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Workers sandbag around a restaurant in Calgary in anticipation of heavy rainfall
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Why recent Calgary storm is not like 2013 flooding

June 16, 2022 by Jason Contant

Although home to many of the costliest natural disasters in Canada, Alberta appears to have dodged a bullet with the latest rainfall event in the Calgary area. The City of Calgary declared a local state of emergency earlier this week

A maroon coloured minivan is being hoisted on to a tow truck. A fallen tree is in the forefront of the photo. A man in a yellow vest and a CAT vehicle are in the background.
News AdjustersBusiness InterruptionCatastrophesClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveClaims ProfessionalsEnvironmentalInsurersOntarioPropertyQuebec

How the derecho impacted claims service levels

June 7, 2022 by Jason Contant

It’s only natural claims adjusting service levels will drop, given the large number of claims arising from the derecho that struck parts of Ontario and Quebec in May, says the president of the Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA). “Things like

Damage from the May 21 derecho in Ontario
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Why this province’s approach to adjuster capacity needs to go national

June 6, 2022 by Jason Contant

The president of the Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA) is hoping other provinces take note of how Ontario’s insurance regulator has approached adjuster capacity and licensing issues following the May 21 derecho that struck Ontario and Quebec. On May 31,

A man in a white button down shirt with a dark tie is holding a clipboard outside.
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Why adjusters are feeling squeezed during Cat response

June 3, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatino

As NatCats increase in frequency, getting adjusters to the scene of a claim has been “tougher than it’s been in years past.” Claims experts blame economic strain and inflationary pressures, as well as to the ongoing war for talent.  Following

Flooded warehouse full of floating cardboard boxes
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Why insureds might need parametric coverage alongside conventional policies

June 1, 2022 by Megan Linkin

When Hurricane Ida made landfall on Aug. 29, 2021, a handful of parametric insurance policies in Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ portfolio were affected and potentially triggered. By Sept. 1, all relevant data for determining if the hurricane’s winds met policy-defined

Image of man standing with his hands on his hips, looking at Winnipeg's red river floodway
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Adjusters stretched thin after back-to-back storms

May 31, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Manitoba has experienced one of the wettest springs on record, and the back-to-back storms and flooding have stretched adjusters’ resources very thin, claims professionals say.  Strong winds and a rainstorm that occurred in Manitoba last evening have continued into today. This event

Container ship, heavily loaded, at sea.
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War and other factors loom over shipping sector: report

May 27, 2022 by Philip Porado

While fewer total losses of cargo ships worldwide is good news for marine insurers, the number of shipping casualties rose during 2021, said Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty’s (AGCS) annual Safety & Shipping Review. Globally, 54 total vessel losses were

Mechanic working on the underside of a vehicle
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Auto insurance: How to handle acid spill claims

May 26, 2022 by Jason Contant

Insurers would be well-advised to have experts and claim-handling protocols on hand to identify unique claim situations such as the two sulphuric acid spills in Trail, B.C. several years ago, two forensic engineers say. On Apr. 10 and May 23,

Tree damage following derecho
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Emergency alerts when severe weather happens can be improved: Environment Minister

May 26, 2022 by Mia Rabson - THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – Emergency weather alerts that are broadcast over the mobile network should be improved to make sure they are getting to the right people at the right time, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Wednesday. Guilbeault is in Germany for

Delta flooding after hurricane.
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How to speed up claims response for NatCats

May 25, 2022 by Yasser Korany, Mario Delorme and Mazen Habash

Extreme weather events have become common, some bringing unprecedented levels of destruction to structures and facilities, overwhelming owners, property managers and insurers. In response, nearly all major insurers have created centralized Cat units dedicated to handling claims arising from extreme

A twister is pictured at the end of a country road. The sky is dark and storming.
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Was derecho storm damage caused by climate change?

May 25, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatino

The Long Weekend derecho storm in Ontario and Quebec, which spawned a tornado in Uxbridge, Ont., and resulted in over 1,000 kilometers of damage, is “very difficult” to credit as a climate change event, even though the industry is seeing

Commercial building being rehabilitated
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Brokers beware: High inflation may catch up to claims valuation software

May 20, 2022 by Philip Porado

Valuation models in software systems used by insurers to calculate replacement and restoration costs for commercial structures must be checked more often when inflation’s running high. That’s because costs for labour, lumber, drywall, concrete and other construction materials can jump