Views (November 01, 2006)

Catlin Canada held a Sunday evening reception in September at the RIMS Canada Conference in Calgary. The theme of the lively evening, held at the Art Gallery of Calgary, was Conceive. Craft. Connect. Soiree. Guests enjoyed local exhibits and tasty fare as they dropped by for a visit between the conference’s roster of events and functions.

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A stampede of runners and walkers charged through Calgary’s Edworthy Park in support of the McGannon Foundation 3rd Annual 5km Fun Run/Walk held at Calgary Summit 2006, the 31st RIMS Canada Conference. A record 70 pairs of quick feet registered for this year’s charity run/walk, which raised approximately CD$2,000. FM Global, the annual event sponsor, matched the funds raised, bringing the donation to a total of CD$4,000. Jody Draude of Marsh Canada was first to cross the finish line, taking first place in the male runner category. Finishing close behind, Angela Hayword of Nova Chemicals Corp. took first place in the female runner category. In the Female Master category, 40-years plus, Louise Rivett took first place while Kim Heinze took first place as Male Master runner. Daniel Junaue, business development manager at FM Global, passed out prizes to all first place winners of the Fun Run/Walk. The Fun Run/Walk, once again organized by Joe Hardy, a board member of the William H. McGannon Foundation Inc., is one of many charitable events held in support of the Foundation.

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The McGannon Foundation held its annual general meeting at the RIMS Canada Conference in Calgary. Joe Restoule, president of the foundation, said the organization’s surplus increased over the past year from CD$300,000 to CD$400,000. “We’ve increased our asset base by more than [CD]$82,000, so the fundraising activities have been great,” Restoule said. On another positive note, he said seven “worthy students” have applied for funding, compared to three in 2005. In addition to the Foundation’s financial progress, there has been organizational evolution, Restoule said. “We’ve changed the name to William H. McGannon Foundation Inc.,” he reported. “We dropped the ‘for advanced risk management’ … Logistically, from a branding and a bilingual perspective, it was easier to shorten it.” The name may have shortened, but the number of board members increased with the addition of new board member Nowell Seaman. “Nowell was one of the original architects of the foundation,” Restoule said. “He commissioned the feasibility study that really launched the foundation.”

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Despite chilly conditions, the annual McGannon Foundation Golf Tournament, held by SARIMS, attracted 153 golfers and raised funds of CD$24,000. Joe Restoule, president of the McGannon Foundation, said the money would further bolster the organization’s successful charitable efforts.

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The Donald M. Stuart Award is bestowed each year to one worthy candidate during the annual RIMS Canada Conference. This year, Kim Hunton, risk manager for the City of Ottawa, received the highly esteemed award, which was established in 1979 to recognize outstanding contributions to the field of risk and insurance management in Canada. Hunton accepted the award during a special awards presentation at the Conference that departed from tradition. This year, the presenters of the award included six previous recipients – Susan Meltzer, Joe Restoule, Nancy Chambers, Wayne Hickey, Bill McGannon and Keith Gibson. In 2001, Hunton was the first risk manager for the amalgamated City of Ottawa. She has worked for her local RIMS chapter in Ottawa since 1985 and has served as a member of the RIMS board since 1987. Currently, she is the vice chair of the RIMS Canada Council.. Hunton started risk management by way of claims. Her first job was at Royal Insurance, which she accepted right out of high school. Eventually she began working in claims adjustment; from there, she became the director of claims at OC Transpo, where she leveraged her insurance knowledge to set up a risk management department. In addition to the Don Stuart Award, the ceremony recognized Rajdeep Chopra of ING Insurance Company of Canada as the recipient of the Fred Bossons Award. This award is presented to the student who achieves the highest overall academic achievement on the three Canadian Risk Management (CRM) certificate courses. Shortly after receiving the Award, Chopra said he took pride in accepting the prestigious award. Chopra is an insurance manager underwriting commercial lines.

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The Fellows of the CIP Society, Toronto Chapter, recently hosted its annual golf tournament at Diamond Back Golf Club in Richmond Hill, ON. The event brought together industry shooters to raise funds for The Arthritis Society. Prestige tournament sponsors included Aviva Canada, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, Canadian Underwriter magazine and i-hire.ca and The CG&B Group, as well as a number of generous hole and event sponsors.

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The 12th Annual Crawford Adjusters Canada Charity Golf Tournament was once again a wonderful success. It raised more than CD$12,000 for the Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC) through the company’s charity, Crawford Cares. A group of spirited Crawford clients and employees braved the unseasonably cold temperatures and the threat of rain at the Royal Ontario Golf Club. After the tournament dinner, Crawford’s CEO Glenn Gibson presented a CD$20,000 cheque to WICC board member Steve Wilson. The cheque represents a “down payment” on the annual fundraising campaign; it represents a portion of the amount raised by Crawford’s employees over the past year (through payroll deductions and fundraisers), as well as a portion of the funds raised from the golf tournament. “We’re very proud to be affiliated with an organization such as WICC,” Gibson said. “Cancer is a disease that affects us all and Crawford is no exception. We all have co-workers, friends and family members who have battled this horrible disease but through dedication and hard work and days such as this one, we can help put an end to cancer.”

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The Canadian Insurance Accountants Association (CIAA) held their 43rd Annual Conference in Qubec City in late September. At the AGM, the following members were elected to the board of directors: (back row, left to right) Ren St. Cyr, RBC Royal Bank; Doris Foo, Ernst & Young LLP; Glenn Taylor, RBC Insurance; Yelena Garber, ACE Canada; Dave Paterson, Ayr Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company; Terri Martin, Deloitte & Touche LLP; Rick Keeler, Temple Insurance; Geoff Shields, Chubb Insurance Company of Canada; John Kazek, Odyssey America Reinsurance Corp.; Christine Davis, The CUMIS Group Limited; (front row, left to right) Mike Jack, St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance; Antonietta Montisano, Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Company; Annette Pohle, PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Sandra Taylor, Ontario School Boards’ Insurance Exchange. Absent: Colleen Sexsmith, CAS Accounting for Insurance Inc.

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PartnerRe recently hosted a group of highly enthusiastic reinsurance intermediaries at Mosport’s Driver Development Facility, located just outside of Toronto, ON. Participants received instruction from Bridgestone Racing Academy and tested their skills on (and sometimes off) the track in Reynard Formula 2000 racing cars, with thrills and camaraderie throughout the day.

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Once again, Toa Reinsurnce Company’s annual Fall Function, this year held at The Carlu, was a shining success. More than 120 clients and business partners enjoyed fine food, wine, entertainment and conversation. This annual event is held in recognition of support from Toa Re’s client companies, brokers and service providers.

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Gathering in Roy Thomson Hall, members of the reinsurance industry attended a classical Cocktail Reception, held by CCR. This year’s reception was held in honour of Jean-Paul Lasserre, executive vice-president of the CCR, who is retiring in February 2007. After a heartfelt speech, Lasserre asked all of his past co-workers to join him onstage to celebrate and e ngage in a jovial group farewell. Lasserre began his career in 1967 as director of overseas projects and then as risk controller for numerous engineering companies. In 1981, Lasserre joined SCOR, serving as facultative casualty underwriter and assistant to the director of the overseas branches and subsidiaries division. Lasserre served as president of SCOR Canada from 1986 to 1993. Before joining CCR in 1998, Lasserre served as CEO of SOREMA Paris from 1993 to 1997.