Industry

New models show COVID 19 progress but with ‘hotspots’ to monitor: Trudeau

OTTAWA – New federal models show continued progress in suppressing the spread of COVID-19, but with significant hotspots. The figures released by the Public Health Agency of Canada Monday show that some areas have been more heavily impacted by COVID-19 than others, specifically Quebec and Ontario. The hotspots in the past few days include parts […]

By Greg Meckbach | June 29, 2020

2 min read

Industry

What’s next for Economical’s demutualization

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect a June 30 announcement by Economical Insurance Economical Insurance is still in the process of demutualizing but the next policyholders’ vote is not going to happen this year, the Waterloo, Ont. based insurer announced June 30. As part of the demutualization process, Economical is trying to reach […]

By Greg Meckbach | June 29, 2020

3 min read

Industry

Paper cheques are still around, but for how much longer?

Sending paper cheques may soon be a thing of the past — and it could be thanks to COVID-19. The global novel coronavirus pandemic that shut down many businesses and forced much of the workforce to operate out of their homes has created a digital push in many aspects. But when it comes to premium […]

By Adam Malik | June 29, 2020

3 min read

Industry

Three injured, including firefighter, in house fire in Toronto’s Little Italy

TORONTO – Two residents and a firefighter have been injured in an early morning house fire in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood. Emergency crews were called to a home near College Street and Manning Avenue at 1:25 a.m. for a fire that enveloped a home. Platoon Chief Don Beam told local TV station CP24 that the […]

By Greg Meckbach | June 29, 2020

1 min read

What changes are being made after fatal B.C. logging road bus crash

VICTORIA – A report into a bus crash that killed two University of Victoria students says travel should be restricted to daylight hours on a narrow logging road that it wants improved by the provincial government. The report makes 43 recommendations in a report released Thursday from an independent expert commissioned by the university after […]

4 min read

Public reaction to insurers ‘could get ugly’ after Calgary hail storm: Broker

The industry’s reputation could take a beating in the aftermath of the devastating June 13 Alberta hail storm if misleading rumours are spread by people who do not understand how insurance works, an official with the province’s broker association warns. “It could get ugly quickly,” Barry Haggis, president elect of the Insurance Brokers Association of […]

3 min read

Former LawPro CEO nominated to investment industry regulator board

Malcolm Heins, a former CEO of Ontario’s professional liability insurer for lawyers, has been nominated to the board of directors of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, IIROC has announced. Heins (pictured below) joined Simcoe & Erie General Insurance Company in 1981. After leaving that firm in 1994, where he was president and chief […]

2 min read

How auto dealership closures affected the industry

Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry saw a steep drop this past April in the number of auto clients seeking policies for new vehicles, and it’s not clear how long a more recent rebound will last, the head of LowestRates.ca suggests. “If someone wanted to buy a new car, it was far more difficult for […]

2 min read

B.C. proposes ‘first step’ amendments to laws governing condo insurance

VICTORIA – The B.C. government says proposed legislation it has introduced takes first steps to address concerns about sky-high costs and availability of insurance for condominiums and other shared properties. Housing Minister Selina Robinson says the legislation proposes to amend the Strata Property Act and the Financial Institutions Act. Robinson says the changes will seek […]

1 min read

Out of control forest fire in Lac St Jean likely sparked by poorly extinguished campfire

MONTREAL – An improperly extinguished campfire is the likely cause behind a massive blaze in Quebec’s Lac-St-Jean region that remains out of control, Quebec’s Forestry Minister told a briefing on Sunday. “This photo is possibly where fire started,” Pierre Dufour told reporters in Roberval, Que., holding up a photo of a campfire surrounded by charred […]

3 min read