Ontario nursing homes badly prepared for COVID-19 pandemic, auditor general says
April 28, 2021 Colin Perkel - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – Ontario’s nursing homes were woefully unprepared for the onslaught of COVID-19 – the culmination of years of neglect and failure to address known problems, the province’s auditor general said on Wednesday. In a special report, Bonnie Lysyk took…
Supreme Court of Canada considers municipal liability in snow removal decisions
April 8, 2021 by Greg MeckbachMunicipalities are not liable for “policy decisions” on matters such as snowplowing, but lawyers disagree on exactly what kind of a “policy decision” could shield a government from liability in a personal injury lawsuit. “Back home in Newfoundland, when there…
Plaintiff loses right to sue after slip-and-fall on a sanded sidewalk
March 23, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA recent Supreme Court of Canada decision means a slip-and-fall lawsuit against an Alberta school board is dismissed. Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2013, Angelina Hannam slipped and fell on a sidewalk outside River Heights Elementary School in…
The lesson for risk managers in this breach-of-contract lawsuit
February 17, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling in a breach-of-contract lawsuit means risk managers need to be careful about drafting agreements that give parties discretionary powers, a Toronto-based litigation lawyer warns. Wastech Services Ltd. v. Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage…
Class-action suit filed over alleged orphanage abuse
February 10, 2021 Laura Dhillon Kane - THE CANADIAN PRESSVANCOUVER – A Catholic order shuffled known abusers from a notorious Newfoundland orphanage to two schools in the Vancouver area where more boys were victimized, a lawsuit alleges. A proposed class-action suit filed Monday in British Columbia Supreme Court says…
Get ready for a ‘multi-year correction’ upwards in commercial insurance pricing
February 2, 2021 by Greg MeckbachDespite consecutive quarters of double-digit increases in specialty lines, commercial insurers are likely to continue raising your clients’ premiums even further in the coming years, a Bermuda insurance CEO warns. “While the pricing momentum we are seeing in both insurance…
Church’s liability to victims confirmed as legal battle over Mount Cashel abuse ends
January 18, 2021 Sarah Smellie - THE CANADIAN PRESSST. JOHN’S, N.L. – The Supreme Court of Canada has refused a bid by the Roman Catholic archdiocese in St. John’s to appeal a ruling that found it liable for sexual abuse at the former Mount Cashel orphanage. Thursday’s court…
What Supreme Court says about liability risk for contract breach
January 11, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling in favour of a property maintenance firm has several liability risk management takeaways when it comes to contracting for commercial clients. C.M. Callow Inc. had property maintenance contracts in 2012-14 for a group…
Why it took four years to add snow removal contractor as a defendant in this slip-and-fall claim
January 4, 2021 by Greg MeckbachA landscaping firm with a contract to spread salt and sand during the winter has been added as a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit in Ontario more than four years after an alleged slip-and-fall accident. 1323765 Ontario Inc., which…
How family protection endorsement works when multiple tortfeasors liable
December 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA Court of Appeal for Ontario ruling that reduced an Ontario auto insurer’s liability by more than $500,000 is now final. The Supreme Court of Canada announced Dec. 10 it will not hear an appeal from Gregory Tuffnail, who was…
What brokers need to do to place hospitality coverage
December 16, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWhen it comes to the hospitality sector, insurers’ risk appetites are constantly changing and underwriters are especially concerned about clients who get most of their revenue from alcohol, a managing general agent reports. “A broker has to spend a lot…
How AIG stick-handled this liability coverage dispute
December 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA Court of Appeal for Ontario ruling in favour of AIG Insurance Company of Canada, over a coverage dispute arising from an injury to a spectator at a hockey arena, is now final. The Supreme Court of Canada recently announced…