The cheaper we build our buildings, the more they cost after an earthquake, wildfire or tornado
June 17, 2022 Keith PorterBy Keith Porter, adjunct research professor, civil and environmental engineering, Western University This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original…
One step closer to a National Flood Insurance Program
March 29, 2022 by Alyssa DiSabatinoThe industry is one step closer to getting updated flood maps, and a new national flood insurance program to protect homeowners in high-risk flood zones is in the works, says Canada’s public safety minister. Flood maps are being developed in…
Cat trends: How 2021 deviated from the norm
February 22, 2022 by Jason ContantLast year saw a shift from “normal” catastrophic losses by quarter and even geographical location, data from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) show. Both the third and fourth quarters of 2021 had “well above average” average catastrophes in terms…
What Intact paid for Cats last quarter
January 12, 2022 by Jason ContantIntact paid out an estimated $186 million for catastrophe losses in 2021 Q4, the company reported. “Approximately 55% of the catastrophe losses were in our Canada segment, with half in personal property,” IFC says in a press release. “This mostly…
Canadian insured Cat losses exceed $2 billion — again
January 11, 2022 by Jason ContantCanadian insured losses topped $2 billion for the second year in a row, according to estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). “2021 saw much discussion of a ‘new normal’ for Canadians, but when it comes to insured losses,…
Why the hard market could be unsustainable
September 21, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe Canadian industry’s combined ratio, at 81% so far in 2021, is at a historic low but this is mainly due to a 23% drop in claims and adjustment expenses, from $20.26 billion in the first six months of 2020,…
How to bring the risk of catastrophic events home to your clients
April 9, 2021 by Jason ContantCanada’s property and casualty insurance industry needs to ramp up its public education efforts to bring the risk of catastrophic events home to the Canadian population, speakers said Thursday during the virtual CIP Society Symposium 2021. “I don’t like to…
Feds seek post-pandemic ideas to prepare for next major disaster
March 16, 2021 The Canadian PressOTTAWA – The federal government is looking beyond COVID-19 to prepare for the next large-scale calamity – be it another pandemic, a tsunami or cyberattack. In a notice posted today, Defence Research and Development Canada seeks proposals for studies, technology…
$2 billion is the new $1 billion for insured Canadian NatCat events
January 5, 2021 by Jason ContantInsured losses from natural catastrophes in Canada totalled nearly $2.5 billion last year, Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) reported Monday. “The years where annual catastrophic insured losses were below $1 billion seem to be a thing of the…
Ontario wind storm costs the industry $87 million
December 15, 2020 by Jason ContantAdd $87 million to the more than $2.1 billion that the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry has paid out in claims thus far in 2020. An Ontario windstorm in November hit the Greater Toronto Area, the areas of Hamilton,…
More than one way to define a Cat
September 3, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIf you disagree with a co-worker on exactly what a catastrophe is, both of you could be right. There is no single standard definition of a “Cat,” with the industry’s loss costs — and even media coverage — among the…
Adjusting Calgary’s hailstorm: The rationale for bringing in U.S. Cat adjusters
August 28, 2020 by Greg MeckbachDuring the hail storm this past June that damaged tens of thousands of Alberta homes, adjusting firm CRU Group struggled to find enough qualified independent catastrophe adjusters in Canada, and wound up resorting to bringing in people from the United…