Topic Claims Canada Archive
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.…
Why these home buyers won a $100,000 lawsuit
September 8, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA recent Ontario court ruling arising from a major structural defect in a cottage country home shows why a homeowner should get the vendor to complete a seller property information sheet (SPIS) before agreeing to a purchase. “The law can…
How A.M. Best predicts pandemic could affect the Canadian P&C industry
September 8, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAn increase of residential cooking fires and business closures arising from the pandemic are among the trends affecting the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry on the radar of A.M. Best Company Inc. Overall, personal property losses are lower so…
How clients may argue BI covers pandemic if no physical damage occurs
September 4, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSome clients seeking business interruption coverage arising from the COVID-19 pandemic are looking to the courts for a “generous” interpretation of policy wording, a Canadian lawyer says. “In the context of property damage claims related to the novel coronavirus, many…
Canadian government named in class-action privacy breach lawsuit
September 3, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe federal government is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit over data breaches earlier this year affecting thousands of users of online service users. Criminals were able to get the user names and passwords of 9,041 users of GCKey, the federal…
More than one way to define a Cat
September 3, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you disagree with a co-worker on exactly what a catastrophe is, both of you could be right. There is no single standard definition of a “Cat,” with the industry’s loss costs — and even media coverage — among the…
Insurers adding pandemic exclusions in commercial policies that go beyond just BI
September 2, 2020 by Greg MeckbachMany insurers that did not start adding pandemic exclusions this past July may have to do so in January, a Winnipeg-based executive with commercial brokerage Gallagher reports. “The majority of insurers – or all insurers – are adding specific wording…