Topic Construction
Alberta government provides $15M a year for FireSmart program, up from $3.8M last year
April 17, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Government of Alberta has announced it is providing $15 million a year for its FireSmart program, up from $3.8 million last year, to help communities boost their wildfire protection activities. FireSmart uses preventative measures to reduce wildfire threat to…
Government of Alberta boosts Calgary’s flood resilience with $13.4 million investment
April 12, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Government of Alberta announced on Wednesday that it is investing about $13.4 million to help the City of Calgary boost its flood readiness. Six provincial grants are part of $63 million earmarked in Budget 2017 to help Alberta communities…
Construction of mitigation infrastructure to protect against flood should be seen as nation-building projects: Australian insurers
April 12, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) cited the Canadian government’s budget commitment to create a Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund in a recommendation to its own federal government to treat the construction of mitigation infrastructure to protect flood-prone towns as…
Standards Council of Canada, Intact Centre on Climate Adaption to study flood resiliency for new residential communities
March 31, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (Intact Centre) at the University of Waterloo have announced that they are joining forces to develop a new report on best practices for making new residential communities…
TransCanada gets U.S. State Department’s OK for Keystone XL pipeline
March 24, 2017 by The Canadian PressCALGARY – TransCanada has been granted a presidential permit from the U.S. State Department that allows it to move forward on building the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline, the latest turn in fortunes for the controversial project. In granting the permit,…
Fire at historic church just outside Halifax a ‘devastating’ blow: member
March 22, 2017 by The Canadian PressNORTH PRESTON, N.S. – Fire has caused extensive damage to a large, historic church considered the cornerstone of a small community just east of Halifax. Firefighters from five stations were called Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. to extinguish a stubborn blaze…
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition launches Canadian website
March 14, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterA new website from the non-profit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) – HomeFireSprinklerCanada.ca – seeks to help increase interest in the life-saving benefits of installed home fire sprinklers in new construction homes. In partnership with and funding from the Co-operators…
Ironshore Specialty Casualty construction cover now addresses M&A transition exposures
March 10, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterBermuda-based Ironshore Specialty Casualty has enhanced its Transition Protection policy form to address contractual exposures associated with an organizational merger or acquisition (M&A) specific to the construction industry. Construction companies typically have contractual requirements to obtain insurance coverage for work…
XL Catlin quadruples North American builder’s risk capacity to US$1 billion
March 9, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterXL Catlin announced on Wednesday that it has quadrupled its builder’s risk insurance capacity to US$1 billion from US$250 million for construction firms in North America. The increased coverage for high-value commercial real estate projects is the result of a…
IBC congratulates federal government on National Research Council decision to update Canada’s building codes
February 28, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is congratulating the federal government on the National Research Council Canada (NRC) decision to update the country’s building codes to reflect the realities of climate change. “This is something that Canada’s property and casualty…
Government of Alberta advances Disaster Recovery Program funding to help with Fort McMurray uninsurable costs
February 24, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe government of Alberta announced on Thursday that it is advancing $20 million in Disaster Recovery Program funding to help with uninsurable costs related to the Fort McMurray wildfire. The funding is intended to help with uninsurable costs, such as…
Two U.S. dams illustrate challenge of maintaining older designs
February 22, 2017 by Michael R. Blood - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSLOS ANGELES – Twelve years ago, widespread destruction from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast helped compel federal engineers 2,000 miles away in California to remake a 1950s-era dam by constructing a massive steel-and-concrete gutter that would manage surging waters…