recent Canadianunderwriter.ca poll, we asked readers: Do you feel Canadian catastrophe modelling has improved since 2005? Only 45.33% of respondents felt that models have improved over the past two years, while 54.67% say they have not seen an improvement.

Echelon General Insurance Company has renovated its place in cyberspace and launched a newly redesigned Web site. Key features of the new site include easy navigation tools, information about the company’s latest personal lines offerings (for example, new product offerings in Alberta and Ontario include collector vehicle insurance and recreational vehicle insurance) and a new resource centre (including media releases and FAQs). Site users can also participate in an e-survey forum, allowing customers and producers to offer opinions to Echelon on various topics throughout the year. The site is at: www.echelon-insurance.ca

Canada’s first Safer Living Home, constructed on West Point, P.E.I. in November 2006, withstood a direct hit from tropical storm Noel. According to homeowners, the wind was so intense — with gusts of 120 km-h to 140 km-h — they couldn’t hear each other talk when they were upstairs. Nevertheless, they reported to the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) that the storm caused no damage to the home. Designed and constructed to withstand winds of 200 km-h, the house is the first to be completed under ICLR’s “Designed… for Safer Living” program. The Co-Operators Group Ltd. funded the construction.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) is supplying 4,000 magenta blankets — featuring the Broker Identification Program (BIP) logo — to patrols across Canada, part of a new partnership with the Canadian Ski Patrol System (CSPS). “We are truly thrilled to be partnering with insurance brokers from across Canada,” said Maggi McLeod, vice-president of fund development at the CSPS. “It is a very unique and yet perfect fit for us. The CSPS focuses especially on safety and accident prevention. The blankets being provided to all the resorts patrolled by the CSPS through this partnership will go a very long way towards ensuring the comfort and warmth of the injured snow sport enthusiasts we treat at our local areas.” IBAC CEO Dan Danyluk concurred. “It is indeed a perfect fit,” he said. “Insurance brokers are professionals who make sure that their clients are well-protected in the case of a claim. An accident, be it on the road or on a ski hill, is something nobody plans for; however, knowing that in such an event someone is there to assist you or to take care of you makes us all feel more reassured.”