Canadian Underwriter

Topic Quebec

Five-alarm blaze at former monastery in Quebec
News ClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveEnvironmentalPropertyQuebec

‘Immense sorrow:’ Major fire at Montreal heritage building that once housed monastery

May 26, 2023 by Sidhartha Banerjee - THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL – A major fire at a Montreal heritage building was still not under control Friday and authorities were not able to provide a firm timeline of how long it would take to extinguish the blaze. The fire broke out

A closeup of a seismograph machine needle drawing a red line on graph paper depicting seismic and earthquake activity - 3D render
News B.C.CatastrophesClaimsEmerging RisksEnvironmentalInsurersLoss ControlLoss TrendsOntarioPersonal HomeQuebec

National disaster report highlights industry loss potential

May 12, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatino

A major earthquake in British Columbia or the Ontario-Quebec region could become the costliest natural disasters Canada has seen, a new government of Canada report warns.  Of pertinence to the industry, as insured damages for a severe earthquake could broach

Spring flooding in Baie Saint-Paul, Que.
News ClaimsClaims Canada ArchivePersonal HomeQuebec

Search continues for two missing firefighters swept away during spring floods

May 2, 2023 by The Canadian Press

BAIE-SAINT-PAUL, Que. – The search continued Tuesday for two Quebec firefighters swept away in floodwaters northeast of Quebec City, as heavy rains washed out roads and cut off homes in several regions across the province. Specialized aerial and ground rescue

A dike breach in Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que.
News CatastrophesClaimsEnvironmentalLegalPersonal HomeQuebec

Residents of Quebec town still struggle with aftermath of 2019 flooding

May 1, 2023 by Morgan Lowrie - THE CANADIAN PRESS

SAINTE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. – Sylvie Bechard had only owned her little brick house for six months when her neighbour came banging on her door on the night of April 27, 2019. The dike holding back the Lake of Two Mountains had

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

Candles on kitchen counter during power outage
News ClaimsNewfoundland & LabradorPersonal HomeQuebec

Thousands of Quebecers lose power after generating station interruption  

April 25, 2023 by The Canadian Press

MONTREAL – Quebec’s electric utility says thousands are without power in the province after a problem at the Churchill Falls generating station in Labrador.   A Hydro-Quebec spokesman says the station experienced a sudden interruption today, which triggered protection mechanisms that

Severe flooding on the Ottawa River (for illustrative purposes only)
News ClaimsInsurersLegalPersonal HomePropertyQuebec

Insurer successfully defends flood exclusion in water damage endorsement

April 21, 2023 by David Gambrill

A Quebec home insurer successfully defended a flood exclusion to its policy’s water damage endorsement, on the basis that the insurer would not cover water damage that “occurs when a flood reaches the surface of the ground on the premises.”

Torrential rain in Montreal
News EnvironmentalPersonal HomeQuebec

Spring flooding: Montrealers warned to pack emergency kits as water levels rise

April 17, 2023 by The Canadian Press

MONTREAL – Rain is in the forecast this week across Quebec and officials are monitoring lakes and rivers at risk of flooding. Martin Guilbault with Montreal’s fire department says the city is on alert as the risk of flooding is

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.

People survey the damage around their home in Montreal after the ice storm.
News AdjustersCatastrophesClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveClaims ProfessionalsEnvironmentalOntarioPersonal AutoPersonal HomeQuebecSupply Chain

How recent extreme weather compares to 1998 Quebec ice storm

April 12, 2023 by Jason Contant

The storm that struck Ontario and Quebec — leaving some Quebecers without power for more than a week — was large, but it was nothing compared to the infamous 1998 Quebec ice storm, industry professionals said. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification

Business interruption insurance form and red pen for signing.
News Business InterruptionClaimsCommercialInsurersLegalLiabilityOntarioQuebec

Aviva loses bid to quash class action for COVID-related BI losses

March 28, 2023 by David Gambrill

Ontario’s Superior Court has certified a class action lawsuit by a window and door manufacturer against Aviva Canada related to the insurer’s broad denial of pandemic-related business interruption claims. In doing so, the court rejected Aviva’s motion to have the

A fire in Old Montreal that gutted a heritage building.
News ClaimsClaims Canada ArchiveEmerging RisksInsurersLiabilityPropertyQuebec

Questions raised about safety of Old Montreal building destroyed by fatal fire

March 27, 2023 by Morgan Lowrie - THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL – More than a week after a fatal fire tore through a building in Old Montreal, accounts from former tenants and victims of the blaze are raising questions about the safety of the heritage property. Five bodies had been