DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) – A tarantula crossing the road in Death Valley National Park caused a traffic crash that sent a Canadian motorcyclist to the hospital, the National Park Service said. Swiss travelers, driving a rented camper van, braked suddenly to avoid hitting the tarantula as it crossed State Route 190 on Saturday, the […]
By Jason Contant | November 3, 2023
1 min read
With changes from the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) in the process of becoming law in Ontario next spring, farm insurance experts are raising concerns that the maximum barn size restriction will be removed and Ontario’s Fire Code (OFC) will still not apply to farm buildings in certain instances. The National Farm Building Code […]
By Jason Contant | November 2, 2023
3 min read
Five Ontario hospitals affected by a recent ransomware attack, along with their shared IT provider, are warning patients and staff that their data may be published. The attack caused an outage of some online services at Bluewater Health, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital on Oct. 23. Affected […]
By Jason Contant | November 2, 2023
1 min read
Increasing intensity of hurricanes making landfall along the U.S. coastline, sparked largely by climate change, has resulted in significant insured losses for several years. And storms seem to be getting worse. That trend impacts insurability and, going forward, “property values along the U.S. Coast may decline if insurance coverage becomes inaccessible or too expensive,” said […]
By Phil | November 1, 2023
2 min read
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) will resume full service Friday, after its union employees voted in favour of a deal that ends a long labour dispute with the public insurer. The new deal ends a 10-week-long job action by members of the Manitoba General Employees Union (MGEU), which represents about 1,700 MPI workers. The agreement includes […]
By David Gambrill | November 1, 2023
2 min read
B.C.’s broker regulator has reprimanded an unnamed brokerage and ordered its nominee to take courses on how to handle a privacy breach, after a stash of client documents was recovered by a third party and returned to the insurance company. Insurance Council of B.C.’s decision redacted the names of the brokerage and its nominee [a […]
By David Gambrill | October 31, 2023
3 min read
As research drives new ways to build staircases that can prevent slip-and-falls, Canada’s building codes should be updated accordingly to reflect the safer designs. The importance of code updates is illustrated by falls on stairs, which in Ontario alone led to nearly 25,000 emergency room visits for seniors between 2014 and 2015. Falls account for […]
By Phil | October 31, 2023
3 min read
Ransomware attacks are increasing globally thanks to evolving cybercrime tactics that make it easier for thieves to transfer data from computers or other devices. “Cyber claims frequency has picked up again this year as ransomware groups continue to evolve their tactics,” said Scott Sayce, global head of cyber at Allianz Commercial. “Based on claims activity […]
By Phil | October 30, 2023
3 min read
Canada’s solvency regulator is looking for a stable, reliable ‘resolution authority’ that would allow the country’s property and casualty insurance industry to wind up an insolvent insurer efficiently without relying on taxpayer subsidization. At first blush, the ideal candidate is the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (PACCIC), whose role is to do just that. […]
By David Gambrill | October 30, 2023
5 min read
Quebec’s recently enacted language law is creating concerns that smaller insurance providers may consider pulling out of the province. Bill 96 (Law 14), An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec, came into effect June 1. Under the law, written publications and documents — the latter of which includes insurance — must […]
By Jason Contant | October 30, 2023
3 min read