Why the court says this auto insurer did not properly terminate policy
April 30, 2019 by Greg MeckbachAn auto insurance company cannot necessarily treat a policy as invalid under common law if it discovers the client made a material misrepresentation on the application, the Court of Appeal for Ontario has ruled. In Merino v. ING Insurance Company…
M&A tip: how to avoid acquiring a “data lemon”
April 23, 2019 by Jason ContantInsurance companies or brokerages looking to acquire another company should perform due diligence not just on the financials of the target firm, but also its regulatory vulnerabilities during the M&A process. “The idea is to identify potential data breaches and…
Debate rages over whether a cyber attack is an act of war
April 18, 2019 by Jason ContantCan a cyber attack be considered an act of war? That issue came to light in October of 2018 when international food and beverage company Mondelez International sued its insurer Zurich American Insurance Company for declining coverage to Mondelez following…
How Aviva is simplifying its claims process
April 10, 2019 by Jason ContantAviva Canada has worked with provincial regulators to simplify its products and the claims process for customers. “We’ve done that specifically for [accident benefits], where we got a lot of feedback from customers that the forms were confusing, they didn’t…
The liability risk from climate change
April 9, 2019 by Greg MeckbachLarge companies face liability risk if they emit greenhouse gas emissions, and shareholders are asking directors and officers what they are doing about climate-related risks, a speaker suggested at a recent insurance conference in Toronto. Panelists at the Property and…
Early numbers from privacy commissioners on mandatory breach reporting
April 5, 2019 by Jason ContantThe federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has already seen a four-to-five times increase in the number of breaches reported to its office since the mandatory breach notification requirements came into effect last November. On Nov. 1,…
How climate change affects Canada’s hurricane risk
March 21, 2019 Ryan P. Mulligan, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering, Queen's University - THE CANADIAN PRESSThis 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 site. When tropical cyclone Idai made landfall near Beira, Mozambique…
Latest Canadian statistics on slips and falls on ice
February 28, 2019 Adina Bresge - THE CANADIAN PRESSAll it took was one foul step, and Ahsher Zeldin was in for at least a week of pain. Last Thursday, Zeldin was taking his two dogs out for an early morning stroll in north Toronto when a patch of…
The new, darker social engineering threat
February 28, 2019 by Jason ContantNeed another reason to convince your clients to take a look at cyber insurance? One good starting point is keeping them informed on the latest cyber threats. One such risk is a new, darker strain of social engineering called “sextortion”…
The latest way cyber-criminals are attacking your clients
February 25, 2019 by Jason ContantCyber criminals are adapting their methods by using ransomware in targeted extortions, often with more severe and costly results than indiscriminate attacks. Targeted extortion is when cyber criminals set their sights on a particular, vulnerable organization and look to extort…
How landmark voyeurism ruling impacts insurers
February 22, 2019 by Greg MeckbachIf your client is sued for breach of privacy, the judge could look to last week’s voyeurism ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada for guidance, a privacy lawyer suggests. In R. v. Jarvis, released Feb. 14, the Supreme Court…
OSFI provides guidance on reporting cyber incidents
February 12, 2019 by Jason ContantMonths after Canada’s mandatory data breach notification law came into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is now providing guidance on when to report cyber incidents to the financial regulator. In an…