A Manitoba broker was recently fined $2,000 after obtaining premium relief for a client within hours of being told by the regulator that he was unlicensed to act as a broker. On Dec. 19, 2018, Darcy Dion Boguski completed the Insurance Council of Manitoba (ICM)’s online licence application to obtain a supplemental insurance licence with […]
By David Gambrill | July 10, 2020
3 min read
COVID-19 has shifted the Insurance Institute of Canada’s April exam session into the first three weeks of June, a move that affects students taking winter semester courses in the Institute’s Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP), General Insurance Essentials (GIE) and Risk Management programs. Winter semester students who were originally scheduled to write exams in April will […]
By David Gambrill | March 26, 2020
4 min read
A B.C. broker has been banned from holding a licence for five years and fined $5,000 for committing insurance fraud. The province’s broker regulator, the Insurance Council of B.C., found that Martin Hroch submitted 74 false insurance claims for physiotherapy services through his brokerage’s health and wellness program over a 13-month period. “The amount claimed […]
By David Gambrill | March 4, 2020
2 min read
Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has issued a series of policy recommendations to help improve the affordability of strata insurance in British Columbia, some of which touch upon suggestions made by the province’s broker association. IBC’s recommendations include: Last month, Canadian Underwriter asked Chuck Byrne, the executive director and chief operating officer of the Insurance […]
By Jason Contant | March 2, 2020
3 min read
The government of British Columbia’s recent announcement that it will be removing lawyers and legal costs from the system to reduce insurance premiums by about 20% and increase care benefits has been met with approval from the provincial brokers association. However, there is a downside to the plan to reduce premiums so drastically by May […]
By Jason Contant | February 10, 2020
3 min read
An Ontario resident approached a direct writer for an auto insurance quote in March 2005. A new customer, the man gave the insurer his name, date of birth, vehicle information and property information. Upon receiving the quote, he took his auto insurance business elsewhere. Little did he know, the insurer would retain his data for […]
By David Gambrill | February 1, 2020
9 min read
VICTORIA – Vancouver is poised to join most major cities in Canada in offering ride-hailing services with the long-awaited approval Thursday of licences for companies Uber and Lyft to operate in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and Whistler. The independent Passenger Transportation Board said the next steps for Uber and Lyft before getting vehicles on the […]
By Jason Contant | January 24, 2020
4 min read
Brokers with cannabis clients need to keep an eye on the changing legal landscape and cannabis companies’ evolving needs, paying particular attention to directors’ and officers’ liability, a managing general agency told Canadian Underwriter recently. Recreational cannabis became legal in October 2018. This past October, products like edibles and cannabis-infused beverages were legalized, meaning brokers […]
By Jason Contant | January 3, 2020
3 min read
Jason Storah, President, CEO, Aviva Canada I find it quite interesting, intriguing and frustrating that auto insurance is so complex in this country. Why is an auto accident treated differently in Quebec, Ontario, B.C., or Alberta? It doesn’t make sense, because an accident is an accident regardless of which province in which you had it. […]
December 30, 2019
2 min read
Carol Jardine, President, Canadian P&C Operations, The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company One of the most important issues facing the industry is the Canadian consumer’s pocketbook. Canadian families have never been more in debt and GDP and wage growth aren’t helping. Many families live one paycheque to the next. These dynamics are linked to the challenges […]
December 30, 2019
2 min read