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Winds affecting Vancouver area could damage property

December 14, 2018 THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER – Powerful winds are set to sweep British Columbia on Friday with gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour in some areas. Environment Canada has posted wind warnings for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and parts of

News ClaimsInsurance

Single-vehicle bus collision injures 16 in British Columbia

November 2, 2018 THE CANADIAN PRESS

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – A bus carrying workers to a sawmill crashed Thursday afternoon north of Prince George, sending 16 people to hospital, three of them in critical condition. BC Emergency Health Services says one person was in serious condition

News ClaimsInsurance

Higher speed limits increased auto claims 43% in this province

October 29, 2018 by Jason Contant

Increased rural highway speed limits in British Columbia had “large and statistically significant” increases in total insurance claims, injury claims and fatal crashes, a recent study has found. Over the course of the study, there were annual averages of 265,187

News ClaimsLegal

Appeal court nixes $100K awarded for lost income

October 10, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

A plaintiff who was injured in an auto accident has had her award cut by $100,000 because she is not entitled to compensation for loss of income, the British Columbia Court of Appeal has ruled. Yi Gao sued Brian Dietrich

News CatastrophesClaimsClimate Change

Why your clients are increasingly exposed to wildfire losses

September 28, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

Climate change has turned the risk of wildfire into a year-round peril in Western Canada, a geography expert says. In the past, wildfire season started in April or May and ended some time in October, said Dominic Ford, senior geospatial

News Claims

Third spill of sulphuric acid reported in Trail, B.C.

September 24, 2018 The Canadian Press

TRAIL, B.C. – The movement of sulphuric acid by truck through a southeastern British Columbia city has been halted while officials try to determine why there has been a third leak of the corrosive liquid in less than six months.

News Claims

B.C. cancels wildfire state of emergency, thousands still evacuated

September 7, 2018 The Canadian Press

VICTORIA – The British Columbia government has cancelled the state of emergency it declared in August when hundreds of wildfires engulfed the province. The government says cooler weather and progress in containing the forest fires means the powers granted under

News Catastrophes

B.C. wildfire not expected to grow further

September 4, 2018 Spencer Harwood - THE CANADIAN PRESS

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – British Columbia’s wildfire service says precipitation and favourable weather have allowed it to contain one of the province’s largest active wildfires, more than a month after it was initially discovered. After growing to more than 900

News ClaimsInsuranceLegal

End of the line for auto injury lawsuit over restaurant tip income

July 13, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

A former restaurant server who sought a $3.8-million award after being hit by a car has lost her bid to have her lawsuit heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada announced Thursday it has dismissed

Feature Claims CanadaInsurance

Claims, Interrupted

May 8, 2018 Shane Swinson, SVP, insurance portfolio, FirstOnSite Restoration

Why a new breed of storms paves a new course for claims managers

News InsuranceLegislation / Regulation

Risks your client faces if it buys a former gas station

May 1, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

The owner of a “brownfield” polluted commercial property in British Columbia has lost its bid to have the property considered worthless for tax purposes. Victory Motors (Abbotsford) Ltd., situated about 80 kilometres east of Vancouver, owns commercial property that was

News CatastrophesInsurance

New method can predict where lightning will spark wildfires

March 12, 2018 THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY – Apparently lightning can strike the same place twice after all. A study by researchers at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering suggests it’s possible to predict where lightning will strike and how often. They say satellite