Storms in Saskatchewan and Alberta cost $120 million: CatIQ
September 27, 2021 by Jason ContantTwo storms this summer across Saskatchewan and Alberta caused a total of $120 million in insured damage, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). Severe storms beginning Aug. 31 brought flash flooding and large hail that…
Progress report: Canada-wide flood mapping is well underway
June 16, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA nationwide estimate of coastal, pluvial, and fluvial flood hazard is one part of the ongoing effort to come up with a national approach to insuring or re-locating homes at high risk of flood, a federal government official suggests. Flood…
Where Canada sits with national low-cost residential flood insurance
June 10, 2021 by Greg MeckbachSix possible flood insurance models for homes at high risk of flood are about to go through an actuarial review, a federal government official suggests. The Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation is going to hand off those possible…
What insurers aren’t passing on to their clients
March 9, 2021 by Adam MalikCanadian consumers are still foggy about the purpose and content of their home, auto and business insurance, and the onus is on the industry to help them understand, a pair of industry executives said during a recent webinar. Discussions with…
Advice from the U.S.: Canada needs exit strategy from national flood
March 4, 2021 by Greg MeckbachCanada needs to proceed with caution if it wants to establish a taxpayer-supported program to write flood insurance for high-risk homes, an American speaker warned the Canadian P&C industry during CatIQ Connect. “Be very careful with a federal flood insurance…
What’s making it harder to estimate property Cat claims
February 17, 2021 by Greg MeckbachRecent price increases in building materials means it is harder than normal to predict the cost of repairing property damage, restoration experts say. Restoration contractor Peak Services handled several thousand claims after the June 13, 2020, record hail storm in…
How COVID-19 has affected repair of vehicles from hail
February 12, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe COVID-19 pandemic has created some barriers to repairing vehicle and property damage – including a shortage of auto body parts, and a labour shortage impacted by Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) recipients who are reluctant to return to work,…
Will NatCats cause your business clients to leave hot spots?
February 1, 2021 by Adam MalikAfter going through a wildfire and multiple flooding events over the last few years, it’s reasonable to believe that businesses are re-thinking about being in Fort McMurray, Alta., says a Canadian P&C insurance executive. The executive’s comment applies to more…
$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…
How Ottawa is trying to lower earthquake related property losses
December 7, 2020 by Greg MeckbachNatural Resources Canada is hoping to help insurers cut their loss costs with a yet-to-be released earthquake early warning system. The warning system could provide seconds to tens of seconds of warning before a location is affected by strong shaking,…
Wildfire damage is not like a Godzilla attack. Why that matters to Cat modellers
December 7, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA client’s structure can remain standing after a wildfire, even when other buildings in the same neighbourhood burn down, because dozens of factors affect a property’s risk, experts said Thursday during a webinar. “The interesting thing about wildfire is [that]…
Industry urged to get high-quality data into the hands of decision-makers
December 4, 2020 by Adam MalikGetting consistent, high-quality scientific data into the hands of decision makers can protect people from the fallout of bad choices leading up to a catastrophe, such as what’s happened in Fort McMurray, Alta., a catastrophic data expert says. But it…