What’s New: In Brief (January 22, 2009)

The KRG Children’s Charitable Foundation donated Cdn$2 million to Canadian charities in 2008.
The donation includes a Cdn$1.3-million contribution to the Hospital for Sick Children.
“KRG is in the insurance business and The Hospital for Sick Children represents a giant insurance policy for children and their families,” said Steven Wise, chairman and CEO of the KRG Insurance Group and chairman of KRG Children’s Charitable Foundation.
The Cdn$2-million donation will be divided between the start-up of an in-house Autism Network, Operation Art and various other projects.
“We’ve made huge strides in the past few years understanding the science of autism, but now we have to translate these discoveries to help the families,” said Dr. Stephen Scherer, senior scientist and director of The Centre for Applied Genomics at SickKids and professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. “This will require new resources and fresh creativity, something Steven Wise and the KRG Foundation bring to our team.”
Other donations for the 2008 year included Cdn$250,000 to the TOMORROW Campaign JCC and Cdn$125,000 to Camp Oochigeas.

The Economical Insurance Group (TEIG) has introduced a “green” enhancement to its commercial policies for Mid-market, Expert and EXPRESS accounts.
Effective immediately, the TEIG  Eco-Friendly Enhancement provides a sub-limit of Cdn$50,000 to replace damaged buildings, equipment, and/or stock with more environmentally friendly construction materials and/or more energy efficient equipment.
“In an industry that has been traditionally dependant on paper, it is incumbent upon us to take whatever steps we can to be more environmentally conscious,” says David Crozier, vice-president of commercial insurance at TEIG.
Economical Insurance says it is the first Canadian insurer to offer this service to small and mid-market accounts. There is no additional premium charge for the enhancement.