Manitoba brokers write the book on commercial lines

While Manitoba’s brokers may not be dealing with the same rate hikes being experienced in other provinces, thanks to Manitoba Public Insurance’s (MPI) recent application to hold the line on rates for 2003, it will nonetheless be a busy year for incoming broker association president Melody Terin.

Following the annual convention of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM) in Fort Gerry, Terin says the association will be looking at several projects including the launch on the Centre for the Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO) Internet portal. A “demo” preview of the portal’s functions drew strong interest at the AGM.

In the year ahead, implementing the new CPIB senior designation will also be a high priority, says Terin, with the Manitoba association writing the commercial lines course. The personal lines course is being penned in Newfoundland, and the two provinces will then test one another’s courses.

On the MPI front, computer systems are being upgraded for high-speed transactions, expected to pilot test in November for implementation next January. And, although there were “no big surprises” from the public insurer’s rate application, Terin says the association will continue to keep lines of communication open with the provincial government as the year progresses.