Why this brokerage is not looking to hire insurance experts
September 18, 2018 by Greg MeckbachWhen Matt Alston hires workers for his property and casualty brokerage, he is not looking for a walking encyclopedia of insurance. At Surex Direct, personality “always trumps technical skills and accreditations,” said Alston, Surex Direct’s co-founder and chief operating officer.…
Alberta farmers feel effects of B.C. wildfires, late-summer snowfall
September 18, 2018 Aleksandra Sagan - THE CANADIAN PRESSSome Alberta farmers are concerned about their crops after a late-summer snowfall blanketed parts of the province, with more flurries expected in the forecast. Early season snow can squash crops that grow upright, like wheat and barley, make them harder…
Canada’s best province for flood risk management
June 20, 2018 by Greg MeckbachFive years after Albertans lost billions as a result of record floods, Ontario leads the nation when it comes to keeping properties out of high-risk areas, a catastrophe loss expert contends. “Ontario has been most aggressive at trying to make…
When social media makes sense for insurance correspondence
April 14, 2018 by Greg MeckbachFacebook, Twitter and similar web services can suck up a lot of a worker’s time, but insurance brokers should figure out how to use social media to support the business. “There is nothing supremely special about social media,” said Kat…
Court closes door on homeowner plan to build a basement walkout below a flood line
February 22, 2018 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorA Grande Prairie, Alta.-area property owner who installed a basement door below the one-in-100-year flood line should replace it with a window above the flood line, the Alberta Court of Appeal has ruled, upholding efforts by the municipality to stop…
Fort McMurray wildfire rebuild gaining momentum as hurdles cleared
April 30, 2017 Ian Bickis - THE CANADIAN PRESSCALGARY _ A long-delayed building boom in Fort McMurray is ramping up as homeowners, insurers, contractors, and officials in the Alberta city clear hurdles that hindered reconstruction after the devastating wildfire last May. While many residents and businesses had hoped…
Supply line leak led to fire at Alberta oilsands facility, Syncrude says
March 16, 2017 Dan Healing - THE CANADIAN PRESSFORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – A fire that broke out at a Syncrude oilsands site in northern Alberta was the result of a supply line that broke and leaked light oil, a company spokesman said Wednesday. Crews were allowing the blaze…
Explosion, fire hit Alberta Syncrude oilsands site
March 15, 2017 THE CANADIAN PRESSFORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – Syncrude says most of its workforce has returned to an oilsands site in northern Alberta after an explosion and fire Tuesday. But company spokesman Will Gibson couldn’t say whether production has resumed after a fire erupted…
Class action lawsuit against British hip resurfacing maker can proceed in Alberta
February 8, 2017 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal from medical equipment firm Smith & Nephew plc, paving the way for a class action lawsuit to proceed in Alberta. In 2015, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench denied an…
A Minor Adjustment
January 17, 2017 Emily Atkins, EditorNew name, same service for T&L Adjusters
How to Be Ready for Make or Break Claim Moments
December 8, 2016 Dara Banga, president, DSB ClaimsLast May, someone in remote Alberta started a wildfire that swept through Fort McMurray, took out the power grid, destroyed more than 2,000 homes, traveled 590,000 hectares to Saskatchewan, halted regional oil production, and raged for roughly three months before…
Cleaning Up After the Beast
September 2, 2016 Emily Atkins, EditorA hail of glowing embers bounces off the hood of the pickup creeping in gridlocked traffic. Headlights can’t penetrate the billows of greasy smoke swirling in a hot, heavy wind. As the camera pans, pine trees barely a car-length away…