Claims

How much these four Alberta cats cost insurers in 2020

Four Alberta catastrophes this year have cost insurers a grand total of about $2 billion, the Insurance Bureau of Canada confirmed this week. A hailstorm June 13, affecting mainly northeast Calgary, topped the list as it caused about $1.2 billion in insured damages. Quoting Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), IBC noted Tuesday that April […]

By Greg Meckbach | September 10, 2020

2 min read

Supreme Court of Canada paves way for insurers’ medical examiner’s lawsuit

A $15-million defamation lawsuit by an insurers’ medical examiner against an Ontario-based personal injury lawyer is going to trial, the Supreme Court of Canada announced in a divided ruling released Thursday. Dr. Howard Platnick “deserves to have his day in court to potentially vindicate his reputation,” Justice Suzanne Côté wrote for the majority in Bent […]

By Greg Meckbach | September 10, 2020

3 min read

Industry needs ‘to find a solution’ to this claims adjusting problem

Something needs to be done to make it easier to let Canadian claims adjusters work outside their home province in the event of a disaster, speakers suggested on a recent webinar. “It’s generally understood that it’s easier to bring U.S. adjusters up to Canada than it is to bring adjuster across provincial boundaries in the […]

By Greg Meckbach | September 9, 2020

3 min read

Why these home buyers won a $100,000 lawsuit

A recent Ontario court ruling arising from a major structural defect in a cottage country home shows why a homeowner should get the vendor to complete a seller property information sheet (SPIS) before agreeing to a purchase. “The law can provide remedies for the misrepresentation of home defects even many years after the fact,” Toronto […]

By Greg Meckbach | September 8, 2020

4 min read