Claims

3 lessons about brokers’ obligations to insureds

A broker has an obligation to help clients understand policy specifics and avoid coverage gaps, and it’s not necessarily going to save them if the client hasn’t reviewed the policy, the British Columbia Court of Appeal found recently in Alvaro v. InsureBC (Lee & Porter) Insurance Services Inc. The decision provides a cautionary reminder on […]

By Phil | May 6, 2022

3 min read

Claims

Insurance investigators: Be on guard when sharing info with police

Insurance investigators need to be on their guard about sharing information with police, lest they breach their duty of good faith to their insureds, note lawyers for Borden Ladner Gervais, referencing a 2021 Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench decision. The court found an Intact Insurance claims investigator had breached the insurer’s “utmost good faith” to […]

By David Gambrill | May 5, 2022

3 min read

Claims

What disco-era stagflation means for insurers’ bottom lines

Tight supply chains are taking a bite out of GDP numbers, stagnating economies across the globe while simultaneously pushing up prices. For anyone whose memories don’t stretch back to the 1970s, the counterintuitive combination of a stagnating economy and rising prices is uncharted territory. Still, we might be able to avoid partying like it’s 1979. […]

By Phil | May 5, 2022

2 min read

Claims

Construction to begin on flood mitigation project west of Calgary

CALGARY – Nine years after a catastrophic flood caused billions of dollars in damage to parts of Calgary and surrounding communities, work is to begin on a dam to protect the area from rising water in the future. Premier Jason Kenney says the province has awarded a $744-million contract for the Springbank off-stream reservoir to […]

By Jason Contant | May 5, 2022

1 min read

$200K liability limit triggered in suicidal driver’s auto policy

Third-party drivers injured in an accident caused by the criminal action of a suicidal driver cannot claim more than the minimum $200,000 liability limit in the suicidal driver’s policy because of a public policy rule enshrined in the New Brunswick Insurance Act, the province’s appeal court has ruled. The public policy rule is intended to […]

3 min read

Why Barrie’s 2021 tornado damage was “largely preventable”

More than 35 years after a deadly tornado in Barrie, Ont. – the site of another strong tornado last year – the industry is still looking for modernizations to the Ontario Building Code and tornado protection construction practices. “Since before 1985, we have known that for a few hundred dollars a home we could largely […]

4 min read

Alert Ready system expands to floods, fires in B.C., not heat domes

VICTORIA – An automated alert system will be ready to warn British Columbians of spring flooding and summer wildfires but not yet for extreme heat, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Tuesday. Farnworth told a news conference the Alert Ready system is all set for the spring thaw and will be in place by early […]

4 min read

Beware the tax implications of unlicensed insurance

If you’re looking to place a risk through an insurer that’s not licensed to write business in Canada, it’s important to understand the requirements around filing federal and provincial taxes, as well as special broker licenses. Although direct placement with unlicensed insurers is not prohibited in Canada (except in Nova Scotia), it is virtually impossible […]

By Phil | May 3, 2022

3 min read

Good news for Quebec’s D&O insurance market

Quebec has taken a big step towards aligning its duty to defend rules with those of other Canadian provinces, meaning certain insurance contracts in Quebec will be exempt from a legal requirement to pay for insurance defence costs above and beyond policy limits. “This new regulation in Québec is an important step forward and a […]

3 min read

Court sides with Atradius in $5.94-million credit insurance dispute

Ontario’s Superior Court upheld a $100,000 sublimit in an Atradius credit insurance policy dispute, in which the receiver for the bankrupt Eagle Travel Plaza, BDO Canada, claimed the full policy limit of $5.94 million. Before it went bankrupt in 2019, Eagle Travel was a fuel and fleet service provider. It operated a fleet member reward […]

3 min read