What’s New: In Brief (February 02, 2006)

Sheldon Rankin, 69, former chairman and CEO of Marsh Canada, has been named chairman of Integro Canada Ltd.Rankin has 50 years of experience in the insurance industry. He progressed through the ranks of Marsh to become CEO and later chairman and CEO. Following his long tenure at Marsh, Rankin served as chief agent and CEO of Arch Insurance (Canada), where he was instrumental in establishing the presence of Arch Insurance in Canada. He is a Fellow of the Insurance Industry of Canada and a Senior Member of the Conference Board of Canada.

The 6th Annual SMARTRISK Curling Bonspiel raised more than $25,000 for SMARTRISK, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the lives of the next generation. The fundraiser will directly benefit SMARTRISK’s injury prevention initiatives and programs, which educate people about the devastating toll of injuries, and help them to understand their role in preventing injuries through smart thinking. As the insurance industry is aware, predictable and preventable injuries continue to kill and debilitate more Canadians between the ages of 1 and 44 than any other cause of death.

The General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) has established a new national toll-free number, 1-877-225-0446.Effective immediately, the number gives consumers across Canada with property and casualty insurance disputes direct access to GIO’s services for customer assistance and dispute resolution.With the advent of this new national number, GIO customers across the country will call the same number and then be routed to the appropriate call centre. GIO executive director Glenn Williamson said: “This is a major step in a positive direction for GIO. We are simplifying the process for consumers to access our services for solving insurance disputes that arise between customers and their insurance companies.”