Views (February 01, 2005)

Law firm Miller Thomson LLP has expanded its presence into Quebec, merging with Pouliot Mercure. The Montreal-based firm has 56 lawyers, bringing Miller Thomson’s total professional staff to more than 500. The Quebec office will operate under the name Miller Thomson Pouliot.

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Hub International has continued its re-branding campaign in early 2005, announcing that Martin Assurance & Gestion de Risques will become Hub International Quebec Ltd. At the same time, Talbot Agency of Illinois and Hub International of Illinois will merge to become Hub International Illinois. Bill Zanoni becomes president and CEO of Hub International Illinois, while Andre Soucisse is president and CEO of Hub International Quebec.

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The CIP Society – Toronto Chapter honored its newest Fellows (FCIP) with a reception at Toronto’s Albany Club. The event also included presentation of 2004’s “GTA Fellow of Distinction Award” to Facility Association CEO David Simpson. Throughout his career in insurance, Simpson has held a variety of roles, starting at State Farm. He has also served as president of the Insurance Institute of Ontario for two terms, and along with his FCIP designation also holds an MBA from York University. In accepting the honor, Simpson thanked his wife Denise and two daughters, Emma and Samantha. He also spoke of the “evolution” of the CIP designation, saying, “we are building a brand for ourselves as professionals…take the opportunity to build that brand whenever you can.”

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Accident Support Services International Ltd (ASSI) is marking the 10th anniversary of their Collision Reporting Centres. The occasion is a doubly happy one because the company is also celebrating the renewal of their operational contract with the Toronto Police Service as of February 1. Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino says the program, which allows minor accidents to be handled through CRCs rather than wasting police resources, has put “an additional 50 officers back on the street”.

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Trucking insurer Markel Insurance Co. of Canada has devised a new product to hedge against volatile fuel prices. “FUELogic” allows long-haul truckers to lock in the “maximum” price they choose to pay for fuel from a number of options, to be reimbursed by the insurer if fuel prices rise in excess of that maximum. “The recent high volatility in diesel prices poses cash flow challenges for carriers of any size. In fact, large increases in fuel prices has been a primary cause for recent consolidation and bankruptcies among Canadian owner/operators and small fleets,” says Mark Ram, president and CEO of Markel.