Drivers working for rideshare and delivery companies must be careful when setting deductibles on personal auto coverage. And they need to make sure their personal insurers know they’re doing rideshare work and carry the appropriate endorsements. A lot of drivers set their personal auto coverage deductibles around $1,500. But, notes Edward Walker, shared economy practice […]
By Phil | March 15, 2024
3 min read
Canada’s top court has kicked an auto accident benefits dispute back to the Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal, effectively confirming courts have discretion to review decisions from the LAT, even if claimants only have a limited right to appeal LAT decisions. The Supreme Court of Canada also found Friday that the LAT’s 2019 decision in Yatar […]
By David Gambrill | March 15, 2024
4 min read
Maritimers were digging out for days after historic levels of snowfall dropped atop Nova Scotia and P.E.I. in early February. The multi-day storm produced nearly 5 feet of snow in Cape Breton, N.S. Then about two weeks later, Nova Scotians were again dumped on by snow squalls upward of 37 cm in parts of the […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | March 15, 2024
3 min read
QUEBEC — Nearly five years after floods raced through hundreds of Quebec communities and forced thousands from their homes, a major lender’s decision to stop issuing new mortgages in flood zones is the latest challenge for cities trying to adapt to a changing climate. Desjardins Group announced that as of Feb. 1, it would no […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | March 15, 2024
4 min read
BRITISH COLUMBIA — Farmers in British Columbia will get an extra $70 million to replant and strengthen fruit orchards and vineyards after two years of weather-related disasters, says Premier David Eby. The commitment comes after a devastating cold snap in January that is feared to have wiped out almost the entire 2024 wine vintage in […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | March 14, 2024
2 min read
Construction project delays can expose commercial insurers to significant claims costs. Canada’s property and casualty insurance market collected more than $748 million in direct written premiums for surety bonds in 2022, per Canada’s solvency regulator, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. These bonds are designed to guarantee the satisfactory completion of construction projects […]
By Phil | March 13, 2024
5 min read
BRITISH COLUMBIA — The darkness of night has traditionally signalled reprieve for wildland firefighters, but a new Canadian study shows that’s changing, and drought is the driving force. The availability of bone-dry fuels is the key mechanism promoting extreme fire behaviour and growth at night, the study says, though warming temperatures are also eroding the […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | March 13, 2024
3 min read
An insurer that has already paid a claim doesn’t have to do a follow-up appraisal after the limitation period has expired, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has ruled. “An admission of liability to pay on the part of an insurer does not extend the limitation period against the insurer,” the court ruled in Friday Aviva Insurance […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | March 12, 2024
3 min read
The federal government estimates it will need to pay almost $3.4 billion for its share of the disaster recovery bills for flooding and landslides that devastated British Columbia’s Fraser Valley in November 2021. But more than two years after that disaster occurred, only about 40 per cent of that has been paid. “Our communities need […]
By Alyssa DiSabatino | March 12, 2024
4 min read
Canada’s property and casualty insurers rang in 2024 by paying out $180 million to repair damage caused by Western Canada’s deep freeze in mid-January. Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) released the figure Monday, which is based on industry claims totals tabulated by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). “It’s been an unusual winter season, with […]
By David Gambrill | March 11, 2024
2 min read