Topic Alberta
Extreme precipitation events have always occurred, but are they changing?
September 8, 2020 by Francis Zwiers, Director, Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria and Ronald Stewart, Professor, Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba - THE CANADIAN PRESSThis article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Extreme weather and climate events causing extensive damage are a…
Oilsands tailings ponds leaking; federal enforcement unclear: report
September 4, 2020 by Bob Weber - THE CANADIAN PRESSAn international environmental watchdog says there’s convincing evidence that oilsands tailings ponds are leaking. “There is strong scientifically valid evidence of … seepage into near-field groundwater around tailings ponds,” says a report from the Commission on Environmental Co-operation, a body…
Brokerage M&A activity surges amid pandemic
September 3, 2020 by Jason ContantBrokerage consolidation has exploded, with at least six acquisitions announced across Canada in the past week. Most recently, large brokerage Westland Insurance Group announced Wednesday the closing of four deals, adding new retail offices in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba.…
Behind the scenes of Hub’s latest Canadian acquisition
September 2, 2020 by Jason ContantHub announced the acquisition of Grande Prairie, Alta.-based Elevate Insurance Brokers Wednesday. Elevate is a locally-owned, independent full-service brokerage that provides home, auto, recreational vehicle and business insurance. Elevate Insurance president Pierce Krol and partner Otilja Majewski will join Hub…
Adjusting Calgary’s hailstorm: The rationale for bringing in U.S. Cat adjusters
August 28, 2020 by Greg MeckbachDuring the hail storm this past June that damaged tens of thousands of Alberta homes, adjusting firm CRU Group struggled to find enough qualified independent catastrophe adjusters in Canada, and wound up resorting to bringing in people from the United…
What is the future of ridesharing insurance in Canada?
August 27, 2020 by Jason ContantOnce autonomous vehicle technology becomes commercially feasible for public transportation, it will be widely adopted, predicts Obaid Rahman, vice president of commercial underwriting and specialty lines at Economical Insurance. “In my view, when autonomous technology is commercially viable for public…
Class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of passengers in fatal Alberta bus crash
August 25, 2020 by Bill Graveland -THE CANADIAN PRESSCALGARY – A class-action lawsuit alleging the defendants acted recklessly and unreasonably has been filed against the operators of a tour bus involved in a fatal rollover at Jasper National Park’s Columbia Icefield. Three people were killed and 14 others…
How possible is a hybrid insurance model for the sharing economy?
August 24, 2020 by Jason ContantBeing able to distinguish between personal and commercial usage is one of the biggest unique differences with underwriting for the sharing economy, but the abundance of data available makes a hybrid insurance model possible, Economical Insurance said recently. “You can…
Economical to take over commercial ridesharing insurance coverage from Intact
August 21, 2020 by Jason ContantEconomical Insurance will replace Intact Insurance as the commercial auto insurer for Uber in four Canadian provinces effective Sept. 1. Waterloo, Ont.-based Economical announced Tuesday in a press release the “new and significant relationship with Uber in Canada, designed to…
Cleaning Up
August 12, 2020 by Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorTens of thousands of claims, for a grand total of $1.2 billion in insured damaged, have been filed from the June 13 hail storm that hit the Calgary area
Why this BrokerLink exec thinks COVID could accelerate brokerage M&A
August 12, 2020 by David GambrillBefore the pandemic, hard market conditions and the increasing digitization of brokerages were already reasons for some broker principals to ponder selling the business and moving on, but the novel coronavirus may have further accelerated the pace of M&A, says…
The impact of Calgary’s hailstorm on North American H1 storm losses
August 11, 2020 by Jason ContantCanada’s costliest-ever hailstorm contributed to the largest insured losses in North America since the first half of 2011, according to preliminary natural catastrophe estimates from Swiss Re. The hailstorm that struck Calgary in June cost the industry $1.2 billion based…