Topic Liability
Executive Outlook 2021: Garth Pepper, Liberty Mutual Canada
January 25, 2021 by David GambrillGarth Pepper, President, Liberty Mutual Canada With so many unknowns, especially this year due to the pandemic, focusing on the basics will be more important than ever. Those basics include having underwriters who are accessible, flexible, service-oriented, solution-oriented, and empowered…
Suspension of licence renewal requirements for drivers 80 and older raises concerns
January 25, 2021 by Radha Kohly - THE CANADIAN PRESSA decision to waive vision tests and other screening typically required to renew driver’s licences for Ontarians aged 80 and older during the pandemic has some in the medical community raising concerns about the risks the move poses to those…
This new type of class-action tort grew from genetically modified corn seed
January 22, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA proposed class-action lawsuit based on the novel tort of “premature commercialization” is going ahead in Ontario. The Supreme Court of Canada announced Dec. 10 it will not hear an appeal from Syngenta Canada Inc., which is facing a proposed…
Why this small claims tribunal changed an auto insurer’s liability finding
January 21, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA British Columbia driver who was found 50% at fault for a collision by the province’s monopoly auto insurer has partly won a small claim against the other driver. Hartmut Wolfram and Yunsun Kim collided with one another in Burnaby…
This kind of homeowner’s liability claim has real teeth
January 21, 2021 by Greg MeckbachWhen a dog bites man, the wounds could be deep and wide for homeowners. “Pet bites top the list for home insurance liability claims,” reports Dorchester Insurance Brokers Ltd., based near London in the community of Dorchester, Ont. “Dog bites…
Residents of Old Fort, B.C. suing province, others over slow-moving landslide
January 21, 2021 by Amy Smart - THE CANADIAN PRESSVANCOUVER – Residents of a tiny community in northeastern British Columbia are suing the local and provincial governments over two slow-moving landslides they claim caused their property values to plummet. In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme…
Why brokers may face E&O exposure due to COVID-19
January 20, 2021 by Adam MalikOne prominent industry observer is “quite concerned” that brokers may be facing errors and omissions risk exposure due to COVID-19, especially if court decisions go a certain way. For Phil Cook, chairman of Omega Insurance Holdings, the risk is that…
What’s missing from driverless vehicle rollout plan
January 19, 2021 by Greg MeckbachDriverless vehicles need to have some way of communicating with police, fire and ambulance responders, an auto manufacturers’ group said in a recent report. First responders have ways of handling situations they encounter in traffic but there are no “common…
Church’s liability to victims confirmed as legal battle over Mount Cashel abuse ends
January 18, 2021 by Sarah Smellie - THE CANADIAN PRESSST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The Supreme Court of Canada has refused a bid by the Roman Catholic archdiocese in St. John’s to appeal a ruling that found it liable for sexual abuse at the former Mount Cashel orphanage. Thursday’s court…
As workplace infections rise, employers grapple with ‘ambiguous’ mask rules
January 14, 2021 by Brett Bundale - THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – On the factory floor, masks were optional. Until last month, workers at TEC Business Solutions’s corrugated packaging plant in Mississauga, Ont. underwent a COVID-19 screening, had a temperature check and sanitized their hands – but once inside and…
How ‘take-home COVID’ can impact employers’ liability
January 13, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCOVID-19 can cause a commercial general liability claim if a commercial client is sued by the family member of a worker who has caught the disease at work and then infected family members, insurance law experts suggest. “Take-home COVID” is…
How COVID-19 vaccine side effects impact liability risk
January 12, 2021 by Greg MeckbachSome people could suffer side effects from a COVID-19 immunization, but the vaccine manufacturers have a number of protections that minimize their liability risk, Canadian lawyers suggest. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quoted last week by The Canadian Press as…