Insurance

Wednesday January 10, 2024

The escalating impact of climate change-induced disasters in Canada is not just challenging homeowners in obtaining affordable insurance coverage, but also posing systemic risks to the country's economy, prompting a call for urgent adaptive measures and collaborative efforts between insurers and local governments.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday January 10, 2024

The Financial Wake-up Call of Canada’s Climate Crisis

July 21, 2022

In Canada, the financial toll of the climate crisis is ringing alarm bells louder than ever, with insured damage from natural catastrophes and severe weather events exceeding $3 billion for the second consecutive year. The undeniable reality of climate change is hitting homeowners hard, as insurance claims surge and premiums skyrocket in the face of increasingly frequent and severe disasters, including wildfires and floods.

News: Severe Weather in 2023 Caused Over $3.1 Billion in Insured Damage  

November 19, 2021

The recent denial of a family’s flood damage claim sheds light on the vulnerabilities in insurance coverage, underscoring the urgent need for adaptive strategies. Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a systemic risk to the Canadian economy, demanding collaborative efforts between insurers, local governments, and homeowners.

The economic consequences are reverberating through property devaluation and uncertainties within the insurance market. Insurers grapple with escalating costs, reinsurance complexities, and coverage limitations. The denied claim incident serves as a wake-up call, prompting a call for urgent measures, improved risk mapping, and comprehensive coverage strategies.

Analysis: Climate change is making insurance more expensive and more limited – and it’s only going to get worse  

August 13, 2021

As climate-related disasters become more frequent and severe, the financial impact should serve as a compelling signal, even to skeptics, that the climate crisis is hitting the pocketbook. Proactive measures, such as updated risk maps and construction practices aligned with new specifications, are crucial for building resilience against the escalating impacts of severe weather events.

The Canadian insurance industry stands at a crossroads, facing the challenge of providing comprehensive coverage while adapting to the evolving risks posed by climate change. The time for decisive action is now, as the financial toll of the climate crisis becomes an undeniable reality for homeowners across the country. (AI)

 

Friday August 19, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday August 19, 2022

Ontario to fund more private clinic surgeries, send patients to temporary LTCs to ease health-care pressures

August 3, 2022

Ontario is hoping to ease health-care pressures by increasing publicly covered surgeries at private clinics, waiving the exam and registration fees for internationally trained nurses, and sending patients waiting for a long-term care bed to a home not of their choosing.

On Thursday, Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced a plan that aims to hire more health professionals, free up hospital beds and reduce surgical wait lists. The plan comes as nursing staff shortages have seen emergency departments across the province close throughout the summer for hours or days at a time.

On long-term care, the government plans to introduce legislation today that will allow patients awaiting a bed to be transferred to a “temporary” home while they await space in their preferred home. It’s also taking 300 beds that had been used for COVID-19 isolation and making them available for people on wait lists, and says there is a potential to do that with 1,000 more beds within six months.

Saturday October 5, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 5, 2019

Trudeau and Scheer demonstrate their hypocrisy

For those of you hoping to have a policy filled debate and deep examination of the issues, think again. So far any policy announcements, however many, have been drowned out by character flaws, amidst accusations of hypocrisy and being liars all around.

September 20, 2019

The most infamous case is that Justin Trudeau, as an adult man nearing his 30s, put on ‘brownface’ during a 2001 costume party in Vancouver; Trudeau came to the party dressed as Aladdin. The Liberal leader had to issue a clear and unequivocal apology and Liberal candidates were left scrambling to justify the previous behaviour of their ‘virtue signalling’ leader who for years criticised political opponents for catering to racists or even being racist themselves.

All this speaks to a level of hypocrisy that has been muted about Trudeau until now. He goes around preaching multiculturalism and understanding, yet demonstrated a complete lack of it with the brownface / blackface stunts. Trudeau also carries himself as a ‘champion of the environment’, yet it was revealed this week that he has been travelling for the campaign using two planes: one for him and media, and the other for equipment, signage and flags to various events.

May 2, 2019

“You’re the only leader using two planes on the campaign trail: one for you and the media, and the other for your costumes and your canoe,” Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer quipped at him.

But it’s not like Scheer himself has been immune to questions about his character, having billed himself as an insurance broker prior to entering politics. The Globe and Mail revealed that he was never licensed to sell insurance in his native Saskatchewan. Scheer was eventually forced to backtrack and explain that he was simply ‘on his way to getting accredited’ being a broker while working in a broker’s office, but left that job after a few months to embark on a political career.

March 19, 2016

Another issue that popped up for Scheer was that he had dual citizenship from his father, who was American. There’s actually nothing wrong with having dual citizenship; I wouldn’t be surprised if a future election featured all party leaders having dual citizenship of some kind since we’re a country of immigrants. What stands out here is the hypocrisy, as Conservatives previously criticized former Liberal leader Stephane Dion and NDP leader Tom Mulcair for also having dual citizenship.

Scheer himself even raised the issue on a blog post about former governor general Michaelle Jean, who held dual citizenship with Canada and France.

August 17, 2005

The irony of his second question about Jean is striking to say the least.

“Nobody asked,” was Scheer’s response when he was asked why he didn’t bring up his dual citizenship before, and now says he renounced it when he became Tory leader and that ‘paperwork is being processed’ before the election was called. But your political instincts must be lacking if you didn’t think that was a major issue that should have been addressed if you wanted to become prime minister.

October 2, 2019

Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer: the two men who are still the only viable choices to end up winning the election on October 21 and becoming the leader of this country. Unfortunately Jagmeet Singh, who has actually handled himself rather well during the campaign thus far, is still mired in third place and the best the NDP can hope for is influence in a minority government situation.

But at the end of the day, let’s accept the fact that both the two main party leaders are very flawed individuals with their own problems. They both applied different standards to themselves when it came to past behaviour. (insauga.com) 

 

Wednesday October 2, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 2, 2019

Andrew Scheer’s experience in the insurance industry: ‘6 or 7 months’ 

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has talked for years about his private sector experience as an insurance broker, but under questioning Monday, he admitted he only worked in the industry for “six or seven months.”

September 26, 2019

CBC News asked him exactly how long he’d worked in a Regina insurance office.

“I worked from approximately spring to some time in the fall,” he said, saying he’d have to go back and check his personal records for the exact dates.

CBC News also asked Scheer to clarify exactly what his role was in this office.

He said his job was “supporting the whole team … answering questions from customers and clients and doing preparatory work.” He added that he would also explain and pass on information to people coming into the office.

When CBC News suggested this meant he’d never actually worked as a broker, Scheer said that although he (eventually) received his accreditation under the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker Program, “at this particular office, the licensed brokers finalized all the transactions.”

Conrad Shenher, who owned the insurance firm where Scheer worked and is now retired, told CBC News in a phone call that he doesn’t remember what Scheer’s duties were because it was so long ago.

May 16, 2012

In response to an earlier question from The Canadian Press, Scheer had said “I left before obtaining the full licence but I did receive that accreditation for general insurance.”

He also said he had many different jobs before being elected, including waiting tables.

When Scheer ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party, the biographical information on his website said he “passed the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker program and began his working career in the insurance industry in Regina.”

Andrew Scheer Gallery

That’s the opposite order of events Scheer now describes.

Derek Lothian, chief executive officer of the Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan, confirmed that Scheer completed a course with the association “that would form part of the eligibility requirements for licensing.”

As of Monday afternoon, Scheer’s biography on the Conservative Party’s web page continued to say that “before entering public life, Andrew worked in the private sector as an insurance broker.” (CBC) 

 

Wednesday September 27, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 27, 2017

U.S. VP Pence blasts ‘failings’ of Canadian health system

The vice-president of the United States has some less-than-complimentary words for Canada’s health-care system, which he accuses of certain “failings.”

Mike Pence made the remarks in an interview last week with Alaska radio station KFQD.

He was being asked about the Republican health legislation struggling to get through Congress.

Republicans appear to be wrestling to get a bill that would repeal Obamacare through the legislature before a procedural deadline later this month — and the effort is in deep trouble.

Pence warned that if the legislative effort collapses, the U.S. will be on a course for something similar to Canada.

That’s because the Democratic party is starting to rally to an unprecedented degree around the idea of single-payer health care as a long-term solution to the U.S.’s endless health debates.

“We have a clear choice here,” Pence said.

“You know, somewhere in between where I’m sitting in Washington, D.C., and (you) Alaska, is a place called Canada. I probably don’t need to tell the people Alaska about the failings of national socialized health care because it’s right in our neighbour and you see the results every day.

“Look, we’ve got a choice: It’s between big government, Washington, D.C., solutions that ultimately, I believe, will collapse into single-payer health care — or whether or not we’re going to repeal the (Obamacare) individual mandate.”

Canada’s health system is known to suffer from long wait times, especially for elective procedures. On the other hand, Canadians not only have longer life expectancies, but also spend far less on health care than Americans according to World Bank data.

The Trump administration has just received a fresh round of bad news about its health-reform effort: After John McCain, Susan Collins became the latest senator Monday to say she opposes the Obamacare repeal bill, almost certainly dooming it. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)