Claims

Canada’s most-exposed flood regions

Quebec has the highest historical average annual loss (AAL) for flood faced by any region across the country, at $861.3 million, but Yukon’s average annual loss per residential address (RA) stands at $925, well above Quebec’s $229 loss per residence. These figures are based on historical data presented during a Flood Task Force Update […]

By Alyssa DiSabatino | June 10, 2022

2 min read

Claims

Which model will Canada’s national flood insurance program follow?

After undergoing actuarial review, two possible flood insurance models are the “most promising” for private-public engagement within the upcoming national flood insurance program, a federal government official suggests. One model is based on a pool for high-risk homeowners, among other components; the second is inspired in part by the Flood Re model in the […]

By Alyssa DiSabatino | June 9, 2022

3 min read

Claims

Caregiving daughter does not ‘reside’ with Mom; not entitled to auto coverage

Whether or not a daughter is entitled to auto insurance coverage under her mother’s OPCF 44R family protection endorsement depends on the facts of the case, and not on whether her mother believes her caregiving daughter ‘resides’ at her place, an Ontario court has ruled. The court sided with Unifund’s application to dismiss the daughter’s […]

By David Gambrill | June 9, 2022

3 min read

Claims

Province, StatsCan partner on fire prevention pilot

VICTORIA – Firefighters in British Columbia will soon have access to information to help identify neighbourhoods where the risk of home fires is greatest in an effort to prevent more needless deaths, says the province’s fire commissioner. The commissioner’s office will partner with Statistics Canada this summer to create an interactive tool that provides statistical […]

By Jason Contant | June 9, 2022

2 min read

Should you attach a dispute-resolution form to a denial letter?

An injured auto driver has lost an appeal against her insurer, which denied benefits a full seven years before she launched her legal challenge against the decision. One notable aspect of the case was whether the claimant received a dispute resolution form when she was first told her benefits would be cut off. The courts […]

3 min read

Is wind the new water?

When a storm hits, it’s no surprise that extreme wind can be a significant driver of insured losses — but wind may actually edge out water as the industry’s costliest weather event, said one industry expert. “From 2008 to last year, if you look at windstorm over that period of time [it] edges out […]

3 min read

Aviva Canada’s eco-friendly approach to claims

Aviva Canada is piloting an eco-friendly claims process, part of its plan to become a net-zero company by 2040. Notably, the company is mobilizing its efforts to respond to climate change by recycling and sorting materials during the claims process. Following the catastrophic flooding in B.C. in late fall last year, for example, Aviva launched […]

3 min read

Remember 1970s stagflation? Why insurers should pay attention to the World Bank

Lingering impacts of COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have magnified a global economic slowdown and raised the risk of stagflation – in which long-term, feeble growth combines with high inflation – the World Bank says in its latest prospects report. Global growth is expected to fall from 5.7% in 2021 to 2.9% in 2022 […]

By Phil | June 7, 2022

2 min read

Becoming better at planning for disasters

If the ongoing flooding in Manitoba and the Ontario/Quebec derecho storm of last month taught us anything, it’s that we must change how we think about natural disasters, argue the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction’s Glenn McGillivray, and PhD candidate Korey Pasch, in an op-ed for the Globe and Mail. “Better plans, processes and procedures before, during […]

3 min read

Evacuations, local state of emergency in northwest B.C. as flood risk rises

VANCOUVER – Evacuation orders have been issued for three small communities in northwestern British Columbia as the flood risk rises across the region. Residents of the Terrace-area communities of Old Remo, New Remo and Usk were ordered out of their homes Sunday evening and told to register at a community centre just east of Terrace. […]

1 min read