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News ClaimsLegalLegislation / Regulation

Why off-road vehicles could get more mileage in Ontario

May 27, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

If you insure off-road vehicles in Ontario, some of those machines could soon be driven more frequently on the road. Bill 107, which would ease restrictions on driving off-road vehicles on municipal roads, passed second reading and was referred Tuesday

News Insurance

Paid 3 Ways Small Businesses Can Stay Compliant Under Federal Privacy Laws

May 27, 2019 David Smagata, DAS

How can small businesses stay compliant under PIPEDA? The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has published various online resources for both individuals and businesses to help better understand their obligations under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document

News ClaimsCommercial LinesInsuranceLegal

Aviva loses $7-million coverage dispute over sexual abuse liability

May 23, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Canada’s top court said today it will not hear an appeal from Aviva Canada of a ruling in favour of a New Brunswick church diocese. L’Évêque catholique romain de Bathurst, a diocese that oversees Roman Catholic parishes in the northeastern

News ClaimsLegal

Bartenders’ liability for impaired driving accidents – civil versus criminal

May 22, 2019 Paola Loriggio - THE CANADIAN PRESS

Legal experts say criminal charges like those laid against a former bar server in connection with a drunk-driving crash that killed two Ottawa-area teens are rare and difficult to prove. Ann Senack, 62, of Greater Madawaska Township, was charged in

News Commercial LinesLegislation / Regulation

Why liability and reputational risk is changing

May 15, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Technology is making it easier for consumers and businesses to move money, but it can also create new liability risks, fraud experts warned Tuesday. “Financial institutions really have to think about their position on liability,” said Jas Anand, senior manager

News InsuranceLegislation / Regulation

How ride-sharing insurance on leased vehicles will change in this province

May 13, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Limiting financial risk to firms that lease out vehicles used for ride sharing is one aim of legislation before Ontario law makers. Right now, the Insurance Act has limits on lessors’ vicarious liability but it “does not account for the

News Earnings / RatingsInsurance

How Fairfax’s Allied World acquisition is working out

May 10, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

Old medical malpractice claims with Allied World Assurance Company are still affecting the bottom line of Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., which bought the majority of Allied World nearly two years ago. With a combined ratio of 102.3%, Zug, Switzerland-based

News Claims CanadaInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

How should employers treat recreational marijuana use?

May 9, 2019 by Jason Contant

Employers should treat marijuana use in the workplace as they would alcohol use, a senior claims professional told Canadian Underwriter Monday. “All of the liability still exists,” said Heather Matthews, senior vice president of Crawford & Company (Canada)’s National Claims

News InsuranceLegal

New judge represented Insurance Bureau at Supreme Court of Canada

May 9, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

A lawyer who represented the Insurance Bureau of Canada at the Supreme Court of Canada in impaired driving cases as been appointed to the bench. Stikeman Elliott LLP partner Nicholas McHaffie was named a Federal Court of Canada judge and

News InsuranceLegislation / Regulation

Is Ontario about to see electronic pink slips?

May 3, 2019 by Jason Contant

Is electronic proof of auto insurance (EPAI) just around the corner in Ontario? Industry scuttlebutt is that the new Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) will allow the use of EPAI this summer, possibly as early as June. Canadian

News ClaimsInsurance

Do your cyber clients have buyer’s remorse?

April 11, 2019 by Jason Contant

Are you spending a lot of time dealing with “coverage leakage” and buyer’s remorse as it relates to cyber insurance? For smaller claims in particular, some clients may not have a cyber policy, but may try to recover out-of-pocket costs

News ClaimsLegalRisk

How this dry cleaner got sued over 50-year-old pollution

April 11, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

An Ottawa dry cleaner is liable for nearly $2 million in environmental clean-up costs resulting from spills that occurred at least 45 years ago, as a result of a Supreme Court of Canada ruling released Thursday. The top court’s ruling