May windstorm largest insured event in Ontario in five years: CatIQ
June 1, 2018 by Jason ContantThe early May windstorm that struck Ontario and parts of Quebec topped $410 million, the costliest insured event since the 2013 Toronto floods, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) said Friday. The majority of the damage from the windstorm –…
Communities using development permits to reduce risk of wildfire: ICLR
May 31, 2018 by Jason ContantReducing the risk of wildfire, several communities in western Canada are using development permits as a way to address construction of new residential development in the wildland-urban interface, the Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ICLR) noted in a recent report.…
No hard market despite 2017 hurricane losses: Fairfax
May 17, 2018 by Greg MeckbachDespite nearly US$100 billion in hurricane losses in 2017, insurance buyers are not experiencing a hard market like they did after the 2001 terror attacks that brought the World Trade Centre down, the head of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. suggests.…
‘Many more significant losses’ due to climate change: Economical execs
May 11, 2018 by Greg MeckbachClimate change was top of mind Monday for executives at Economical Insurance, which was hit with 11 weather catastrophes in 2017. “Climate change has resulted in many more significant losses from water and wind events,” said Gerald Hooper, a former…
CatIQ releases updated toll of April ice storm damage
May 10, 2018 by Jason ContantThe mid-April ice storm in southern Ontario and Quebec cost insurers more than $190 million, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification (CatIQ) said Thursday. CatIQ has reported more than 15,000 insurance claims, including 1,800 car collisions, due to the storm. Strong winds,…
Ontario, Quebec wind storm to test industry capacity: Crawford
May 8, 2018 by Jason ContantThe wind storm that struck Ontario and Quebec on May 4 and 5 will significantly test the capacity of insurers, independent adjusters, call centres and restoration contractors, Crawford and Company (Canada) Inc. told Canadian Underwriter Monday. Generally speaking, wind claims…
Claims, Interrupted
May 8, 2018 Shane Swinson, SVP, insurance portfolio, FirstOnSite RestorationWhy a new breed of storms paves a new course for claims managers
Ontario ice storm estimated to cost insurers up to $164 million
May 6, 2018 by Greg MeckbachThe historic ice storm in Ontario and Quebec in mid-April could cost the insurance industry more than $150 million in damage claims, Verisk Analytics Inc.’s Property Claim Services unit reported Thursday. PCS’s preliminary estimate of a catastrophe event April 14-16…
Bigger may not always be better to insure
May 3, 2018 by David GambrillSupertall structures, buildings more than 300 metres high or 90 storeys tall, are in vogue right now, raising interesting insurance challenges, according to a recent industry trends report released by the Insurance Institute of Canada. “Increasingly complex high-rise building projects…
Why open reinsurance markets are best for Canada
April 30, 2018 by Greg MeckbachWith the lion’s share of Canadian insurers’ reinsurance coming from outside of Canada, protectionism in the insurance space would not be good for consumers, a lawyer told Canadian Underwriter last week. Some nations – including Thailand, India, China – have…
Early April storm in Ontario, Quebec causes $85 million in insured damage
April 30, 2018 by Jason ContantA windstorm in early April is estimated to have cost insurers more than $85 million, mostly from home insurance claims in Ontario, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). The April 4-5 storm brought severe rain and freezing rain,…
2 reasons why it’s hard to model crop risk in Canada
April 27, 2018 by Jason ContantFluctuating loss ratios and an evolving mix of crops in Canada are two factors contributing to the difficulty in modelling crop risk in the country, AIR Worldwide said recently. Rebecca Arias, the catastrophe modelling firm’s product marketing manager, wrote in…