Commercial

Wood tower at the University of British Columbia a game changer for construction

VANCOUVER – A student residence under construction at the University of British Columbia could set a new precedent for wooden towers in Canada. The 18-storey Brock Commons is intended to show developers and the public that wood can be as effective as steel or concrete, better for the environment and support the country’s forestry industry. […]

By Jason Contant | June 17, 2016

4 min read

Commercial

Toronto brokerage RRJ Insurance Group purchases Topping Insurance Brokers; office will remain in Peterborough

Toronto-based RRJ Insurance Group Ltd. has announced the purchase of Peterborough, Ont.-based Topping Insurance Brokers Ltd. The RRJ Insurance Group said in a press release issued on Thursday that the purchase was effective May 2. The office is located at 169 Aylmer Street North in Peterborough, and will operate under Topping Insurance Brokers, A Division […]

By Canadian Underwriter | May 12, 2016

1 min read

Commercial

Private transportation companies would need $7 million of insurance under Toronto City Council recommendations

Private transportation companies (PTCs) in Toronto would be required to carry a minimum of $2 million of collision and passenger hazard insurance, in addition to $5 million of commercial general liability insurance under proposed recommendations from Toronto City Council. Currently, only taxicabs and limousines in the city are required to carry a minimum of $2 […]

By Canadian Underwriter | April 7, 2016

2 min read

Commercial

U.S. Justice Dept. announces charges in dam cyberattack

WASHINGTON – Seven hackers tied to the Iranian government were charged Thursday in a series of punishing cyberattacks on a small dam outside New York City and on dozens of banks – intrusions that reached into American infrastructure and disrupted the financial system, U.S. law enforcement officials said. The hackers were charged in indictments unsealed […]

By Canadian Underwriter | March 24, 2016

2 min read

Drone comes within 200 feet of airliner near LA airport

LOS ANGELES – A drone came within 200 feet of hitting a Lufthansa jet near Los Angeles International Airport on Friday – the latest run-in between aircraft and the increasingly popular unmanned flyers. The pilot of a Lufthansa A380 approaching the airport on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, reported that a drone passed about overhead […]

2 min read

Report details 327 “close encounters” between drones and manned aircraft in U.S. airspace in the past two years

A new report released on Friday has found 327 “close encounters” between drones and manned aircraft in the United States during a period of less than two years. The report by The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, released on Friday, explored 921 incidents in the national airspace from December 2013 […]

3 min read

More than half of vehicles in Manitoba expected to have no change or a decrease in premium rates next year

Manitoba’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) has approved a 0% overall general rate increase for basic compulsory motor vehicle premiums, effective March 1, 2016. In a news release on Tuesday, the PUB noted that a 0% overall general rate increase does not mean that rates for all motorists within each major class will remain unchanged. A […]

1 min read

CSIO certifies L’Unique for eDocs

L’Unique General Insurance of Quebec City has obtained certification, for both commercial and personal lines, of the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations eDocs standard, CSIO announced Tuesday. With eDocs, CSIO aims to help brokers save time by allowing them to download policy documents directly from a carrier’s computer system to their broker management systems […]

2 min read

Nearly 500 charges laid against Saskatchewan drivers speeding past emergency vehicles

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure announced on Monday that nearly 500 charges were laid in connection with a passing emergency vehicles safety blitz. The ministry’s Highways Transport Patrol (HTP) teamed up with the RCMP and other agencies for a “slow to 60 km/hr when passing emergency vehicles” enforcement initiative, the provincial government said in […]

2 min read

Self-driving cars will push us to rethink how we build cities, say planners

TORONTO – Fewer parking lots sprawling the length of football fields, more green space and a reshaped vision of public transit. Those are just a few of the ways driverless cars could lay the groundwork for widespread changes in how cities are designed, according to a group of Canadian architects and urban planners. “There’s going […]

2 min read