Canadian Underwriter

Topic Liability

Purchasing cannabis with a credit card
News CannabisClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveCommercialInsurersLegalLiabilityLoss TrendsMergers and AqcuisitionsMGAsSupply Chain

How is the cannabis insurance market faring? 

May 9, 2023 by Jason Contant

Four-and-a-half years after recreational marijuana use was legalized in Canada, cannabis companies continue to face a number of challenges, including insolvency, consolidation and low or flat growth, according to a recent report from EY Canada. “Established/mature markets — including Canada,

Version of Michelangelo's painting "The Creation of Adam" depicting the development of generative AI and machine learning
News BrokersClaimsCommercialEmerging RisksInsurersLegalLiabilityTechnology

What your business clients need to know about generative AI risks

May 4, 2023 by David Gambrill

Commercial brokers and insurers should alert their business clients to new liability risks around intellectual property (IP), copyright and licensing associated with using generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like ChatGPT, Dall-E and Bard. “Generative AI is a type of artificial

World map representing global trade
News BrokersBusiness InterruptionCatastrophesClaimsCommercialEmerging RisksInsurersLiabilityLoss ControlLoss Trends

Is political risk the next NatCat?

May 1, 2023 by Philip Porado

Much like NatCat events, political risk losses tend to be low frequency but high severity, said a new Oxford Analytica survey, produced for WTW, on how global businesses are managing current political risks. “Political risk losses occur rarely but tend

Firefighters extinguishing an industrial fire at the fire station holding on to the hose spraying the fire at a storage tank.
News ClaimsCommercialInsurersLegalLiabilityPropertyQuebec

Insurer successfully defends city’s appeal over fire response times

April 28, 2023 by David Gambrill

Canada’s top court Thursday refused to hear an appeal in a case in which a Quebec municipality was found 25% liable for a fire that destroyed a commercial building when not enough firefighters were present after 10 minutes to fight

Complaint file
News BrokersClaimsCommercialHRLegalLiabilityOperations

How brokers can protect clients from ESG and DEI claims risk

April 25, 2023 by Philip Porado

Brokers placing directors and officers (D&O) insurance coverage should recognize the growing importance of how private company clients manage both environmental, social and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concerns. Those issues are of increasing concern to the

Tailings samples at an Imperial Oil research centre.
News AlbertaClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveCommercialEnvironmentalLiability

Alberta oilsands wastewater seepage cleanup to be complete by end of May

April 20, 2023 by Amanda Stephenson - THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY – Imperial Oil Ltd. said its cleanup efforts following recent high-profile wastewater releases from its Kearl oilsands site will be complete next month. Executives with the Calgary-based company said at an annual investor day event Wednesday that cleanup from

Collision between a bus and a car
News BrokersClaimsCommercial AutoEmerging RisksInsurersLiabilityOntarioPersonal Auto

How brokers should approach a client who wants to drop DCPD coverage

April 19, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatino

Brokers with clients looking to save money would be better off helping them understand how affordable a coverage is, rather than opting out of OPCF-49, or Direct Compensation-Property Damage (DCPD) coverage, one expert told Canadian Underwriter.  Starting on Jan. 1,

stabbing with a knife, assault. Illustration. Black silhouette on rad background
News ClaimsInsurersLegalLiabilityOntario

Why Intact doesn’t have to defend a man found not criminally responsible for a knife attack

April 14, 2023 by David Gambrill

Intact Insurance does not have a duty to defend a man with schizophrenia who stabbed the owner of a firearms store while in the grip of a psychotic delusion, Ontario’s Court of Appeal has ruled. Brett Butterfield suffered a psychotic

Canada braces for an economic downturn
News BrokersBusiness InterruptionCommercialCommercial AutoLiabilityProperty

Brokers braced for tough conversations when the economy slips

April 14, 2023 by Alyssa Di Sabatino

Most economists are still calling for some degree of economic downturn later in 2023. That makes the road ahead uncertain for commercial companies, and many can be expected to seek ways to tighten their belts. For some, cost-cutting measures may

The office of the Archdiocese of Montreal
News ClaimsInsurersLegalLiabilityQuebec

$14.7 million settlement in sex abuse class action against Montreal archdiocese

April 14, 2023 by Sidhartha Banerjee - THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL – A $14.7-million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit brought against the Montreal Roman Catholic archdiocese, and a judge will be asked to sign off on the deal in the coming weeks, the plaintiffs’ lawyer said Thursday.

Business associates arguing.
News ClaimsClaims ProfessionalsCommercialConstructionLegalLiabilityLoss Control

Why resolving claims disputes is about more than numbers

April 11, 2023 by Derek Sayers

Want to increase the likelihood of a construction project insurance claim being accepted? Take the time to validate each aspect of that claim. The upfront work will make it easier for any umpires, mediators, consultants or lawyers brought in to

Natural gas wellhead on the Canadian prairies
News ClaimsCommercialCyberEmerging RisksLiability

Canadian oil and gas sector routinely targeted by cyberattackers, experts say

April 11, 2023 by The Canadian Press

CALGARY – Cybersecurity experts say they aren’t surprised by the revelation contained within a package of leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggesting Russian-backed hackers successfully gained access to Canada’s natural gas distribution network. They say oil and gas infrastructure in Canada