Moves & Views (February 01, 2009)

1 Harry Belmont, a former Carstar Automotive Canada franchise owner who sparked the company’s Cystic Fibrosis fundraising efforts, has passed away. Belmont was a former Carstar franchise owner who opened a Carstar location in Mississauga in 1995 and ran a successful business until he sold it in 2004. When his granddaughter was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis nine years ago, he met with Sam Mercanti, president and CEO of Carstar Automotive Canada, to ask for support. As a result, Carstar Collision Centres have raised more than Cdn$1.5 million to help find a cure. Many franchises have made the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) their charity of choice. Last year, Carstar bestowed upon Belmont the Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of service and passion towards helping others. On Dec. 26, 2008, Belmont passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

2 Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. has made organizational changes within its senior management and added new members to its staff. Pat Van Bakel [2a] has been promoted to senior vice president of claims operations. Gary Gardner [2b] has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of sales and marketing. Jaqueline Roy has been named vice president of administration. Heather Matthews has been promoted to the position of vice president of Healthcare Management Services. Sheri Martinello, assistant vice president of Risk Management Services (RMS), will now lead Crawford’s Risk Management Services division across Canada. Jennifer Virley has been promoted to the position of assistant vice president of project management. Ken Lloyd will assume additional duties as assistant vice president of compliance, quality and best practices. Mike Tolan has accepted additional responsibilities as director of quality and professional standards. Additionally, Sylvie Tremblay, Silvana Facciolo, Steven DelGreco and Anthony Tuson have joined Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. Tremblay has been named director of operations. Facciolo has joined Crawford as director of business development in the firm’s sales and marketing division. DelGreco has been appointed manager of Crawford’s Toronto West branch. Tuson, national account executive, has moved to Crawford’s Toronto location from Vancouver. He will continue to be responsible for commercial property and casualty accounts across Canada.

3 David Huebel has joined Catlin Canada Inc. as its chief underwriting officer. Huebel will be responsible for the implementation and execution of the Catlin Group’s underwriting plan for all lines of business across Canada. He was most recently the president and CEO of GCAN.

4 Three Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) members have been appointed to the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC)’s board of directors and executive committee. Outgoing IBAC president Danny Craig [4] has been elected chairman of the board. Justin MacGregor, previously IBAC’s vice president, is now president-elect of IBAC. Outgoing IBAO president Rodney Hancock will represent Ontario as a member of IBAC’s national board of directors.

5 Trevor Black has been promoted to branch manager in St. Catharines for Cunningham Lindsey Canada Claims Services Ltd (CLC). “Trevor has a number of exciting plans for our St. Catharines office, namely quality measurement, training and education,” Lorri Frederick, CLC’s senior vice president of the central region, said in a release. “He’s a highly motivated person and works hard for both CLC and our customers.”

6 The KRG Children’s Charitable Foundation donated Cdn$2 million to Canadian charities in 2008. The donation includes a Cdn$1.3-million contribution to the Hospital for Sick Children. The Cdn$2-million donation will be divided between the start-up of an inhouse Autism Network, Operation Art and various other projects. Other donations for the 2008 year included Cdn$250,000 to the TOMORROW Campaign at Toronto’s Jewish Community Centre and Cdn$125,000 to Camp Oochigeas.

7 Jean Chretien, former Prime Minister of Canada, will be the keynote luncheon speaker at the 2009 National Insurance Conference of Canada (NICC). The conference will be held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 at the Ottawa Westin. Registration for the event will likely open in March. A draft line-up of speakers and sessions includes ‘Market (Mis) Conduct — Shades of Grey;’ an OSFI presentation with Q&A; ‘Muddy Waters, Shifting Sands — Implications of IFRS and Solvency II;’ and ‘Facility’s Role in the Auto Cycle,’ among others.

8 The Economical Insurance Group (TEIG) has introduced a “green” enhancement to its commercial policies for Mid-market, Expert and EXPRESS accounts. Effective immediately, the TEIG Eco-Friendly Enhancement provides a sub-limit of Cdn$50,000 to replace damaged buildings, equipment, and/or stock with more environmentally friendly construction materials and/or more energy efficient equipment. There is no additional premium charge for the enhancement.

9 Sovereign General Insurance Company has launched insure2green, a form of insurance coverage intended to help British Columbians upgrade to ‘environmentally-responsible’ building products when repairing or rebuilding their home after an insured loss. The product offers three levels of premiums, with varying levels of protection. For example, a premium of Cdn$30 per year gives a homeowner

Cdn$5,000 worth of upgrades using environmentally friendly alternatives. For a premium of Cdn$38 a year, a homeowner can receive up to Cdn$7,500 worth of upgrades. An annual premium of Cdn$45 raises the limit a consumer may receive in upgrades up to

Cdn$10,000. Customers may choose to direct this additional claim payment towards the use of eco-friendly building materials such as cork or bamboo flooring, energy-and water-efficient appliances, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems, windows, doors and skylights incorporating new energy-saving technologies and water-saving plumbing fixtures.

10 ACE Canada has expanded its International Executive Assistance Services product to include emergency political evacuation and concierge services. Political evacuation coverage is automatically provided to reimburse an insured’s covered costs up to a policy limit, according to ACE. Additionally, a new online portal for travel preparation information is available. These enhancements are available at no additional premium to Canadian-based companies, non-profit organizations and education institutions with ACE Canada International Advantage Package Policies, the company notes.