Industry

How might car-sharing insurance be changed?

Ontario’s government is considering changing how insurance applies to vehicle subscription services. Included in the provincial government’s 2019 budget document released in April was a proposal “enabling innovation and new business models to give drivers more options, such as car subscription services that include insurance.” Increasingly popular car subscription services like Zipcar and Car2go allow […]

By Jason Contant | July 19, 2019

3 min read

Industry

One insurance role that could be wiped out by artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is going to have a big impact on adjusters, actuaries and insurance agents, but it won’t necessarily kill their jobs, an AI expert suggests. But lower-skilled jobs may be in jeopardy. “Jobs at call centres are going to disappear slowly with chatbots,” predicts Eli Fathi, co-founder and CEO of Ottawa-based MindBridge Analytics Inc., […]

By Greg Meckbach | July 19, 2019

2 min read

Industry

Ontario appoints special adviser on flooding

Ontario has appointed a special adviser on flooding to recommend ways the province can reduce the impacts of flooding and help communities deal with them. Doug McNeil is a former Manitoba deputy minister of infrastructure and transportation and held senior positions at the Manitoba Floodway Authority. He will be paid up to $60,000 and will […]

By Jason Contant | July 19, 2019

2 min read

Industry

How hitting a bicycle can lead to six-figure liability claim

An Ontario auto insurer is out more than $500,000 after a motorist hit a cyclist, causing soft-tissue injuries. In St. Marthe v. O’Connor, released this past Monday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Patrick Hurley awarded Peter St. Marthe $380,000 (including sales taxes and disbursements) for his legal bills alone to pursue his tort claim. St. Marthe […]

By Greg Meckbach | July 18, 2019

4 min read

Three senior Marsh Canada executives move to Willis Towers Watson

Alexandra (Lexie) Kindbom, until recently managing director of Marsh Canada, is now in charge of financial, executive and professional risks in Canada for Willis Towers Watson, a major competitor to Marsh. Two other former Marsh Canada executives – Susan Finbow and Andrew Brown – are also joining Willis Towers Watson Canada. Kindbom will oversee all […]

2 min read

Where Q2 personal auto premiums increased the most in Canada

The hard market continues in personal lines in Canada, with personal auto in Quebec seeing a significant increase in average premiums in Q2 2019, according to Applied Systems’ latest rating index. Last week, the insurance software vendor released its most recent premium rate index for personal auto and property lines across the country. Year-over-year and […]

2 min read

What Canadian policyholders think of their insurance premiums

Canadians have different concerns and beliefs about home and auto insurance depending on where in the country they reside, a new national survey commissioned by belairdirect has found. In British Columbia, one-third of respondents (34%) were concerned with the price of their auto insurance policy, more than any other region in Canada. Thirty per cent […]

3 min read

Fatal commercial float plane crash in Labrador lake

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – A search is underway for four people missing after a float plane crashed into a Labrador lake on Monday, killing three of the occupants. Jean Tremblay, president of the small Quebec airline that owns the plane, said he was informed by search and rescue officials that three of those aboard were […]

2 min read

One auto insurance discount that’s disappearing

Discounts on auto insurance for clients with an autonomous emergency braking system could get harder to find. In Nova Scotia, Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company offers a 15% discount for vehicles with a model year of 2010 or higher that have a factory-installed autonomous emergency braking system. The insurer is proposing to remove the discount for […]

2 min read

Observations on cyber from Canadian Lloyd’s coverholder

Your commercial clients may be able to get cyber insurance with fewer underwriting questions than in the past, but you should still pay close attention to those clients’ risk management practices, the head of a Toronto managing general agent suggests. The list of questions cyber insurers are asking during the underwriting phase has “probably gotten […]

2 min read