Canadian Underwriter

Topic Liability

A gavel rests in a patch of grass. ESG legal action.
News BrokersClaimsCommercialEmerging RisksInsurersLegalLiability

Why your commercial clients may be at risk of ESG legal action

March 1, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Canadian law firms are preparing for an uptick in environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related legal cases, based on the rise of such cases in the U.S., a litigator tells Canadian Underwriter. ESG lawsuits occur when a company is taken to

Oil pumpjack in Alberta
News AlbertaClaimsCommercialEnvironmentalInsurersLiability

Oil well cleanup program listed as ‘key objective’ in Alberta’s pre-election budget

March 1, 2023 by Bob Weber - THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s last budget before an expected spring election gives strong support to a proposed tax break for energy companies to fulfill their legal cleanup duties but doesn’t tell voters how much would be spent on

Woman in an airport checking out flight cancellations on the board
News ClaimsCommercialInsurersLegalLiability

Court approves insurer’s settlement over COVID flight cancellations

February 23, 2023 by David Gambrill

Ontario’s Superior Court has approved a $4.8-million settlement in a class action lawsuit related to the denial of travel insurance claims by TD Home and Auto Insurance for cancelled flights during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. During that

Robot sorting documents to represent AI helping insurance adjusters manage claims
News AdjustersBrokersClaimsClaims ProfessionalsClaims TechnologyCommercialHRLiabilityLoss ControlLoss TrendsPersonal AutoPersonal HomePropertyRisk ManagersTechnology

How automation’s shifting on-site claims work to bigger losses

February 23, 2023 by Philip Porado

COVID-19 accelerated development of process efficiencies for insurance adjusters. Pre-pandemic, data-gathering and communications systems began shifting many claims to desk teams, creating efficiencies for adjusters by reserving site visits for complex cases. “What COVID did was expedite some of that

Happy woman client receiving a text message from her insurance broker.
News BrokersCommercial AutoConstructionCyberEditorialInsurersLegalLiabilityOperationsPersonal AutoPersonal HomePropertyTrusted Advisor

Sales Column: Clients ignoring your emails? Try texting

February 22, 2023 by Adam Mitchell

People love their smartphones. And even those who claim they don’t still spend hours using them every day. A study last year by cybersecurity company NordVPN found 66% of Canadians even use their phones while in the washroom. I’ve always

Court of Law Trial: Female Judge and and Jury in an E&O lawsuit
News BrokersClaimsLegalLiabilityOperations

How brokers can avoid an E&O lawsuit

February 22, 2023 by David Gambrill

A broker’s best defence against an errors and omissions (E&O) lawsuit can be summed up in three words — document, document, document. “You need to be able to prove you did [something],” broker E&O specialist Hugh Fardy, said in a

Blurred people moving quickly in the hallway
News BrokersClaimsInsurersLegalLiabilityOperations

Pace of P&C industry cited as a reason for more broker E&O claims

February 17, 2023 by David Gambrill

The frenetic pace required for brokers to meet the Canadian P&C insurance industry’s premium growth targets — not to mention keeping current with the kaleidoscopic transformation of products — is putting brokers in harm’s way, broker E&O experts told Live

Driver sleeping in self-driving car
News ClaimsCommercial AutoCyberEmerging RisksInsurersLegalLiabilityLoss ControlLoss TrendsPersonal AutoTechnology

When will self-driving tech consistently prevent crashes?

February 17, 2023 by Harrison Griffiths and Hannah Van Staveren

One aim of autonomous driving technology is to take the human element out of the driving ecosystem with an eye toward preventing collisions. But right now, autonomous driving technology can’t guarantee it will detect and react to road hazards earlier

Motorbike accident
News ClaimsInsurersLegalLiabilityOntarioPersonal Auto

Failure to tell an insurer about a new vehicle can mean trouble

February 16, 2023 by Philip Porado

A multiple-vehicle owner who failed to add a motorcycle to his insurance within a set time period is precluded from receiving benefits following an accident, said a Feb. 6 decision by Ontario’s Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) adjudicator Stephanie Kepman. On

Long-haul truck crossing grassy area
News AlbertaB.C.ClaimsCommercial AutoInsurersLiabilityManitobaSaskatchewanTechnology

How telematics may help Alberta truckers’ rates

February 9, 2023 by Philip Porado

With an eye toward improving driving habits, Facility Association (FA) announced the launch of a telematics program for truck drivers in Alberta, effective May 1, 2023. It said the program’s objective is to help drivers and operators correct poor driving

Condo owner calls her insurance company as the kitchen ceiling leaks
News B.C.BrokersClaimsLegalLiabilityPersonal HomeProperty

How an insurer’s report on a condo ceiling leak won the day

February 8, 2023 by Philip Porado

Repairs outlined in an insurance company’s assessment of damages at a British Columbia condo must be made by the strata, said a decision from the province’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT). Applicants in Rolfe v. The Owners, Strata Plan EPS3064 claimed the

Excited family tobogganing in snow
News InsurersLiabilityOntario

Councillors vote down controversial proposed tobogganing ban in Oshawa, Ont.

February 6, 2023 by Jordan Omstead - THE CANADIAN PRESS

A proposal to ban tobogganing at all but two municipal parks in a city east of Toronto was voted down after a lengthy council debate and a wave of public pushback. City staff in Oshawa, Ont., will instead look to