News

Western Financial Group began the New Year with the announcement that it has acquired a full-service brokerage located in southern Ontario. Western Financial’s latest acquisition of Wiesner Insurance Inc. “adds a significant commercial interest in Ontario,” the large brokerage said…

TORONTO – Ontario businesses were hit with another round of pandemic-related closures and capacity restrictions Wednesday, but details of financial support remained scant as the measures took effect. Restaurants, gyms, cinemas and other indoor venues were forced to close while…

Reinsurance rate increases for catastrophes in Canadian property lines depended on whether the carriers’ portfolios took a hit last year, with 10% to 20% rate increases for catastrophe portfolios that took a loss, and 5% to 10% increases for those…

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) has appointed Erin Magilton as the new risk and broking leader for the brokerage’s Canada region. Magilton has more than 25 years of experience in the risk and broking industry and has held a variety of…

Manitoba’s Court of Appeal has overturned a $348,000 damage award against the province’s auto insurer, finding that the insurer did in fact act in good faith towards a person injured in a collision involving an uninsured auto. In making its…

British Columbia suffered its worst flood in the province’s history in late 2021, causing approximately $450 million in insured damages, according to estimates by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).   Still, the insured damages pale in comparison to Canada’s costliest flood, which…

OTTAWA – An Ontario court has awarded more than $107 million to families of six victims of the Iranian military’s downing of a passenger jet two years ago. The decision made public Monday follows a May ruling that the missile…

Paul Johnstone is now Chubb Canada’s chief operating officer, while Melanie Wilcox will succeed him in his former role as the head of personal risk services in Canada. “Paul and Melanie both bring extensive experience to their new roles,” John…

Tina Osen, President, Hub International Canada One major lesson we have learned is to expect the unexpected. Nothing is a constant and we must be nimble and prepared to pivot quickly. We also learned that transparent, authentic communication with employees, even if it means…

Kenny Nicholls, President and CEO, Western Financial Group We see a real need for Canada to adopt a more harmonized broker licensing structure across the country. That structure would better enable brokers to work from anywhere in Canada and service customers wherever…

Adam Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell & Whale Insurance Brokers There’s no question the pandemic brought unexpected levels of complexity over the past two years, but it has also fast-tracked innovation and the push for much needed modernization in our industry. The world was…

VANCOUVER – Richard Bosma’s cows had been home for less than a week after an evacuation due to flooding in Abbotsford, B.C., before temperatures plummeted on his farm. Bosma, who credits his faith with helping him remain resilient in a…