Canadian Underwriter

Topic Claims

Tailings pond dam breaks spilling content into river
News B.C.ClaimsCommercialEnvironmentalLiabilityProperty

Updated tailings code after Mount Polley disaster an improvement: B.C. mines auditor

June 18, 2021 by The Canadian Press

VICTORIA – A new report says changes to British Columbia’s requirements for tailings storage after the Mount Polley disaster have generally improved the management of mining waste. The mines chief auditor found many of the revisions made in 2016 to

manager pushing open virtual lock to initiate a rapid grab-and-go response.
News BrokersClaimsClaims ProfessionalsCommercialCyberInsurersLoss Trends

What’s the state of the cyber market these days?

June 17, 2021 by Adam Malik

A lack of scrutiny around the risk being taken on and a flawed claims process bit the cyber insurance market hard, especially over the last year, according to experts in the field. Now, they added, there are signs that insurers

News B.C.ClaimsLoss TrendsPersonal Auto

A plaintiff suffered a concussion a year before the accident – how this should affect loss of income award

June 17, 2021 by Greg Meckbach

The Court of Appeal for British Columbia has doubled a tort award, for loss of future earning capacity, for a motor vehicle accident victim who had suffered several concussions before he badly injured his head in a rear-end collision. On

The small town of Okotoks was hit hard by the June floods of 2013, with the river valley rushing and raging through wiping out pedestrian bridges, campgrounds, river banks and pathways.
News CatastrophesClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveInsurersLoss TrendsPersonal HomeProperty

Progress report: Canada-wide flood mapping is well underway

June 16, 2021 by Greg Meckbach

A nationwide estimate of coastal, pluvial, and fluvial flood hazard is one part of the ongoing effort to come up with a national approach to insuring or re-locating homes at high risk of flood, a federal government official suggests. Flood

News AdjustersClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveClaims ProfessionalsInsurersLegalPersonal Auto

A home under renovation isn’t necessarily “under construction:” Appeal Court

June 15, 2021 by David Gambrill

A home under renovation doesn’t mean it is “under construction,” Ontario’s Appeal Court has ruled, rejecting an insurer’s interpretation of its home insurance policy exclusion. In Tataryn v. Axa Insurance Canada (now Intact Insurance), Susan Tataryn’s Ottawa property served as

News B.C.ClaimsClaims ProfessionalsInsurersLegalPersonal Home

Restoration firms beware: Did clients authorize payment for your work?

June 14, 2021 by David Gambrill

A recent flood damage claim in B.C. speaks to the importance of getting in writing from clients exactly what restoration services have been authorized for payment, be it a repair or a full investigation into the cause of the water

News AlbertaCatastrophesClaimsEmerging RisksInsurersPersonal AutoPersonal Home

Look back, but not too far: Why some perils need a new approach 

June 14, 2021 by Jason Contant

The insurance industry needs to look at the “more recent past” and take a shorter-term view of catastrophic perils to see their effects going forward, Swiss Re told Canadian Underwriter recently.   “When we’re looking at recent events, including the 2020

cay keys on top of an auto insurance policy
News B.C.ClaimsInsurersLoss TrendsPersonal Auto

Second auto insurance rebate coming in B.C. 

June 14, 2021 by The Canadian Press

VICTORIA – A second insurance rebate is coming for British Columbia drivers thanks to lower claim costs due to fewer crashes during the COVID-19 pandemic.   The government says the Insurance Corporation of B.C. will begin distributing rebates averaging $120 starting

News AdjustersB.C.ClaimsClaims ProfessionalsClaims TechnologyInsurersLegalPersonal Auto

Estimator’s COVID dilemma: Photos of auto damage not enough, in-person visit not allowed

June 11, 2021 by David Gambrill

It’s an auto insurance estimator’s Catch-22. A B.C. small claims tribunal recently downplayed expert evidence based on photos taken in an auto collision shop because the estimator didn’t conduct an in-person inspection of the vehicle — even though pandemic lockdown

News CatastrophesClaimsEducationEmerging RisksEnvironmentalInsurersPersonal HomeSupply Chain

How to be really customer-centric: Lessons from the global insurance market

June 11, 2021 by Jason Contant

Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry should look towards the global insurance market for some insights about how to increase take-up rates, particularly among marginalized and low-income people, speakers said Thursday at the CatIQ Connect virtual conference. In the global

News CatastrophesClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveClaims ProfessionalsInsurersLoss TrendsPersonal HomeProperty

Where Canada sits with national low-cost residential flood insurance 

June 10, 2021 by Greg Meckbach

Six possible flood insurance models for homes at high risk of flood are about to go through an actuarial review, a federal government official suggests. The Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation is going to hand off those possible

News BrokersClaimsClaims ProfessionalsInsurersManagementOperations

Communicating with clients: Ditch the emojis! LOL

June 9, 2021 by Adam Malik

Ditch the emojis and shorthand — use proper language when communicating to clients in writing, an insurance executive urged during a recent webinar. Insurance professionals would be wise to make the extra effort to be clear to clients when communicating