Insurance
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June 13, 2024
Specifying a date in a waiver of liability form can be risky
Waiver of liability forms are common in the recreational industry. As a matter of public policy, these forms are important to ensuring that these kinds of businesses are not subject to potentially high damage awards when a participant is seriously injured. These forms also permit recreational businesses to ensure that the costs for comprehensive liability insurance are manageable and that insurers will be willing to provide insurance coverage to their businesses.
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June 12, 2024
Ontario court finds Ukraine airline liable for passenger deaths in flight shot down by Iran
The Ontario Court Superior Court has found Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) liable for damages to the estates of passengers who died when flight PS752 was shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after it took off from Tehran in early 2020. All 176 passengers and crew on board the flight, which was bound for Kyiv, Ukraine, were killed in the incident.
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June 12, 2024
Quebec owner-pharmacists association seeks class action against ‘specialty pharmacies’
The association representing Quebec pharmacist-owned pharmacies has launched a class action against 10 of its own members, three patient support program (PSP) managers and three private infusion networks alleging the respondents are engaged in anti-competitive practices that are costing pharmacies millions of dollars in lost sales.
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June 12, 2024
Saskatchewan regulator details strategic plan progress for 2023
Saskatchewan’s law society made strides last year in rolling out parts of its current Strategic Plan — particularly in promoting diversity and equality, ensuring the competence of new lawyers and increasing access to justice for the incarcerated.
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June 12, 2024
Life insurance proceeds and dependent support obligations
In my May 31, 2024 article, “Enforcing support obligations in separation agreements and court orders against an estate,” I discussed some of the legislative mechanisms dependants can use to obtain and enforce support orders. Once an order for support has been made, what assets belonging to the payor can be charged to satisfy the order? Specifically, can the proceeds of a life insurance policy held by the payor be used to fund the support ordered by the court?
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June 11, 2024
Appeal Court restores $1M award for fire-damaged property in 'important' insurance decision
The Ontario Court of Appeal has reinstated an umpire’s determination that the actual cash value (ACV) of a commercial premises partially destroyed in a fire was $1,084,000, finding that the award was not arbitrary even though it far exceeded the market value of the premises.
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June 11, 2024
Mind the gap: Compliance in the era of digital insurance distribution, part two
As with other types of online offerings, digital insurance products and services continue to evolve and are becoming increasingly personalized. Customers are being given more control over “self-service” options as companies seek to reduce areas of customer friction. While carriers and intermediaries continue to innovate insurance offerings and platforms in response to market demand, the regulatory framework in many jurisdictions has not yet evolved to contemplate the true manner in which policies are, and will be, sold, marketed or managed.
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June 11, 2024
Clutter: How to remove it and organize your affairs
Whether it is technological challenges, including accessing the information we need through a portal when it used to come automatically through snail mail, new legislation and increasing tax compliance or keeping our estate planning up to date, many of us feel overwhelmed when it comes to keeping our financial affairs up to date and in order.
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June 07, 2024
Mind the gap: Compliance in the era of digital insurance distribution
Online purchasing has infiltrated every aspect of daily life. From ride-sharing and online retail and grocery purchases to travel and hotel bookings, the ease of digital purchasing satisfies the consumer need for instantaneous consumption. Insurance is no different. Customers expect to be provided tailored offerings that are relevant to their needs in a straightforward, user-friendly manner, and insurers have gone to great lengths to modernize their distribution models to meet consumer demand.
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June 07, 2024
New innovator-in-residence at Ontario Bar Association
The Ontario Bar Association (OBA) announced in a June 5 news release that it had appointed Colin Lachance as the innovator-in-residence for the 2024-25 year.