Topic Personal Home
No working smoke alarms at fatal Toronto house fire, investigators say
March 12, 2021 by Liam Casey - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – There were no working smoke alarms inside a Toronto house where a fire killed four people, investigators said Friday. The Office of the Fire Marshal said an electrical failure in the ceiling of the dining room in the…
Why home insurance was so profitable for Intact in 2020
March 11, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe hard market in home insurance is helping Canada’s largest P&C insurer make a healthy profit. But insurers need to maintain pricing discipline in personal property because weather catastrophe costs are increasing over time, suggests the chief financial officer at…
Home insurer goes after ventilation unit manufacturers in subrogated fire claim
March 10, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA subrogated claim arising from a Hamilton area home fire is raising the question of which equipment manufacturer, if any, is liable. In 2013, a fire caused extensive damage to the Ancaster, Ont., home of Mary Arlene and Rudolf Dosen.…
What insurers aren’t passing on to their clients
March 9, 2021 by Adam MalikCanadian consumers are still foggy about the purpose and content of their home, auto and business insurance, and the onus is on the industry to help them understand, a pair of industry executives said during a recent webinar. Discussions with…
Advice from the U.S.: Canada needs exit strategy from national flood
March 4, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCanada needs to proceed with caution if it wants to establish a taxpayer-supported program to write flood insurance for high-risk homes, an American speaker warned the Canadian P&C industry during CatIQ Connect. “Be very careful with a federal flood insurance…
Lessons learned from ‘the toughest Cat season’
March 2, 2021 by Adam MalikThe COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult at times for insurers to work through natural catastrophes, said a Wawanesa executive during a recent web conference. But they’ve learned a few lessons because of it. As Cats stormed through Alberta to the…
Condo corporation insurance? Unit insurance? Too many condo owners don’t know the difference
February 24, 2021 by David GambrillBrokers in Quebec have ample opportunity to educate their clients about how condo insurance works, according to the results of a recent survey commissioned by Insurance Bureau of Canada. One key source of confusion may sound familiar to brokers elsewhere…
Probe points to discarded smoking materials as likely cause of B.C. apartment building fire
February 24, 2021 by The Canadian PressABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Improperly discarded smoking materials likely played a part in a recent fire in an Abbotsford, B.C., apartment building that left more than 100 people homeless. Assistant chief Ron Hull, with Abbotsford Fire Rescue Services, says the extent…
3 Canadian cities more prepared for flood now than they were five years ago
February 19, 2021 by Jason ContantThere’s good and bad news when it comes to the flood preparedness of 16 major Canadian cities. The bad news is that the average level of flood preparedness has remained stagnant from 2015 to 2019-20, showing a considerable margin for…
Property restoration space has ‘big capacity’ issue: Brindamour
February 19, 2021 by Greg MeckbachIntact Financial Corp. is aiming to build capacity in what CEO Charles Brindamour calls the “super-fragmented” restoration contractor industry. “Our thought process with On Side [Restoration] is very much consistent with what we tried to do with BrokerLink a decade…
How to increase the take-up of earthquake insurance
February 18, 2021 by Jason ContantWhen broader government assistance is available for earthquake insurance, the take-up rates for private earthquake insurance appear to be suppressed, according to a new study on the difference between earthquake insurance rates in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and neighbouring Washington State…
What’s making it harder to estimate property Cat claims
February 17, 2021 by Greg MeckbachRecent price increases in building materials means it is harder than normal to predict the cost of repairing property damage, restoration experts say. Restoration contractor Peak Services handled several thousand claims after the June 13, 2020, record hail storm in…