Segment
Claims
Northern Lights
May 31, 2012 Craig HarrisSCS Insurance Adjusters Ltd. is a family-run adjusting firm with long roots in northern Ontario and deep pride in being independently owned and operated.
Wildfires in Canada
May 31, 2012 Peter Fuglem and Brian StocksMembers of the Slave Lake wildfire review committee put their recommendations in context
Controlling Environmental Remediation Costs
May 31, 2012 Keith Stephen, environmental engineer, Giffin Koerth Inc.Several factors contribute to the complexity of an environmental remediation claim, including site characteristics and contaminant characteristics. Insurers and adjusters should insist on the use of a truly independent environmental consultant to determine the required scope of the remediation and to oversee the remediation activities from an ‘arm’s length’ perspective.
Cross-Border Tort Cases: A Changing Environment
May 31, 2012 Ken MacDonaldThe Supreme Court of Canada has issued rulings in two cases involved Canadian tourists who had accidents at resorts in Cuba during vacations they had arranged in Ontario, and has changed how courts are to decide, in tort cases, whether a they have jurisdiction over non-resident defendants.
Avoid the Ambush! Self-Defense for Insurers
May 31, 2012 Caroline L. MeyerIn a recent decision, the Ontario Divisional Court ruled in favour of an insurer wanting to have a claimant attend a section 42 assessment, leveling the playing field and providing a defence against trial by ambush in the accident arena.
Dog bites insurer
May 31, 2012 byDog bites in the three Canadian provinces in which State Farm operates chewed up slightly more than $1 million in claims costs last year. In 2011, State Farm paid out $917,670 for 25 claims in Ontario, $99,800 for the two…
Severe rainfall causes flooding in Montreal, Thunder Bay
May 31, 2012 byEnvironment Canada reports the rains that flooded Montreal and overwhelmed the city’s sewer system on May 29 had a return period of 1 in 100 years. Close to 47 mm of rain in total fell during a storm that caused…
Summary judgment not applied in Ontario CAT impairment case
May 31, 2012 byThe Ontario Superior Court has derailed a plaintiff’s bid to obtain under new provincial rules for summary judgment a declaration that she suffered a “catastrophic impairment.” Nancy Stewart was severely injured in a motor vehicle accident on Nov. 4, 2005.…
Rainstorm flooding in Montreal has a return period of 1 in 100 years: Environment Canada
May 30, 2012 by Canadian UnderwriterEnvironment Canada reports the rains that flooded Montreal and overwhelmed the city’s sewer system on May 29 had a return period of 1 in 100 years. Environment Canada spokesman André Cantin said 47 mm of rain in total fell during…
Thunder Bay flooding overwhelms sewage treatment facility
May 30, 2012 by Canadian UnderwriterThunder Bay has declared a state of emergency after a rainstorm on May 26-27 unleashed 91 mm on the city in 18 hours, flooding the city’s sewage treatment facility. Seventy-one millimetres fell in the city over a little less than…
EQECAT revises Italian earthquake damage estimates due to aftershocks
May 30, 2012 by Canadian UnderwriterRisk modeling firm EQECAT has increased its estimate of damages from Italy’s May 20 Magnitude 6.0 earthquake to between $375 million and $875 million because of recent aftershocks that hit the Emilia-Romagna region May 29. The two aftershocks, which affected…
Canada’s climate change likely greater than global average: IBC research
May 30, 2012 by Canadian UnderwriterCanada will be on the front lines of temperature changes associated with global warming, with much warmer winters and warmer summers, according to a new research report commissioned by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Key findings of the report,…