Topic Business Interruption
How Canada’s top court just bolstered pandemic BI exclusions
April 1, 2022 by David GambrillCanada’s top court has dismissed the appeal in a nuclear reactor case that trial lawyers might have used as a precedent to challenge the physical damage policy exclusions found in many pandemic-related business interruption insurance cases. As is customary, the…
Ratings agency suspends commercial activities in Russia
March 30, 2022 by Philip PoradoGetting ahead of a European Union-imposed Apr. 15 sanctions deadline, a major global credit ratings agency specializing in the insurance industry has suspended all commercial activities in Russia. AM Best said it’s also withdrawn all credit ratings on reinsurance companies…
How war in Ukraine may impact business loss claims
March 25, 2022 by Philip PoradoCanada’s insurers are in a bit of a holding pattern about how war in Ukraine may drive claims activity among businesses with ties to the region. Canadian Underwriter contacted numerous insurers and the consensus on any changes to claims and…
Calgary Flames sue insurers $125 million for pandemic-related losses
March 23, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoThe Calgary Flames have filed a $125-million lawsuit against its insurers to enforce the terms of an all risks insurance policy for “massive losses” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The named defendants in the statement of claim filed in…
Five factors driving M&A activity in 2022
March 15, 2022 by Philip PoradoCalendar 2021 marked the first full year of positive mergers and acquisitions (M&A) performance for the world’s deal makers since 2016, said research compiled for WTW’s Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor. The research, conducted in partnership with the M&A Research Center…
Where insurers are at with Canadian pandemic BI litigation
March 9, 2022 by David GambrillCanadian courts are dealing with pandemic business interruption (BI) cases at a glacial pace compared to those in the U.K. and the United States, prompting some legal observers to call for judicial reform. “As the pandemic extends into its third…
Insurers lose privilege bid after mill’s internal explosion investigation
February 11, 2022 by David GambrillSix insurance companies and a pulp and paper manufacturing company, Fortress Specialty Cellulose, have lost their bid to have a PowerPoint presentation about the cause of a commercial explosion protected under litigation privilege. In rejecting their argument, the Superior Court…
Could Ottawa police be sued for failing to arrest ‘freedom convoy’ protesters?
February 11, 2022 by The Canadian PressErika Chamberlain, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Law, Western University – THE CONVERSATION This 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…
Are businesses covered for damage caused by the Freedom Convoy?
February 7, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoMore than a week after the “freedom convoy” rolled into Ottawa, some in the P&C industry are discussing whether or not business interruption claims due to civil disobedience are insured risks. Ottawa’s downtown centre has been paralyzed with vehicles…
Court sides with insurer in multi-million-dollar spat over sublimits
January 21, 2022 by David GambrillB.C.’s Supreme Court has upheld an insurer’s insistence that a mining company’s business interruption losses were subject to a $10-millon sublimit and not to the full policy limit of $250 million. That said, the court did not agree with the…
Canada’s 3 top business risks
January 19, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoBusiness interruption, cyber incidents, and climate change have been dubbed the Top 3 risks facing Canadian businesses this year, according to a new report. Although these were Canada’s Top 3 risks, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS)’s Risk Barometer…
Ottawa loosens eligibility requirements on pandemic relief for businesses, workers
December 24, 2021 by Tara Deschamps - THE CANADIAN PRESSCanada’s federal government offered a lifeline to businesses struggling amid the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding eligibility for two benefit programs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several members of his cabinet announced Wednesday that, due to the…