Canadian Underwriter

Topic Commercial

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News AdjustersB.C.ClaimsClaims ProfessionalsCommercialInsurersLegalLiabilityPropertyTrusted Advisor

3 lessons about brokers’ obligations to insureds

May 6, 2022 by Harmon C. Hayden

A broker has an obligation to help clients understand policy specifics and avoid coverage gaps, and it’s not necessarily going to save them if the client hasn’t reviewed the policy, the British Columbia Court of Appeal found recently in Alvaro

Alberta oil sands facility.
News AlbertaB.C.CatastrophesCommercialEnvironmentalInsurersLegalLicensing

Insurance Act changes may help Alberta as insurers retreat from oil and gas

May 4, 2022 by Philip Porado

Major insurers continue to announce they’ll cease issuing coverage to the oil and gas industry, which remains economically critical to Alberta and other Canadian provinces – and is poised to experience a demand boost as Europe seeks alternatives to Russian

Driver handing over a license.
News AlbertaB.C.BrokersClaimsCommercialCommercial AutoConstructionCyberInsurersLegalLiabilityLicensingManitobaNew BrunswickNewfoundland & LabradorNova ScotiaNunavutNWTOntarioP.E.I.QuebecSaskatchewanYukon

Beware the tax implications of unlicensed insurance

May 3, 2022 by Jason Contant

If you’re looking to place a risk through an insurer that’s not licensed to write business in Canada, it’s important to understand the requirements around filing federal and provincial taxes, as well as special broker licenses. Although direct placement with

Photo of pinned Quebec on a map of Canada.
News CommercialInsurersLegalLiabilityQuebec

Good news for Quebec’s D&O insurance market

May 3, 2022 by David Gambrill

Quebec has taken a big step towards aligning its duty to defend rules with those of other Canadian provinces, meaning certain insurance contracts in Quebec will be exempt from a legal requirement to pay for insurance defence costs above and

Smoke stacks from a factory releasing emissions
News CommercialEmerging RisksEnvironmental

Federal government emissions dropping but reporting incomplete, audit concludes

May 3, 2022 by Mia Rabson - THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – Direct greenhouse gas emissions from federal departments are down almost 41 per cent in the last 17 years, hitting a target for 2025 well ahead of schedule. But in an audit of Ottawa’s “greening government” strategy, environment commissioner

Big rigs refuel at a major truck stop
News ClaimsCommercialInsurersLegalOntario

Court sides with Atradius in $5.94-million credit insurance dispute

April 28, 2022 by David Gambrill

Ontario’s Superior Court upheld a $100,000 sublimit in an Atradius credit insurance policy dispute, in which the receiver for the bankrupt Eagle Travel Plaza, BDO Canada, claimed the full policy limit of $5.94 million. Before it went bankrupt in 2019,

Businessman buys data from a hacker
News ClaimsCommercialCyberEmerging RisksHRInsurersLegalTechnology

In the crosshairs: Why insurance remains a target for cybercriminals

April 27, 2022 by Jason Contant

Cybercriminals are now specifically searching for terms like ‘insurance’ when looking for data, a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP said during an industry event last week. “They’re not just looking for any data. They’re actually quite smarter,” says

Close-up of a young woman making a stop gesture. Focus on foreground
News ClaimsCommercialEmerging RisksHRInsurersLegalLiability

Sexual harassment: Grounds for dismissal, but not for denying severance

April 27, 2022 by David Gambrill

Slapping a woman on the buttocks in the workplace may be grounds for dismissal, but the threshold for terminating severance as a result of sexual harassment requires ‘wilful misconduct,’ the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled. In essence, if the

Documents about fraud risk management
News B.C.CommercialEmerging RisksLoss ControlPropertyRisk Managers

Fraud risk management at B.C.’s $16 billion Site C dam project can improve: auditor

April 27, 2022 by Jason Contant

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s auditor general says Crown-owned BC Hydro can improve its management of potential fraud risks at the $16 billion Site C dam project. Michael Pickup says an audit found the Crown corporation has some elements of fraud

Email cybersecurity concept
News CommercialCyberTechnology

Investigation launched into email breach at N.L. fuel company North Atlantic

April 26, 2022 by The Canadian Press

JOHN’S, N.L. – A fuel company in Newfoundland and Labrador is investigating after an employee’s email account was breached and information was downloaded from the account. A release from NARL Marketing, which operates the North Atlantic outlets across the province,

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News CommercialCommercial AutoEmerging RisksInsurersLoss TrendsMGAsOperationsPersonal AutoPersonal Home

Despite “aggressive growth goals,” insurers cautioned to keep their powder dry

April 25, 2022 by David Gambrill

Although the industry achieved a highwater mark financial result in 2021, industry executives are cautioning insurers to keep their powder dry and not reduce pricing drastically to grow market share. “I just look through the windscreen, all the things coming

Cybersecurity concept - hacker working on a code
News CommercialCyberTechnology

Cyberbreach at Rideau Hall was ‘sophisticated’ intrusion, internal documents reveal

April 19, 2022 by Jim Bronskill - THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – Newly disclosed documents reveal the breach of an internal computer network at Rideau Hall was described to senior government officials as a “sophisticated cyber incident” in the days before the public was told of the security lapse. Internal