Topic Supply Chain
How commercial lease terms affect gas bars’ pollution liability
March 12, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf a retail gas station has to remove underground tanks and contaminated soil, is the landlord or tenant responsible for the costs? Much of it depends on the terms of the lease and case law around commercial tenants’ trade fixtures,…
New Supreme Court of Canada guidance on liability for Canadian clients operating overseas
February 28, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you place commercial liability insurance for clients with supply chains outside of Canada, be sure and check out Friday’s Supreme Court of Canada ruling in Nevsun Resources Ltd. v. Araya. In its divided ruling, Canada’s top court ruled that…
The breach from the throne
February 19, 2020 by Greg MeckbachFaulty toilet supply lines, often the source of six- and seven-figure water claims, are leading to subrogated claims against manufacturers, installers and others involved in the supply chain leading to your clients’ washrooms. The way a toilet works is that…
How much damage a toilet malfunction can cause
February 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachYour property client’s flood risk could arise from a weak link in the bathroom. Water damage claims of over $100,000 can result if the supply line feeding water to the toilet breaks, says metallurgist Paul Okrutney, founder of Toronto-based insurtech…
Overseas working conditions: Is your client on the hook?
February 8, 2020 by Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorCorporate clients who get their goods from jurisdictions with inadequate protection for workers’ rights could end up being named as defendants
What underwriters can learn from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
February 6, 2020 by Greg MeckbachHail is a major driver of insured property damage in Canada, but testing resilience of roofing material by dropping steel balls on it has limited value, a CatIQ Connect speaker suggested Wednesday. Roy Wright, president and CEO of the Insurance…
What’s new in 2020 with Intact Centre home flood risk assessment training
January 23, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWant to share basement flood horror stories with other brokers or home inspectors, and hear how industry peers tackled their problems? The Home Flood Risk Assessment Training Course, launched in 2018, now has discussion sessions, said Daniel Filippi, program manager…
Couple sued over basement flooding after selling fixer-upper
January 20, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA Kelowna couple have been sued for $168,000 after a house they sold suffered basement flooding. In Brunning v. Cummings, released Jan. 13, Supreme Court of British Columbia Justice Gordon Weatherill awarded the damages to Cheri and Joel Brunning. The…
How this buried oil tank came back to haunt former homeowners
January 17, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf your clients are selling their home, should you ask whether prospective buyers want written assurance that any oil tanks are removed and the soil cleaned up? Scott Warren and Antonia Camille Fantillo sold their home in early 2016. They…
Commercial clients should do this before they leave for the day
January 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAre your clients checking the bathrooms before they leave work for the day? “The last thing you want is to leave someone with access to your property after the doors have been locked,” Northbridge Insurance noted in Closing time: Making…
Why this town is not liable for electric shock hazard at sports field
January 8, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAn Ontario municipality was recently found not liable for an electrical hazard created when a light pole at a sports field was struck by lightning, allowing the light to continue functioning while letting current leak into the ground near the…
Why Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of Lloyd’s
December 2, 2019 by Greg MeckbachA $5.6-million court award in favour of Lloyds Underwriters and one of its Quebec-based shipowner clients has been restored by the Supreme Court of Canada. Desgagnés Transport Inc. v. Wärtsilä Canada Inc., released Nov. 28, means a section of the…