Topic Claims Canada Archive
How Canadian courts could be influenced by U.K. business interruption test case
September 23, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA recent British court ruling could be good news for Canadian clients who bought insurance covering business interruption from an occurrence of a notifiable disease within a specified distance of their premises, and who had to close due to the…
What happens in Alberta when auto insurers are not comfortable with their profitability
September 23, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe Alberta auto insurance industry is still suffering “hangover” from a 5% cap on rate increases that was abolished more than a year ago, with many insurers not looking for new business, suggests the co-founder of LowestRates.ca. Data released Tuesday…
Why restructuring firms are looking at their clients’ business interruption insurance
September 22, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSome clients who are in financial trouble because they had to close during the early days of the pandemic are having their business interruption insurance policies reviewed by consulting firms. With COVID-19, many businesses have reached out to BDO for…
How Northbridge is advising clients to prepare for second COVID-19 wave
September 18, 2020 by Greg MeckbachOne key component of preparing for the anticipated second wave of COVID-19 cases in Canada is for businesses to assess how they responded to the first wave of the disease, Northbridge Insurance is telling its commercial clients. “Many businesses that…
FM Global appeals $25-million BI award arising from reactor shutdown
September 17, 2020 by Greg MeckbachFactory Mutual is appealing an Ontario court ruling that included a finding that “resulting physical damage” can mean loss of use. David Liblong, a partner with Liblong Digambar Professional Corporation, told Canadian Underwriter Wednesday that the insurer is appealing MDS…
Mixed result in British court ruling in business interruption coverage dispute
September 15, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf a client has business interruption coverage “following” a notifiable disease within a certain distance, while another has coverage for BI “in consequence” of the same disease, one of those clients could be covered for its COVID-19 closure while the…
Appeal judge: Is the lack of a privacy-breach tort in this province ‘anachronistic’?
September 14, 2020 by Greg MeckbachBritish Columbia’s courts need to take a close look at the question of whether the province has a tort for breach of privacy, an appeal court judge suggested in a recent decision arising from a data breach at a Vancouver-based…
What’s driving D&O rate increases for privately-held firms
September 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachLawsuits from employees alleging harassment or discrimination is one reason for significant price increases in directors’ and officers’ liability rates. In Canada, commercial brokerage Gallagher is seeing an uptick in age and gender discrimination claims and workplace harassment claims under…
How bad Canada’s auto loss ratios are getting
September 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe Canadian industry’s loss ratio in auto liability has deteriorated for the fourth year in a row, A.M. Best Company Inc. has reported. Meanwhile, the loss ratio in “auto personal accident” deteriorated nearly 10 points. It increased from 70.4% in…
How much these four Alberta cats cost insurers in 2020
September 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachFour Alberta catastrophes this year have cost insurers a grand total of about $2 billion, the Insurance Bureau of Canada confirmed this week. A hailstorm June 13, affecting mainly northeast Calgary, topped the list as it caused about $1.2 billion…
Supreme Court of Canada paves way for insurers’ medical examiner’s lawsuit
September 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA $15-million defamation lawsuit by an insurers’ medical examiner against an Ontario-based personal injury lawyer is going to trial, the Supreme Court of Canada announced in a divided ruling released Thursday. Dr. Howard Platnick “deserves to have his day in…
Industry needs ‘to find a solution’ to this claims adjusting problem
September 9, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSomething needs to be done to make it easier to let Canadian claims adjusters work outside their home province in the event of a disaster, speakers suggested on a recent webinar. “It’s generally understood that it’s easier to bring U.S.…