Insureit Group INC Barrie South

07/01/2021

Now 40 over is treated like 50 over.

https://northumberlandcountybreakingnewsfeed.ca/2021/06/30/40-is-the-new-50-changes-to-the-highway-traffic-act-for-racing-and-stunt-driving/?fbclid=IwAR2Ha7v1-hiwmYesevwiU00JY1e13QYMQseQN_pUI_vG4ZuuVxMrVeOKzwo

Visit the post for more.

12/12/2020

Canadian Underwriter

Hopefully companies move forward and get on board and help these contractors.

News
Will Ontario’s new law result in a flurry of snow removal capacity?
December 9, 2020 by David Gambrill

On the day before heavy, wet snow and slush graced the streets of southern Ontario, the provincial government passed a law Tuesday that brokers believe will make it easier for them to find insurance coverage for snow removal contractors.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO) said it’s optimistic that “Bill 118 will encourage more insurance companies to write this line of business, if not for this season, for 2021-22.”

Bill 118 is intended to make it easier for brokers’ commercial clients to defend themselves against slip-and-fall personal injury lawsuits related to snow and ice. Section 6.1(1) of the province’s Occupiers’ Liability Act now bars a claimant from taking legal action to recover personal injury damages caused by snow or ice unless defendants have received 60 days’ notice of the intent to sue.

The 60-day window represents a change from an earlier version of the bill, which previously called for only 10 days’ notice. The 10-day notice was too short for an injured claimant to obtain information about the defendants, critics of the earlier version had argued. The amended version, now passed into law, has a 60-day notice period.

Before Bill 118, the notice period was two years.

The thinking behind Bill 118 is that it’s more difficult for a defendant to gather relevant evidence about what happened two years ago, say, than just 60 days after an accident. The province’s brokers believe the change will reduce the liability exposure of snow removal contractors and businesses responsible for clearing snow and ice away from their properties. That, in turn, may make it more attractive for insurers to underwrite the risk, which has been deemed to be unprofitable for some time.

iStock.com/SbytovaMN
One snowplow operator told Canadian Underwriter in February that his insurance premiums had jumped from $16,000 a year to $52,000 a year.

In Canadian Underwriter’s March 2020 issue, Gary Hirst, president and CEO of Toronto-based managing general agent CHES Special Risk, listed two key reasons for the increase in insurers’ claims costs related to snow removal.

“A lot of big corporate entities that have public places in need of snow clearing have extremely onerous contractual conditions that pass on all liability to snow-clearing contractors,” Hirst observed.

Also, he noted, legal costs and awards arising from slip-and-fall cases in Canada are on the increase.

In Ontario, most slip and fall personal injury awards are settled, meaning the amounts are not publicly reported, according to personal injury firm HimPro. Ottawa personal injury firm augerhollingsworth.ca has posted online several examples of settlement amounts for slip and fall cases related to ice and snow; they range between $70,000 and $270,000.

The high costs caused several insurers to exit the class of business altogether, meaning that in wintry Canada, it was all but impossible in some cases to find an insurer willing to write the snow removal business.

“Brokers across Ontario have been hearing from policyholders that availability of snow removal insurance for their businesses was scarce to non-existent in some regions, meaning some operators wouldn’t be able to secure the necessary liability insurance to cover their business this winter, and therefore would be unable to operate,” IBAO observed in a media statement. “Bill 118 establishes new criteria around snow removal liability that will encourage insurance availability to return in Ontario.”

With the new law in place, said IBAO CEO Colin Simpson, “We’re…optimistic that rural and small to medium-sized snow clearing businesses will resume operation once the insurance industry is able to respond to this positive move.”

Ottawa personal injury lawyers at Auger Hollingsworth help accident victims recovery money, damages and settlements resulting from car accidents, bike accidents, slips and falls. We have 4 offices around Ottawa to help you find a personal injury lawyer near you.

02/17/2019

Preventative Snow Tip - clean Roofs and reduce weight, driveways, walkways removes chance of slip and falls - don’t forget your window wells. They fill up and can leak and pe*****te into basements. Clear dryer vents, furnace pipes and other lines such as sump pumps.

04/12/2018

In support of

09/20/2017

100,000 CONSUMERS and possibly more impacted by Data Breach in Security.

Equifax Canada is reporting that the personal information of approximately 100,000 Canadian consumers may have been affected by the credit monitoring company’s recent data breach.

“While our investigation is ongoing and this information may change, at this point, we believe that the incident involves potential access to the personal information of approximately 100,000 Canadian consumers, and that the information that may have been breached includes name, address, Social Insurance Number and, in limited cases, credit card numbers,” Equifax Canada said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

On Sept. 7, Equifax Inc. announced that cybercriminals had exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. Based on the company’s investigation, the authorized access occurred from mid-May through July of this year, Equifax Canada said in the statement. Although it was originally thought that the incident was limited to U.S. consumers, of which 143 million were affected, Equifax Inc. discovered shortly before the Sept.7 announcement that some consumers in Canada and the United Kingdom were also impacted.

Related: Equifax to update Canadians this week, still mum on number impacted by hack

The statement said that Equifax Inc. discovered the unauthorized access on July 29 and acted immediately to stop the intrusion. The company promptly engaged an independent cybersecurity firm to conduct a comprehensive forensic review to determine the scope of the intrusion, including the specific data impacted. Equifax Inc. also reported the criminal access to law enforcement and continues to work with authorities, the statement said.

“We apologize to Canadian consumers who have been impacted by this incident,” said Lisa Nelson, president and general manager of Equifax Canada. “We understand it has also been frustrating that Equifax Canada has been unable to provide clarity on who was impacted until the investigation is complete. Our focus now is on providing impacted consumers with the support they need.”

Equifax Canada is working in close coordination with Equifax Inc. and the independent cybersecurity firm in conducting the ongoing investigation. Equifax Inc. The statement said that “Equifax has been working with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and will be sending notices via mail directly to all impacted consumers outlining the steps they should take. For impacted Canadians, we will also be providing complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection for 12 months.”

Related: Equifax says U.S.-focused theft of data touched ‘certain’ Canadian residents

On Friday, OPC said in a press release that it had opened an investigation into the breach “after receiving several complaints and dozens of calls from concerned Canadians.” Although it was initially suggested by the Canadian Press that “only Canadians who have had dealings in the United States are likely to be affected,” OPC said in the release that “at this point in time, it is not clear that the affected data was limited to Canadians with U.S. dealings.”

On Thursday, the Canadian Press reported that the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) “partnered with Equifax on its identity protection program and is notifying the roughly 10,000 members who participated that they may have had sensitive data divulged in the security breach.”

More information on the breach is available at https://www.consumer.equifax.ca/canada/home/en_ca_b/ and https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/.

View your Equifax credit report and credit score online. Monitor your credit and protect yourself from identity theft. Equifax is Canada's leading provider of Personal, Commercial, and Consumer Information Solutions.

04/07/2017

A Car is Stolen Every 7 Minutes! Keep Yours Safe.

Be Protected!
Auto theft is not a victimless or a simple property crime. There’s a car stolen every 7 minutes. That’s no small number. ​Approximately 40 people die every year with many more injured as a direct result of auto theft, accordingCar thief.png to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. By taking these simple precautions, you can help prevent your car from being stolen. Remember, it only takes 30 seconds or less for an experienced thief to get into your car!

Lock your car doors, even when you’re driving

When parked, close your windows and sunroof, lock your doors and bring your keys with you

Keep your car in the garage if you have one and don’t forget to lock both your garage and your car

Even if you just have to make a quick run back into the house to grab your forgotten cell phone, don’t leave your car running and unlocked.

Don’t leave your valuables visible in the car where people passing by can easily see them.

Park your car in a well-lit area.

Install an anti-theft system.

Don’t leave your vehicle ownership and insurance slip in your glove compartment. This is too common of a place to keep these important documents.

03/16/2017

Are you prepared for severe weather and natural disasters?

According to the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Canada experiences some of the most severe winter weather in the world. We’ve combatted a number of catastrophic winter storms over the years, most notably the ice storm of 1998, which left 4 million people without power and caused over $5.4 billion in damage. In 2013, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic were hit with ice storms and extreme wind, causing $200 million in damage and 1 million people to lose power. It begs the question – are you prepared for severe weather and disasters?

In 2016, Aviva Canada launched Plan & Protect, a free emergency preparedness app, in partnership with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. The app is available to all Canadians and designed to help you prepare for severe weather and disasters, as well as protect your family and property from damage.

Plan & Protect features:
•Free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
•Available in English and French.
•Access vital information about what to do before, during and after earthquakes, floods, severe wind, wildfires and winter storms.
•Receive a personalized risk report specific to your location, and customized list of items to include in your 72-hour emergency kit.
•Get notifications tailored to your emergency needs.
•Securely store your home and auto insurance information at your fingertips.
•All content is preloaded and accessible without internet connection.

In addition, for every app download, Aviva Canada will donate $5 to the Canadian Red Cross* to help communities affected by disasters*.

Ensuring that you’re prepared for severe weather and natural disasters is a key part of helping to prevent the damage that results. For more information about how to protect the people and things you love, visit the Aviva Canada Blog or contact our office for free advice @ 705-797-2103

11/09/2016

BEWARE OF MYSTERY SHOPPER SCAMS. EMAILS, TEXT MESSAGES AND LETTERS ARE ALL PART OF THIS.

Fraudulent letters and cheques are being sent to consumers as part of a mystery shopper request. These cheques bear the name and logo of Canadian financial institutions. Gore Mutual’s name has been used in some instances.
Typically, the recipient is asked to deposit a cheque, keep $400 in their account as payment and wire a sum of money to another person’s account. The fraudulent cheque will not clear the banking system, and the transferred sum is unrecoverable.
Gore Mutual does not send out letters or cheques to consumers for such programs.
We're advising consumers that are uncertain about any correspondence or cheques received from Gore Mutual to please contact their broker (if they are policyholders) or email [email protected]. We're also advising anyone who has received such a letter and cheque to report it to their local police agency.
If you have any questions regarding this, please contact myself.

10/19/2015

People I have been talking to are still on the fence. Some of you are not sure still on who you want to vote for. Check this link out and see what your leaders are planning for their riding's if they succeed. Share it with your friends so they are informed. The globe and mail makes it pretty clear in the direction of the parties platform. Don't forget this is our country and our decision to make an impact on the economy and everyday people working in Canada.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/elections/party-platform-comparison/article26758784/

The Conservatives, NDPs and Liberals have all unveiled their full platforms, here are some of the highlights in eight different policy areas