Alberta bill would protect health workers, care homes from some COVID-19 lawsuits
April 23, 2021 Dean Bennett – THE CANADIAN PRESSEDMONTON – Alberta has introduced a bill that would give legal protection to health workers, including long-term care-home operators, facing lawsuits over COVID-19. Richard Gotfried, a United Conservative backbencher, says the proposed legislation offers protection but is not a free…
Focus has been on staff health, but what about the leaders?
April 22, 2021 by Adam MalikLeaders at property and casualty insurance organizations need to make sure they are taking care of themselves during the ongoing pandemic crisis, because if they’re not, they won’t be of much help to their staff, panellists said during a recent…
COVID’s effect on Canadian auto and property rates
April 22, 2021 by Jason ContantEndorsements to auto policies as a result of changing driving habits from COVID-19 are resulting in average premium rate renewal decreases across most of the country, according to Applied Systems’ latest rating index report. Personal property rates, on the other…
Webinar: Commercial lines post-COVID
April 20, 2021 by Canadian UnderwriterTo view Canadian Underwriter’s full webinar series, please fill in the following information for immediate access: Webinar Access Name* First Last Email* Zip/Postal Code* Phone*Organization* Job Title* What is the business of the organization you work for?*Choose One…Independent Insurance BrokerageInsurance…
Should the Canadian P&C industry be concerned about BI court cases?
April 16, 2021 by Adam MalikFor now, little evidence exists that courts will adjudicate against Canada’s property and casualty insurers in litigation related to business interruption claims stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an industry executive. At the recent CIP Society Symposium 2021 virtual…
New Brunswick premier urges truck drivers to get a COVID 19 vaccination
April 14, 2021 Kevin Bissett, The Canadian PressFREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s premier is urging truck drivers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, but the head of a regional trucking association says it’s not that simple. Blaine Higgs told reporters Tuesday only about 800 of…
The quaint ‘killer app’ that helps brokers talk to underwriters remotely
April 13, 2021 by Greg MeckbachNot all meetings during a pandemic need to be structured around a videoconference call, commercial insurance experts said during a recent webinar. “I think we all have to be cautious about just loading up our entire agenda with Zoom calls…
Why certain commercial sub-segments are facing pricing, capacity crunch
April 12, 2021 by Greg MeckbachToday’s hard market is different not only because of COVID-19 but also because insurers are more granular in their approach towards specific segments within the commercial market, experts suggested Monday during a Canadian Underwriter webinar. “In some industries [i.e. commercial…
Households expect return to pre pandemic spending within a year, Bank of Canada says
April 12, 2021 Jordan Press, The Canadian PressOTTAWA — Canadian household spending will eclipse earnings in the coming months as vaccinations increase and uncertainty from the pandemic recedes, The Bank of Canada said in a report released Monday. The central bank says the gap between spending and…
Etiquette for asking if your employees are vaccinated
April 9, 2021 by Greg MeckbachAsking your workers whether or not they got their COVID-19 vaccine shot is not necessarily a good idea. “If you are going to require employees to disclose their vaccination status, you need to consider the nature of the workplace,” said…
Pandemic will cost the global P&C industry more than $250 billion: Lloyd’s
April 7, 2021 by Greg MeckbachThe pandemic will cost the global insurance industry at least US$200 billion, Lloyd’s predicts. “We estimate that the global insurance industry will pay around US$203 billion in claims and due to a reduction in asset values as a result of…
Number of suspicious claims “at an all-time” high during COVID: RSA
April 6, 2021 by Jason ContantEven though claims volume has significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of claims flagged for possible fraud investigation remains comparable to pre-pandemic levels, RSA told Canadian Underwriter last week. “From RSA’s perspective… this indicates [claims] with concerning loss…