Views (December 01, 2006)

ACE INA Insurance and ACE INA Life Insurance recently its annual cocktail reception in October at Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel in Toronto.

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The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Benfield Group and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss and Reduction (ICLR) welcomed Dr. Kristy Tiampo as the new industrial research chair in the Earthquake Hazard Assessment program, funded by all three organizations. The reception, held at The National Club in Toronto, acknowledged the appointment of Dr. Tiampo, who will lead the earthquake hazard research program for the next five years. Throughout this time, Tiampo will identify hot spots of elevated near-term risk in British Columbia and Qubec, anticipate the strength of Canada’s next earthquake and simulate potential damage scenarios. The research is meant to transform earthquake risk management and loss prevention. Benfield says the launch of this research program is a significant endeavor for the insurance industry, as it will anticipate and mitigate the losses from Canada’s next major earthquake.

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The CIP Society held its second annual Grape Expectations event at The Albany Club in Toronto in October. Dozens of CIP Society members and their guests participated in an evening of tasting. They sampled six wines and a selection of cheeses from around the world. Attendees experienced a range of tastes – from ‘assertive’ to ‘zesty’ – fulfilling all expectations.

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The 1st Huntington’s Benefit Golf Tournament was held in August at Deer Creek Golf Club in Ajax, Ontario. Several insurance industry representatives and sponsors participated in the event, raising $23,000 for the Huntington Society of Canada. Don Lamont, CEO and executive director of the Huntington Society, was on hand to receive a cheque from tournament organizer Jim Cameron of Cameron & Associates and tournament manager Kim Cameron. The 2nd annual tournament has been announced for Aug. 22, 2007 at Deer Creek.

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The CertifiedFirst Network of PPG Canada Inc. held its annual conference in October in Montreal, bringing together more than 150 delegates from across Canada. According to Norm Angrove, CertifiedFirst national manager and conference chair, “the CertifiedFirst Network is a progressive, customer-focused, performance-driven network of collision repair centres across Canada – with 161 locations in Canada and over 1,950 throughout North America.” The title of the conference was ‘Path to Performance Growth.’ In addition to attending round-table sessions and break-out groups, participants heard from speakers such as: Lee Smith, director, Refinish, PPG Canada Inc.; G.B. Outlaw, manager of business solutions, PPG Industries; Norm Angrove, national manager, CertifiedFirst Network; Keith Burns; manager, value added programs, PPG Canada Inc.; Greg Horn, vice president, industry relations, Mitchell International; Lyndon Rollit, president, Rollit Management Consulting Inc.; Karen Mongelli, manager, operations, ARI Financial Services Inc.; Ken Friesen, owner, Concours Collision; and Chris Mario, owner, Regina Autobody. Speakers discussed a variety of collision repair process- and performance-related topics including: leading change; measuring performance; collision industry trends; succession planning and lean processes.

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The CertifiedFirst Advisory Council, comprised of nine CertifiedFirst members (representing all regions of the country), gave conference delegates input and guidance for the growth of the network.

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ING Canada welcomed guests to their new head office in Toronto, located at 700 University Avenue, in the heart of Canada’s insurance district. Their inaugural ceremony featured Toronto Mayor David Miller and Wayne Arthurs, MPP and parliamentary assistant to the Ontario Minister of Finance. Outgrowing their previous offices, ING relocated all their staff to a single downtown location. ING says the move signals their support and commitment to the economic and social development of the City of Toronto. The new office is considered a landmark building for its striking design, unique architecture and picturesque setting across from Queen’s Park, according to ING. In addition, ING says 700 University Avenue was an ideal choice due to its size, environmentally- friendly features and easy access to public transit. ING Canada, which at one point was previously spread out amongst seven different buildings in the GTA, now occupies six floors and approximately 400,000 sq. ft. in what was formally known as the Ontario Hydro Building. “We are extremely excited to finally be united under one roof,” Claude Dussault, president and CEO of ING Canada Inc., says “We are thoroughly convinced that by consolidating our 1,700 employees in one location, we have not only made it easier for them to work together and build on each other’s successes but also created a dynamic work environment that will add value to our company, our relationship with our brokers, customers and shareholders in the years to come.” More than 500 enthusiastic ING Canada employees attended the celebration, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The day featured a special twist: Canadian marathoners Tania Jones and Tim Shannon, along with a couple of young athletes from the Etobicoke Huskies Track and Field Club,ran though a ceremonial ribbon held jointly by Miller, Arthurs and Dussault. ING also took the opportunity to reaffirm their support for the 2006 United Way Campaign, and their commitment to the development of Canada’s youth through the ING Foundation.

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Swiss Reinsurance Company Canada held a seminar in October at the Toronto Board of Trade Downtown Centre entitled ‘Natural Catastrophes: Managing a Changing Landscape.’ The event featured Swiss Re Nat Cat perils expert Andrew Castaldi and cat perils earthquake specialist Mariagiovanna Guatteri.

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The Peterborough Centennial Museum & Archives (PCMA), in collaboration with Rosco Document Restoration, unveiled the restored Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images at a reception in October. Following two years of restoration work, Rosco Document Restoration handed over 10,500 negatives of the Roy Collection, which had been damaged during the severe flooding that happened in Peterborough in July 2004. The Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images is a nationally significant photographic collection of 300,000 glass plate and film negatives. Three generations of the Roy family of photographers documented life in the Peterborough area from 1896 to 1992. In 2000, the collection was purchased and donated to the City of Peterborough by Jim Balsillie, chairman, co-CEO and co-founder of Research-in-Motion (RIM). The Roy Studio collection is under the stewardship of the archival department of the PCMA and has been kept in the PCMA’s off-site storage vault, located at the Peterborough Public Library, since 2000. This is intended to be a temporary location until the Museum can secure a more permanent solution. The floodwaters of July 14-15, 2004, crested at 30.5 cm (12 inches) from the floor of the library basement. Approximately 10 % of the collection lay under water for 24 hours. An estimated 30,000 negatives, plus related photographic documents were affected.

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The ARC Group Canada Inc. held its Launch Event at the Ontario Club in October, including an insurance industry luncheon, seminars and a cocktail reception to celebrate the launch of the group. The ARC Group is a network of independent law firms across Canada that focuses on insurance law and risk management. A complete listing of member firms can be found at www.thearcgroup.ca.

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It could have been Niagara Falls (one of the the world’s eight natural wonders), the two casinos or the world’s largest indoor waterslide that drew the record crowds to the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) 86th Annual Convention, held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Oct. 17-20. It also could have been the appearance and address of th
e keynote speaker, The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, that put attendance records ‘over the top.’ In addition to making his remarks to the IBAO delegates and attendees, Harper found the time to meet with IBAO and Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) executive, board members and staff for a few key photo opportunities.