Topic Catastrophes
Dry conditions in Nova Scotia fuelling three large wildfires
May 27, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – Provincial officials in Nova Scotia are warning about the potential for forest fires in dry, humid conditions as firefighters battle three significant wildfires across the province. The fires burning Tuesday follow a weekend blaze near Porters Lake east…
Pandemic insurance fraud: What to watch for…
May 25, 2020 by Greg MeckbachInflated auto towing and storage claims and arson are among the risks the industry faces from the economic downturn and social distancing arising from the pandemic, a fraud and data analytics expert warns. “A legitimate accident may happen and [a…
Residents evacuated for forest fire near Halifax allowed to return home
May 25, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSPORTERS LAKE, N.S. – Residents of more than 500 homes that were threatened by a forest fire in an area east of Halifax are being allowed to return now that officials have lifted an evacuation order. Halifax Fire tweeted late…
Q&A: Business Continuity in the Digital Age
May 22, 2020 by David GambrillThere has been a significant amount of discussion, both within and outside of P&C industry, about whether a commercial insurance policy offers pandemic coverage for business interruption losses. Generally speaking, commercial liability policies exclude business interruption coverage for pandemic. However,…
Meteorologists predict active hurricane season, Canadians told to prepare
May 22, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – Canadian meteorologists are predicting another active hurricane season, saying conditions are right for a long list of tropical storms. The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax issued its seasonal forecast today, following up on a similar prediction offered Thursday…
COVID 19 pandemic adds risk to wildfire season: B.C. forests minister
May 21, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSNEW HAZELTON, B.C. – The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the danger of British Columbia’s wildfire season and the province’s forests minister says public help is crucial to reduce fires. Doug Donaldson says wildfires caused by humans are preventable and divert…
Where the federal government sits with its national flood insurance review
May 20, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSix years after the federal government promised to explore options for a national approach to home flood insurance, the feds are still thinking about it. About 13,000 were recently evacuated from Fort McMurray, Alta., because of flooding on the Athabasca…
Study: World carbon pollution falls 17% during pandemic peak
May 19, 2020 by Seth Borenstein - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSKENSINGTON, Md. – The world cut its daily carbon dioxide emissions by 17% at the peak of the pandemic shutdown last month, a new study found. But with life and heat-trapping gas levels inching back toward normal, the brief pollution…
Opinion: COVID is nasty and impactful, but it’s not a Black Swan
May 19, 2020 by Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss ReductionSince the “black swan” metaphor was coined in the 2007 book of the same name, it has become fashionable to label virtually all low probability/high impact events black swans. But the danger of making an occurrence like the COVID-19 outbreak…
Fort McMurray homeowners clean up as insurance questions linger after flooding
May 11, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSFORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – Cora Dion’s voice echoes as she films a video showing what’s left in the basement of her home in downtown Fort McMurray after several days of flood cleanup. The couch and chair are in the garbage.…
How B.C. is gradually reopening its economy
May 8, 2020 by Dirk Meissner -THE CANADIAN PRESSVICTORIA – British Columbia has reached the point in the COVID-19 pandemic where it will start a gradual reopening of the economy while also allowing social interactions between families, friends and communities to increase. The plan to restart the province…
Opinion: Climate change isn’t pausing for the pandemic
May 7, 2020 by Dr. Janis Sarra, Professor of Law, University of British ColumbiaAs the insurance sector adjusts to respond to challenges related to the novel coronavirus, flood season in Canada is beginning. Today, residents in Fort McMurray, Alta., are returning to clean up their flooded homes and businesses on the anniversary of…