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Ottawa loosens eligibility requirements on pandemic relief for businesses, workers

December 24, 2021 Tara Deschamps - THE CANADIAN PRESS

Canada’s federal government offered a lifeline to businesses struggling amid the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding eligibility for two benefit programs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several members of his cabinet announced Wednesday that, due to the

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Small businesses grappling with Omicron, after two years of closures and restrictions

December 23, 2021 Tara Deschamps - THE CANADIAN PRESS

As the December holidays neared, the Old Triangle alehouses across the Maritimes were bustling with Christmas parties and diners revelling in the festive season. But that energy vanished in recent days as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 raged across Canada

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Travellers should check insurance coverage twice amid changing rules, experts say

December 20, 2021 Brett Bundale - THE CANADIAN PRESS

Travel industry experts are warning Canadians to double check their insurance coverage before embarking on a trip this holiday season amid tightening travel restrictions. Holiday travel has been upended by the latest COVID-19 variant sweeping the globe, prompting some travellers

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Drought, wildfires, COVID-19 drive up Saskatchewan deficit to record $2.7B

December 2, 2021 Mickey Djuric - THE CANADIAN PRESS

REGINA – Saskatchewan’s latest financial report says drought, wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic have heavily contributed to what is projected to be a record deficit. The mid-year report released Monday shows a deficit of $2.7 billion, an increase of $97

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Canadian travel insurance quotes surge year-over-year

November 25, 2021 by Jason Contant

Travel insurance quotes have surged nearly 300% year-over-year as pandemic restrictions ease and Canadians are eager to travel again, according to a new report from rate comparison site RATESDOTCA. The rate aggregator analyzed data from thousands of quotes from its

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What OSFI’s insurance head says about return-to-work

November 19, 2021 by Greg Meckbach

Staff retention, professional development and the risk of worker isolation are among the factors the industry needs to think about when deciding on an approach to working remote or in the office. “As the pandemic eases and restrictions are lifted,

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Border-crossing vaccine mandate adds to driver shortages, supply chain concerns

November 17, 2021 Canadian Underwriter Staff

Brokers are struggling to support their transportation clients as a new border-crossing vaccine mandate adds to driver shortages and supply chain concerns for an industry that’s already grappling with a host of prolonged concerns, a broker has said. The recent

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How Willis Canada is handling remote work

November 12, 2021 by Greg Meckbach

Adopting a hybrid work model makes sense for Willis Towers Watson Canada because the brokerage’s leaders learned it could trust employees who were working remotely. “We saw that during the pandemic, our productivity actually increased,” said Ofelia Isabel, managing director,

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Brokers adapting to pandemic, hard market adversity

November 8, 2021 Jeff Buckstein

Brokers have adapted well to the unprecedented challenges posed by the worst global pandemic in more than a century, on top of a hard insurance market, according to the Trusted Advisor 2021 survey by Canadian Underwriter. Brokers are “a very

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Get your brokers back to the office: BFL CEO

November 4, 2021 by Greg Meckbach

Barry Lorenzetti is encouraging you to get your brokers back to the office and if you disagree, don’t hesitate to contact him for a public debate. “It’s not as if COVID is going away and we will shut off COVID

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Risk management more important than ever to middle market firms, yet few turn to brokers for advice: Chubb report

October 22, 2021 Canadian Underwriter Staff

Risk management has become a top concern for middle market companies surveyed following more than a year of pandemic and other related business disruption, data from Chubb has shown. According to Chubb’s Middle Market Indicator for Q2 2021, which surveyed

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Small businesses warn of layoffs, closures if pandemic aid isn’t extended

October 21, 2021 The Canadian Press

OTTAWA – Business groups in Canada are warning that ending federal pandemic-relief programs too soon could send shock waves through the economy. Cutting off wage and rent subsidies as planned on Saturday will force many businesses to reduce their hours,