Claims

Clear policy exclusion wins the day in class action against credit union

A clear exclusion pertaining to fees and commissions in a credit union’s professional liability policy means Liberty International Underwriters will not have to defend a British Columbia credit union against a class-action lawsuit related to machine charges outside of Canada. Coast Capital Savings Credit Union sought to take the B.C. Court of Appeal decision to the […]

By Greg Meckbach | July 8, 2018

2 min read

Claims

Truck driver criminally charged in Humboldt Broncos bus crash

The driver of a transport truck faces 29 criminal charges in a fatal collision that killed 16 people, including 10 players, with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Thirteen other players were injured. RCMP say Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, 29, is accused of dangerous driving causing death as well as causing bodily injury. He was arrested […]

By Jason Contant | July 7, 2018

3 min read

Claims

The evolving nature of business interruption

In the face of climate change, cyber risks, and mass terror plots affecting entire regions and sometimes economic sectors, business interruption coverage is a challenging coverage to both write and adjust. This challenge is multi-faceted and directly impacted by global trends resulting in evolving both the insurance products on the market and the risk and […]

July 6, 2018

6 min read

Claims

Court finds coverage for subcontractors when broad policy provision included by accident

A B.C. court has found that a design-build contractor and an architectural and engineering firm are both entitled to coverage under a Lloyd’s Underwriters policy that included a broad provision to insure “any firm(s)” providing “professional services” to a B.C. hospital parkade project. Lloyd’s argued before court that this broad provision, Clause 3, was included […]

By David Gambrill | July 5, 2018

3 min read

Neighbours’ spat over flooding, catch-basin access leads to $100,000 court award

The owner of a property with a non-functioning catch-basin has to pay her neighbour more than $100,000 because flooding prevented the neighbour from renting apartments, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled last week. Terrence and Matilda Berg own a building in Tottenham, about 20 kilometres east of the Hockley Valley Resort. Marilyn Marks, who […]

2 min read

How the pieces of the puzzle fit together during a catastrophe

Following a catastrophe, policyholders are best served when adjusters and contractors adhere to their professional limitations in managing a loss, an industry executive said Tuesday. Jim Eso, senior vice president of property and casualty with Crawford and Company (Canada) Inc., told Canadian Underwriter that the roles of contractors and independent adjusters are clear based on […]

3 min read

How Canada fares on rail risk five years after Lac-Mégantic

There is room for improvement in managing railway risk, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada suggested in a release marking the fifth anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, tragedy. For years, TSB has been calling for more ways to stop trains, be they unattended runaway trains, or trains whose crews did not follow visual signals to […]

2 min read

Novel concept of ‘impaired by distraction’ quashed by Supreme Court of Canada

Driving while engrossed in a heated conversation may be a form of distraction, but is not a form of impairment, the Supreme Court of Canada suggested in a divided ruling released Friday. In May 2013, a toddler died after an SUV smashed into a restaurant at an Edmonton strip mall. Court records indicate Richard Suter […]

4 min read

What happened to the broker caught cheating on her CAIB 3 exam

A B.C. broker caught cheating on her CAIB 3 broker licensing exam has had her general and life insurance licenses suspended for a year. The Insurance Council of B.C. noted the broker was not deceptive when confronted about her behaviour. She admitted she had accessed her notes online during the exam process when she was […]

3 min read

Hundreds of New Brunswick flood victims still out of homes months after deluge

FREDERICTON – Hundreds of people remain out of their homes in New Brunswick months after historic floodwaters swept through the province, destroying buildings and inundating highways. Bill Lawlor, director of the Canadian Red Cross in New Brunswick, said Tuesday that 120 people are still in emergency accommodations while others have made alternate living arrangements until […]

3 min read