Swiss Re Corporate Solutions has appointed Andrea Douglass as senior vice president of customer management in Canada, effective Aug. 29. Douglass will be responsible for strategic relationships with large corporate customers across Canada. Based in Toronto, she will succeed Sarah Kestle, who retires in September. “I am excited to have someone with Andrea’s experience and […]
By David Gambrill | August 22, 2022
1 min read
OTTAWA – Canadian retail sales increased 1.1 per cent to $63.1 billion in June, boosted by higher sales at gasoline stations and motor vehicle and parts dealers, Statistics Canada said Friday. However, the agency said its preliminary estimate for July suggests retail sales for that month fell 2.0 per cent, though it cautioned the figure […]
By Jason Contant | August 19, 2022
2 min read
TORONTO – A small business lobby group says commercial bankruptcies are rising in Canada and even more small businesses are at risk of closure. Data from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada shows small business insolvencies have been on an upward trend since May 2021. But in a report Thursday, the Canadian Federation […]
By Jason Contant | August 19, 2022
1 min read
Synex Business Performance plans to end this year with more than $1 billion in premium, a far cry from its humble beginnings of $3 million in premium just seven years ago. Currently, the Quebec City-based holding company has about $800 million in premium, most of which came from transactions over the last couple years, said […]
By Jason Contant | August 19, 2022
3 min read
Navacord Corp. has entered into a new province with the acquisition of Winnipeg-based ONYX Financial Group. ONYX’s portfolio encompasses benefits consulting and wealth management services, “and they have fortified a well-known presence within Manitoba and [northwestern] Ontario because of their depth in expert advisors and risk management solutions,” Navacord said Thursday in a press release. […]
By Jason Contant | August 18, 2022
2 min read
Michael Parent, Professor, Management Information Systems, Simon Fraser University – THE CONVERSATION The recent cyberattacks in August on Bombardier Recreational Products and the Ontario Cannabis Store highlight the continuing scourge of cyber criminals and ransomware. Ransomware is a piece of malware – malicious software – code that gets into an information system and blocks […]
By Jason Contant | August 18, 2022
5 min read
For the first time in five years, global reinsurers posted an underwriting profit, albeit a small one. The average combined ratio of the Top 10 global reinsurers was 99.2% in 2021, significantly better than the 104.9% posted in 2020, credit rating agency AM Best said in a new report, World’s 50 Largest Reinsurers. “Despite notable […]
By Jason Contant | August 17, 2022
2 min read
VICTORIA – A fishing boat that sank with nearly 10,000 litres of fuel on board near the Canada-U.S. marine border went down in one of the worst possible places for endangered orcas, an ocean pollutants expert says. Peter Ross, a senior scientist with Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said the vessel sank in an important feeding area […]
By Jason Contant | August 17, 2022
4 min read
VALCOURT, Que. – BRP Inc. says it is ramping up production at four of its factories after a cyberattack brought its operations to a halt earlier this month. The Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo maker says manufacturing sites in Valcourt, Que., Sturtevant, Wis., Rovaniemi, Finland, and Gunskirchen, Austria, are ramping up and expect to be fully operational […]
By Jason Contant | August 16, 2022
1 min read
VANCOUVER – A spokesperson for the BC Wildfire Service says 80 per cent of the 212 new fires sparked across the province since Wednesday were caused by lightning. Briana Hill says the service was well prepared and 69 per cent of all of those ignited by the strikes are now classified as out, under control […]
By Jason Contant | August 16, 2022
1 min read