British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) has dismissed a condo unit owner’s request for $50,000 in punitive damages following sporadic sewer backups over a 20-year period. But the tribunal awarded the owner $3,000 for loss of enjoyment of his unit.…
A sewer backup insurance policy only applies to a flood originating from “within” a dwelling and not from a drain overflow on a sun deck partially exposed to the outdoors, B.C.’s Supreme Court has ruled. In Gill v Wawanesa Mutual…
With overland water damage claims rolling in from major floods across the country, the question still arises: are clients covered?
The flooding last year in Grand Forks, B.C. was a prime example of how an insurance broker provides more than just policy advice and advocacy when disaster strikes. A broker could provide money upfront for additional living expenses, emotional support…
Are carriers taking a consistent approach to covering overland flood? The flood waters sweeping across New Brunswick and Quebec have brought the issue to the forefront. In general, overland flood was not covered in Canada until 2015; only sewer backup…
Five years after massive flooding caused more than $4 billion in uninsured losses in Alberta, more than a dozen insurers representing about three-fourths of Canada’s property insurance market are now covering overland flood. Sixteen insurers representing 77% of the market…
As climate experts forecast more frequent extreme rain events, Toronto is working towards protecting properties by modernizing its storm drainage system. With its Basement Flooding Protection Program, Toronto’s city government brought in a new standard of accommodating a one-in-100-year storm…
Policy makers “need to look more closely” at government programs intended to help people recover from natural disasters, and these programs “may evolve” in the coming years, Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro said Thursday. During question period at Queen’s…
In a paper released Wednesday, Canada’s insurance regulators’ association suggests that insurers need to better educate consumers so they can understand the terms – including limitations, exclusions and deductibles – of their property insurance contracts, while sharing aggregated property risk…
RSA Insurance Group plc reported Wednesday that its net premiums written in Canada during the six months ending June 30 were 5% higher, on a constant rate of exchange basis, than in the same period in 2016. Meanwhile, in Canada,…
Toronto City Council voted Tuesday to authorize staff to enter into a three agreement with ClaimsPro LLP to provide adjusting services to the city. ClaimsPro, owned by SCM Insurance Services Inc., was one of four adjusting firms to respond in…
A tropical moisture system resulting from Hurricane Matthew that swept through Atlantic Canada last month has resulted in over $100 million in insured damage, according to Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). A cold front interacting with Matthew’s tropical…