Topic Legal
SGI reports 8,500 collisions and 60 deaths in 2010 related to distracted driving
November 15, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterSaskatchewan saw almost 8,500 motor vehicle collisions due to distracted driving in 2010, resulting in more than 2,300 injuries and 60 deaths, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI). SGI says its traffic safety research shows the vast majority (92%) of…
Insurers more vulnerable to financial crisis as they branch out into non-insurance financial activities: IAIS
November 15, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterThe traditional insurance model has allowed property and casualty insurers to withstand the recent financial crisis, but as insurers branch out from this model and offer more non-insurance related products, they are more vulnerable to financial risks associated with the…
Quebec auto insurer highlights guidance on use of electronic, on-board recorders in heavy vehicles
November 15, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), the province’s auto insurer, has posted an information bulletin providing guidance on the use of electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) used in heavy vehicles.The devices have increasingly replaced paper format daily logs with…
New Brunswick Appeal Court addresses confusion around “ownership” in a motor vehicle policy exclusion related to underinsurance coverage
November 14, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterConfusion around the “co-ownership” of a Peterbilt truck used in a commercial trucking business and a personal Chevy pickup truck figured prominently a recent New Brunswick Court of Appeal case focused on a policy exclusion for underinsured motorist protection.The Court…
Insurer must pay special award for failing to consider the “totality” of medical evidence: FSCO arbitrator
November 14, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterAn Ontario arbitrator has upheld a special award against an insurer in a case involving termination of Income Replacement Benefits (IRB) on the basis of conflicting medical information.The Economical Mutual Insurance Company appealed an arbitrator’s finding of a special award…
FSCO to issue new guidelines intended to protect insurers from getting “papered” by health care treatment plans
November 11, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) is releasing new guidelines on Dec. 1, 2011 for Health Claims for Auto Insurance (HCAI) intended to prevent insurers from getting inundated by documentation from health care providers. The revised guidelines are intended…
U.S. securities regulator files record number of enforcement actions in 2011
November 11, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a record 735 enforcement actions in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the agency reported in a release.The number includes many cases involving highly complex products, transactions and market practices, including…
DAS Canada offers free legal advice to small business owners in the Maritimes
November 10, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterDAS Canada is offering small businesses in Atlantic Canada a week of free access to its legal service hotline and the opportunity to win a free year of legal insurance coverage.During the week of Nov. 14, small business owners in…
Ontarians fail to pay more than $350 million worth of fines related to invalid/false insurance cards
November 10, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterOntarians have not paid more than $1 billion in Provincial Offences Act fines, and one-third of these fines relate to driving with invalid or false insurance cards, according to a white paper released on Nov. 9 by the Ontario Association…
IBC supportive, but concerned by Nova Scotia auto reform package
November 9, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterInsurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) remains cautiously optimistic of Nova Scotia’s auto insurance reforms, expressing concern regarding the complexity of implementation issues associated with such comprehensive changes. “IBC applauds the Nova Scotia government for its direction with these reforms and…
Nova Scotia introduces new auto insurance reform package
November 9, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterNova Scotia unveiled its proposed auto insurance reforms, which will be implemented in two phases over the next two years.The key aspects of the reforms contained few surprises, including enhanced no-fault, mandatory med-rehab limits of up to $50,000; a new…
Nova Scotia opts not to remove gender as a rating factor, continues discussing framework for optional tort
November 9, 2011 by Canadian UnderwriterRemoving gender as a rating factor is not included in the 2011 auto insurance reforms released by Nova Scotia’s government. During a press conference, Graham Steele, the minister responsible for the province’s Insurance Act, said gender is a factor that…