Views (December 01, 2003)

The Toronto Insurance Conference (TIC) hosted its annual “Black Tie Dinner” at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel recently. In attendance were company and vendor representatives, along with TIC member commercial brokers. Guest speaker for the event was Carla Collins, comedian and radio and television personality.

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Applied Systems Canada Inc. wrapped up its 15th anniversary celebration and national Technology Showcase Seminar at the IBAO convention. Pictured are vice president of sales, Jack Smith (left), and CEO Greg Purdy, welcoming guests to a demonstration of the company’s products which have been used by more than 10,000 clients. The event also marked the company’s announcement that it has teamed up with AIG Credit Corp. to provide integrated premium finance to Applied’s TAM brokerages. “We are excited to be working with a top notch financial service organization such as AIG Credit Corp.,” says Purdy. “We are always looking to establish new relationships that will enhance a seamless user experience and add value to the overall brokerage distribution system.”

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Compu-Quote Inc. celebrated its 20th anniversary in Toronto during the 83rd annual IBAO Convention recently. The underwriting and rating software firm was founded in 1983 by John Savage, Brian Schwab and Stephen Savage. Today, the company provides access to rates for more than 700 insurance company plans across the country.

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W.J. Sutton & Co. celebrated its 25th anniversary with a “family skate” at the Air Canada Centre, including autograph signing sessions with four Toronto Maple Leaf captains: Rick Vaive, Darryl Sittler, Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour; current Leafs coach Pat Quinn and “the voice of the Leafs” Joe Bowen. The Leafs were the first client of company founder Bill Sutton, back in 1978. Today, the company writes a wide range of special risk accident and health risks, and manages a reinsurance brokerage operation, Sutton Re.

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John Rislahti, risk manager with the Government of Manitoba, is this year’s winner of RIMS Canada’s highest honor, the Don Stuart Award. Rislahti (pictured with daughter Kate and wife Elizabeth) has been a long-time force in the Manitoba chapter and is co-chair of the Portage 2004 RIMS Canada Conference in Winnipeg. Also honored at the conference was Steve Pottle, risk analyst for York University (pictured with RIMS Canada education chair Maureen Graham), recipient of the Fred Bosson Award for highest standing by a CRM graduate. The ceremony wrapped up with new donations to the McGannon Foundation for Advanced Risk Management (pictured is foundation chair Joe Restoule with Marly Drainville of SARIMS and Richard Higgins of Agnew Higgins Pickering), which named Scott Holden its first scholarship winner.

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The “Change for Change” campaign launched this fall by WICC BC has raised almost $6,000 thus far for the Canadian Cancer Society. Highest contributors included ING, Elliott Insurance (Squamish), ICBC’s business analysis unit, Kernaghan Adjusters and Lindsay Kenney. WICC BC is asking everyone to start imagining ways to collect for the 2004 Change for Change campaign.