Precipitation in June will likely determine the severity of this year’s wildfire season in western Canada, says Glenn McGillivray, managing director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR). Although it may seem like a quiet start to the year with only one catastrophe declared in 2024 Q1, the average number of Cat events in […]
By Jason Contant | May 6, 2024
3 min read
When a motor vehicle collision involves a public transit bus, many factors play into reconstructing injuries that may have occurred. And those factors centre around the differences between transit vehicles and conventional vehicles, such as passenger cars or light trucks. First, there’s braking. Most transit buses have longer ‘brake lag’ than conventional vehicles because they’re […]
By Phil | May 6, 2024
4 min read
London Drugs is gradually reopening its stores across Western Canada more than a week after a cybersecurity breach forced the retailer to close. The company says it is working with independent cybersecurity experts to securely bring its systems back online after it was discovered April 28. The Richmond, B.C.-based pharmacy and retailer operates about 80 […]
By Jason Contant | May 6, 2024
1 min read
B.C. libraries have been targeted by a hacker who demanded a ransom or they would release user data that includes the phone numbers and email addresses of some clients. The Cariboo Regional District says its library was among those involved, and data was obtained about users who received automated notifications from the library between March […]
By Jason Contant | May 3, 2024
1 min read
Lengthy wait times for auto repairs over the past three years, sparked by supply chain problems and other factors, have cost insurers a bundle, especially if clients have generous allocations for rental cars. Over the past few months, emerging evidence suggests those extended rental times have led to secondary claims being reported by adjusters – […]
By Phil | May 3, 2024
3 min read
British Columbia’s auditor general says his office is doing a review of the province’s response to the 2021 wildfire that devastated the community of Lytton, B.C. Michael Pickup says in a video statement that the report will focus on the B.C. government’s roles and responsibilities for disaster recovery, its support for Lytton, including funding, challenges […]
By Jason Contant | May 2, 2024
2 min read
A very strong fourth quarter in 2023 turned an ‘average at best’ year into quite a good year for Canada’s P&C insurance companies, according to a new report from the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACICC). “Reflecting on the historical record and recent year’s performance, it would be accurate to say that Canada’s P&C […]
By Jason Contant | May 2, 2024
3 min read
Canadian home and auto insurance premium rates continue to increase year over year, per the 2024 Q1 results in the Applied Rating Index. “We continue to watch the market trends as premium renewal rates for both personal auto and personal property increased in the double digits year over year,” says Steve Whitelaw, senior vice president […]
By David Gambrill | May 2, 2024
2 min read
Canada’s auto theft crisis remains in full swing, with some insurers reporting cases of consumers having the same vehicle make and model stolen multiple times. “This isn’t just an isolated case,” says Daniel Ivans, a RatesDotCa insurance expert and licensed insurance broker. “Anecdotally, we are hearing of a growing number of instances of insurers paying […]
By Jason Contant | May 1, 2024
3 min read
Ottawa’s slow progress to remediate contaminated sites in the North is leaving Indigenous Peoples at risk and raising the government’s own financial liability for the polluted areas, environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco said Tuesday in a new audit. DeMarco’s probe found that the government’s liability for contaminated sites increased by $7 billion since 2005, when the […]
By Jason Contant | May 1, 2024
4 min read