Topic Quebec
How La Capitale and SSQ came up with its post-merger brand name
December 3, 2020 by Greg MeckbachLa Capitale and SSQ Insurance, two Quebec-based mutuals that merged this past July, announced Thursday they plan to go to market as Beneva. “Beneva is an invented word. You won’t find it any dictionary,” said Jean-François Chalifoux, CEO of La…
$5-million cyber claim for phishing scam heads to top court
November 30, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA $5-million coverage dispute with The Co-operators that arose from a phishing attack is headed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Canada’s top court is booked Dec. 7 to hear arguments in Co-operators General Insurance Company v. Sollio Groupe Coopératif.…
The advantage of merging insurers by telework
November 27, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWhen COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic nearly nine months ago, Jean-François Chalifoux was helping to lead the merger that formed Canada’s largest mutual insurer. “I was in Montreal March 12 [2020] and at 11:00 a.m. sharp, the [National Hockey…
Brokerage M&A round-up: Which four were bought?
November 9, 2020 by Jason ContantBritish Columbia-based Westland Insurance Group Ltd. has moved into the Ontario market, announcing that it has acquired Gillons Insurance Brokers Ltd. The “significant and substantial milestone” supports Westland’s expansion strategy to become a national insurance brokerage, the brokerage said when…
Cyberattack targets Montreal health agency, forcing it to go offline
November 2, 2020 by Sidhartha Banerjee - THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL – A Montreal health agency has been forced off-line as authorities deal with a cyberattack. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said Thursday that specific attacks hit systems at the regional health agency covering west-central Montreal, which oversees the Jewish…
Purdue Pharma pleas could bolster efforts for Canadian opioid class action
October 23, 2020 by Anita Balakrishnan - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – A Canadian class action against opioid makers will start the process of getting certified in a hearing next month, a key test on how courts here will handle a case that is making waves in the U.S. The…
Why this client can only recover $50,000 on a $2.7-million commercial crime claim
October 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAn electronics distributor that lost nearly $2.7-million because its accounts payable staff were duped by fraudsters cannot claim under policy wording covering funds transfer fraud, a Quebec court has ruled. In Future Electronics Inc. (Distribution) Pte Ltd. v. Chubb Insurance…
Former Quebec premier suing government for $1M for privacy violation
October 15, 2020 by The Canadian PressMONTREAL – Former premier Jean Charest is suing the Quebec government for violation of his privacy in connection with an investigation by the province’s anti-corruption unit. The lawsuit filed Friday in Montreal seeks $1 million in punitive damages and $50,000…
Doubling down on specialty
October 2, 2020 by Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorBernard McNulty, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty’s new chief agent for Canada, explains the impact of the pandemic and what changes may be in store
The pandemic-induced change Intact says has ‘proven to work’
September 28, 2020 by Greg MeckbachInsurers who sent most of their employees home to work have demonstrated remote access can indeed work — and even offer co-workers an opportunity to get to know each other’s families better — but it may be challenging over the…
Why Uber Canada dropped Intact as its insurance provider
September 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachRide sharing firm Uber Canada chose Economical as its insurance provider because Uber would not agree to Intact’s pricing, a senior Intact executive said Tuesday. “We had a very good relationship, we just couldn’t agree on the price,” Intact CFO…
Lawsuit filed against makers of Montreal-area dike that burst, flooding town
September 3, 2020 by The Canadian PressMONTREAL – A Montreal-area town says its insurance company is suing the maker of a dike that burst last spring, flooding streets and forcing thousands of residents from their homes. Officials from Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac said Tuesday legal action has been filed…