Canadian Underwriter

Topic HR

Jason Storah, CEO of Aviva Canada
News EducationHRInsurers

Aviva exec to lead Insurance Institute’s board

October 27, 2022 by Jason Contant

Aviva Canada CEO Jason Storah has been elected chairman of the board of governors of the Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC). Storah, who is based in Toronto, was elected following IIC’s 69th annual general meeting, held on Oct. 25 in

Window sign indicating a business is for sale
News BrokersHRManagementMergers and Aqcuisitions

Selling your brokerage? How to look attractive for buyers

October 26, 2022 by Philip Porado

Portfolio analysis is key to buying or selling brokerages, and some portfolios are more attractive than others, Herb Cline, president of CF2K Strategic Consultants, told a session at the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario’s recent convention. “The flavor of the

Challenges of working from home
News HR

Burnout and isolation: Employees and managers can’t ignore social, mental health impact of working from home

October 21, 2022 by The Canadian Press

Kiffer George Card, Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University – THE CONVERSATION This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on

Jamie Lyons will become president and CEO of Westland effective Jan. 1, 2023
News AlbertaB.C.BrokersHRManagementOntario

New CEO in 2023 for Westland Insurance

October 20, 2022 by Jason Contant

Jamie Lyons will become the president and CEO of Westland Insurance Group effective Jan. 1, 2023, the brokerage announced Thursday. Current CEO Jason Wubs will transition to the newly created role of vice chairman, head of mergers & acquisitions and

Buyout and related words like transaction, debt, ownership and investment
News BrokersCommercialCommercial AutoConstructionCyberHRMergers and AqcuisitionsPersonal AutoPersonal HomeTrusted Advisor

Why benefits, retirement and wealth planning are now P&C profit centres

October 14, 2022 by Philip Porado

Recent merger deals announced by Canadian commercial P&C brokerages increasingly feature acquisitions of wealth management and employee benefits firms, and this is no accident, brokers tell Canadian Underwriter. This subset of M&A is about P&C brokerages becoming a type of

Angry boss in a toxic workplace
News HR

Global Affairs Canada mismanaged executive who berated staff: commissioner

October 7, 2022 by Dylan Robertson - THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – The watchdog for the federal public service has ruled that Global Affairs Canada committed “gross mismanagement” in the way it dealt with complaints about a senior employee accused of throwing objects, mocking colleagues and even pushing and slapping

Illustration of a man atop a scaffold building a brick structure
News BrokersHRInsurersManagementOperations

Where DEI training doesn’t work

October 6, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) successfully into the workplace has to come from a genuine desire to improve a workplace culture rather than as a way to check boxes, speakers said in a RIMS Canada Conference panel discussion.   “Often

Exclamation mark on a yellow background
News EducationEmerging RisksHROperationsRisk Managers

Why risk managers are feeling a sense of urgency

September 29, 2022 by Jason Contant

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the business and risk landscape dramatically over the past couple of years and created a sense of urgency to spread risk knowledge and education, the new CEO of RIMS said in an interview with Canadian

Injured woman who is using her disability insurance benefits
News CommercialHRInsurersManagementOperations

How to use captives to manage employee benefits risks

September 28, 2022 by Mauricio Suarez

By recent counts, more than 7,000 captive insurance companies exist globally, used primarily by multinational companies to take control of various risks. And yet, fewer than 200 of them are used to write employee benefits (EB) risks. Which means less

Threads intertwining to represent mergers of eight companies
News AlbertaB.C.BrokersBusiness InterruptionCommercialCommercial AutoConstructionCyberEnvironmentalHRLegalLiabilityManitobaMergers and AqcuisitionsMGAsOntarioOperationsPersonal AutoPersonal HomePropertyTrusted Advisor

Which firm racked up 8 mergers over the summer?

September 28, 2022 by Canadian Underwriter Staff

Brokerage M&A has been hectic so far in 2022, with one firm bringing eight brokerages across Canada under its wing during the summer. Navacord today announced it closed eight acquisitions during July and August that expands the company’s presence in

Shareholder meeting in an auditorium
News B.C.ClaimsEducationHRLegal

School board lacked authority to suspend trustees over alleged bullying: B.C. judge

September 27, 2022 by The Canadian Press

VICTORIA – A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled the Greater Victoria School Board lacked the authority to censure and suspend two elected trustees over allegations of harassment and bullying. Justice Briana Hardwick says in a written decision that the

Dog is sleeping while his owner is working from home
News BrokersHRInsurersOperations

Intact CEO reveals “the toughest file of my career”

September 23, 2022 by David Gambrill

The chief operating officer of Canada’s largest P&C insurer is confronting a conundrum he never faced before the pandemic — he’s not sure how to get all of his employees to work in the office. It’s not an issue unique