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News ConstructionRestoration

Condo deductible dispute arises from 60-gallon flood

November 19, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

When a store on the main floor of a condo building suffered $25,000 in losses from a flood, the strata corporation was on the hook for the $5,000 deductible. The strata corporation tried to recover the $5,000 deductible from a

News AdjustersClaimsInsurance

How business interruption claims could play out in the legal marijuana space

November 8, 2018 by Jason Contant

Supply challenges associated with marijuana legalization in Canada will lead to potentially costly business interruption (BI) and contingent business interruption (CBI) claims, an adjusting firm told Canadian Underwriter Tuesday. Because it’s an emerging market, there are a limited number of

News AdjustersClaimsInsuranceMarkets / Coverages

Why marijuana plant value is so important for adjusters

November 7, 2018 by Jason Contant

Claims adjusters handling recreational cannabis claims will need to consider the value of the plant at any given time in the growing process to determine actual loss, an independent adjusting firm said Tuesday. Potential cannabis greenhouse loss is much greater

News Climate ChangeInsuranceRestoration

The home insurance exclusion your clients probably don’t know about

September 10, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

Knowing what their property insurance actually covers is a “big missing link” in teaching homeowners how to manage flood risk. “Most people have no idea that you can’t get seepage coverage in most cases,” Cheryl Evans, director of the home

News InsuranceLegislation / Regulation

How cannabis legalization could re-word home insurance policies

August 29, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

If carriers do what one insurance defence lawyer advises, your clients could get new exclusionary language in their home insurance policies as a result of cannabis legalization. Insurers who are concerned about the risk of fire and burglary arising from

News AdjustersClaimsInsurance

Flood report: The city that saw a month’s worth of rain in under three hours

August 8, 2018 by Jason Contant

A “pocket storm” that dumped a month’s worth of rain on the City of Toronto in less than three hours Tuesday night has resulted in mostly sewer back-up and flooding claims, with few commercial losses, according to claims adjuster ClaimsPro.

News AdjustersClaimsInsuranceMarkets / CoveragesRestoration

How much it cost the industry when baseball-sized hail hit western Canada

July 23, 2018 by Jason Contant

A severe storm that affected parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in mid-June resulted in more than $90 million in insured damage, according to data released by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). Strong winds and large hail – in some

News ClaimsInsuranceMarkets / CoveragesTechnology

How a $395 gadget can prevent a $43,000 flood claim

July 16, 2018 by David Gambrill

Amid a wave of sump pumps, backwater valves and other methods designed to keep home basements dry comes a new, simple way to mitigate flood risk – an e-sensor. George Tsintzouras, CEO and co-founder of Canadian water tech company Alert

News Brokers

Fine for broker in business interruption coverage mix-up

July 13, 2018 by David Gambrill

A $500 fine against a Manitoba broker illustrates the importance of documenting conversations with a client when advising on business interruption coverage in a commercial insurance policy. The broker, Edward Tetrault, provided a quote to his commercial business client on

Feature Claims CanadaInsurance

Restoration Myth-Busting – Three-day drying Part 2

July 11, 2018 Kris Rzesnoski, vice-president, business development, Encircle

In the last article we talked about three-day drying as a myth that is not supported by the restoration industry. We also discussed the change in science from the 2000s to today and how it has opened insurers to expanded

News ClaimsInsurance

Beware of this water-related risk excluded by CGL

July 9, 2018 by Greg Meckbach

If water damage is top of mind for property insurers, does this mean mold is covered by a commercial general liability policy? Not necessarily. Commercial brokers should make sure they aware of exclusions in CGL policies that would prevent their

Feature Claims CanadaInsurance

Rise of the Machines

June 11, 2018 Mazen Habash, president and consulting forensic engineer, Origin and Cause

Appliance Fire and Flood Claims – Part 1