Canadian Underwriter

Flushing a toilet
News Insurance

Will insurance cover deductible when toilet overflows?

August 21, 2023 Philip Porado

A strata apartment owner is entitled to collect a deductible from the owner of the unit above his own, following a toilet overflow that caused substantial damages to his apartment, British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) has determined. In Meier

Mouse infiltration damages water lines
News ClaimsInsurance

Did negligence cause mice ingress and water leaks?

February 6, 2023 Philip Porado

A British Columbia condo owner failed to show a strata corporation breached its duty to repair and maintain the irrigation system or the building’s waterproofing membrane. In Yoon v. The Owners, Strata Plan, the applicant, Bori Yoon, claimed the strata negligently

The River Canard waterway in LaSalle, Ontario
News Insurance

Where home insurance premiums are trending upwards in 2022

July 8, 2022 by Jason Contant

LaSalle, Ont., has the highest home insurance premiums in the province right now, whereas Ajax, Ont., offers the least expensive home insurance premiums, according to the latest data from rate comparison site RatesDotCa. On average, home insurance premiums in Ontario

The small town of Okotoks was hit hard by the June floods of 2013, with the river valley rushing and raging through wiping out pedestrian bridges, campgrounds, river banks and pathways.
News Commercial LinesInsuranceRisk

How to help clients mitigate water damage risk

August 17, 2021 Canadian Underwriter Staff

With water damage claims due to infrastructure failures costing the industry much more per year than natural catastrophes, brokers need to be more proactive in helping clients understand coverages and risk mitigation strategies. Infrastructure and plumbing related water damage is

News InsuranceRisk

Northbridge reveals your client’s biggest risk of commercial property water damage

March 10, 2020 by Greg Meckbach

Improper installation of pipes and connections is one of the biggest risks your clients face when it comes to water losses, Northbridge Insurance suggests. “Most water damage losses occur as a result of faulty workmanship. If contractors improperly install pipes

News EngineeringInsurance

The new trend for handling disputed property claims

June 24, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

What happens when your client’s property is damaged and the insurer disagrees with the claimant on how much work is needed to restore it? Some of these claims disputes can result in lawsuits, when the claimant brings the insurer to

News BrokersInsuranceLegislation / Regulation

Brokerage fined for rebating premium to unhappy client

June 3, 2019 by David Gambrill

A Manitoba brokerage recently found itself in hot water with the regulator for rebating premium money to a dissatisfied client. Insurance Council of Manitoba ruled that Donbar Agency Limited, which operates as Crossroads Insurance, should not have rebated an unhappy

News InsurancePaid

Paid IoT Solutions and Claims Reductions

May 17, 2019 Eddy Solutions

At just after 10 am on an average Thursday morning, a 20-floor apartment building in downtown Toronto experienced a leak in their riser stack between the 5th and 6th floor. The leak was detected by an IoT sensor system, which

News AdjustersClaimsClaims CanadaClimate ChangeRestoration

The challenges of assessing seasonal home damage

May 13, 2019 by Adam Malik

Despite being told flooding in Ontario’s Cottage Country back in 2013 was one-in-100-years event, area businesses and residents are cleaning up from a second and more widespread flooding incident in less than a decade. Climate is playing a key role

News Restoration

What’s closed in Victoria after commercial fire

May 9, 2019 THE CANADIAN PRESS

VICTORIA, B.C. – Days after flames tore through a vacant hotel in Victoria, one man is still missing and smoke lingers, forcing the closure of city hall and several other businesses. The fire in the former Victoria Plaza Hotel has

News EngineeringTechnology

How kitty litter can impact insured property losses

May 8, 2019 by Greg Meckbach

While spring rains and thawing have caused overland flooding of Biblical proportions, drain backups are also the bane of some insurers’ existence. In multi-storey commercial and residential buildings, drain backups are the number one cause of damage, said Adam Bartman,

News BrokersClaims

‘It’s triage now’: Cottage Country brokers deal with flood fallout

May 6, 2019 by Adam Malik

Brokers in Ontario’s Muskoka region are calling the recent flooding event the worst disaster they’ve ever seen. Both Stephen Darling, president at A.W. Shiers Insurance Brokers, and Adam Caswell, owner of Hutcheson Reynolds & Caswell, said damage is greater and