Nova Scotia Enacts Cyber Safety Legislation, Workplace Bullying Under Scrutiny

Nova Scotia Enacts Cyber Safety Legislation, Workplace Bullying Under Scrutiny

The Cyber Safety Act (“the Act”), excepting Part V (that part amending the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act), was proclaimed August 6, 2013 and is now in effect in Nova Scotia. This legislation has wide-ranging implications.

Briefly:

  • There is now a “cyberbullying” tort recognized in Nova Scotia that presumes vicarious liability for parents of cyberbullies under the age of 19.
  • Other forms of vicarious liability are not precluded from the Act. For example, an employer might be found vicariously liable for an employee who engaged in cyberbullying in the workplace or may find itself under scrutiny of the Directors of Public Safety. Recent legal developments in Canada have expanded the workplace in cyberbullying harassment claims to include incidents occurring during non-working hours generated from non-work devices.

Part V, an amendment to the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, that creates a specialised unit with broad powers to investigate and combat cyberbullying, is expected to come into effect once regulations are in place to regulate that unit’s activities. Until Part V is proclaimed, there is no legislative process for prosecution under the Act. The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act is relatively new legislation. The amendment to that legislation will provide the power to investigate and respond to allegations of cyberbullying including a provision allowing the Director to ask the court to require disclosure of anonymous bullies.

Up to 40 percent of Canadian workers report feeling bullied at work. What does this mean for you and your business? Are you concerned about workplace bullying, and how to combat it? Two new Work Place Bullying Courses from ILScorp tackle this issue and help your workplace and employees be compliant with existing laws. Employee and employer courses are available online.

Exceprted from a post written by Stewart McKelvey

Earn your Level 1 Insurance License with the ILS Introduction to General Insurance

Earn your Level 1 Insurance License with the ILS Introduction to General Insurance

Are you ready to begin a career in insurance and wondering how to get started? The ILS Introduction to General Insurance program is the newest insurance training and licensing program in Canada. It allows students in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to study for and obtain their Level 1 general insurance license.

The comprehensive ILS Introduction to General Insurance training program is adaptable to all learning types. No matter how you learn, ILScorp can guide you through your level 1 licensing process. The Introduction to General Insurance can be done completely online or with a traditional textbook, by video, virtual classroom or even a live immersion class. Options include a study guide, electronic flash cards and practice exams that allow you to review the material at your own pace, so that you are fully confident before writing the ILS Introduction to General Insurance final exam.

Building on the strong foundation of innovative online training ILScorp has honed in its 12 years online, the course is written by Steve Hawrishok, the original author of the Fundamentals of Insurance program and the Canadian Accredited Insurance Brokers (CAIB) program.

The ILS Introduction to General Insurance program is the most up-to-date level 1 insurance licensing program available in Canada.

Visit ilscorp.com today to get started, or call 1-800-404-2211 and get ready to start your insurance career.

Complete Your Life Licensing Qualification Program (LLQP) Online with ILScorp

Complete Your Life Licensing Qualification Program (LLQP) Online with ILScorp

ILScorp offers the first fully online Life Licensing Qualification Program in Canada. The online LLQP is a one-step licensing program designed to help you prepare to work in the life insurance industry.

The ILS LLQP insurance training program offers a complete and comprehensive streaming-video course, which gives you the knowledge and skills you’ll need to successfully challenge the provincial LLQP examination. The online program provides six months of access to the LLQP Life Insurance Course in video format, a series of exam-type case studies, an online mock exam and your certification exam.

Students generally spend between 80 and 120 hours preparing for the provincial LLQP exam and with the ILScorp LLQP you can review any subjects you’d like before moving on in the course. The ILScorp LLQP negates the need for a textbook, as all of the information needed to successfully challenge the LLQP provincial examination is included in the online course. Case studies, sample exam questions and scenarios are all part of the online curriculum.

The ILScorp LLQP online course is facilitated by Bob Ransom, CLU, CHFC and CFP. Mr. Ransom has been an active member of the Canadian insurance and financial services industry for more than 30 years. He has spent many of those years in the development and delivery of Accident and Sickness and Life Insurance Certification courses and related workshops. View a demo of the LLQP course here.

The ILScorp LLQP course is available for $299.95. For more information about this and other online insurance courses, visit ilscorp.com or call 1-800-404-2211.

Prepare to Write Your CAIB 3 Exam with a Live Immersion Exam Prep Sept 9-13 in Vancouver

Prepare to Write Your CAIB 3 Exam with a Live Immersion Exam Prep Sept 9-13 in Vancouver

Are you writing the CAIB 3 exam this fall? Your best exam prep option is the ILScorp live immersion course, led by Todd Hochban of West Coast Training. Attend the course from Sept 9-13 and write the national exam on Sept 19.

You must register to write the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker level 3 exam by Aug.16.

The live immersion class follows the ILS CAIB 3 exam prep course. Led by renowned insurance educator and president of West Coast Training, Todd Hochban, the five-day program gives students all of the knowledge, information and skills they need to pass the CAIB 3 exam.

The live CAIB 3 immersion classroom session runs from Sept. 9-13 at the BCIT campus in Vancouver. Registration is only $599.20 per student, and includes study aids and a work book.

ILScorp offers insurance training and exam prep courses for CAIB 1, 2, 3, & 4, through online video training, virtual classroom programs, and classroom immersion programs.

If you can’t make the immersion class, considering the following options:

  • Our interactive, online CAIB Exam Preparation video courses combine the dynamic instruction of Todd Hochban with the ease and convenience of online learning. Numerous exercises and mock exams help to reinforce knowledge retention. Study online with 24/7 access to the program, allowing you to work on your own schedule.

Instructor Todd Hochban highly recommends using the CAIB textbook in conjunction with the ILScorp CAIB Programs to thoroughly learn the material. CAIB text books can be purchased through your provincial insurance brokers association. Contact the association directly for more information.

If you’re ready to start call ILS today or buy your subscription online. If the more in-depth Virtual Classroom is for you, take $100 off with the promo code SUMMERSTART, but hurry – this offer expires Aug. 15. Call 1-800-404-2211 today.

Only Half of Canadians Travel With Medical Insurance – Study

Only Half of Canadians Travel With Medical Insurance – Study

A recent study on summer travel by BMO Insurance found that while 83 per cent of Canadians plan to take a vacation this summer, only half of Canadians who travel will purchase medical insurance.

While the average spent by Canadians on vacations to popular destinations including United States, Europe and Central and South America will be $3,073, travellers are potentially leaving themselves and their families facing much higher costs should they get sick or have an accident while travelling.

Getting sick while out of the country can be very expensive. The cost of treating a broken leg in the United States, for example, can be up to $20,000, while an air ambulance from Florida to Ontario can run up to $15,000 (as reported by Global News). Even within the country, Canadians may not be covered for all required medical care when travelling to another province.

According to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, group health insurance through your employer, union or professional association may cover out-of-country hospital or medical expenses, but people should always check to see what is covered and what is excluded before they leave for their vacation.

For example, check if policies cover the entire length of your absence from Canada or your home province and, if you extend your stay, can your policy be extended.

It’s also important to know what types of restrictions your policy has. Are there exclusions for specific activities or events such as sports, war, suicide or substance abuse? Know if your policy will pay for an emergency return home, and if you’re travelling with others, if each each person will need a separate policy. Are certain countries or locations not covered and does your policy provide for trip cancellation, baggage loss and other damages?

Some policies will not provide coverage for medical conditions that exist before your departure. This includes conditions for which you have seen a doctor or received other treatment recently. Other policies may provide coverage for these conditions but on a limited basis.

Look for a travel medical policy that includes medical and dental coverage, air ambulance, private duty nurse expenses and airfare and lodging for a family member to fly out to be by your side. As well, be sure you understand who pays. Some insurers pay the doctor directly while others require the traveller to pay up front and then get reimbursed later.

And read the fine print. Make sure your policy covers you for all trip activities and is valid for the duration of your trip.

“Unless you and your family are covered through other means, it’s critical to make sure you have travel medical insurance because emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere,” says Julie Barker-Merz, vice president and chief operating officer of BMO Insurance “Making sure you have travel medical insurance should be a high priority item on any traveller’s vacation to-do list.”

To learn about insurance training for Canadian insurance agents, visit ILScorp.com

Excerpted from Global News. To receive more daily news updates from the Canadian Insurance Industry, visit ILSTV.com

Home Insurance Premiums Will Rise After This Summer’s Major Weather Events

Home Insurance Premiums Will Rise After This Summer’s Major Weather Events

(CP) Toronto-based Intact Financial Corp. (TSX:IFC) is boosting its prices in light of recent flooding in Alberta and Toronto, and warning Canadians to expect changes to home insurance premiums as companies face big losses from major weather events.

“The frequency of severe weather events in the past few weeks has made it clear to me that the sustainability of home insurance in its current form is being challenged,” chief executive Charles Brindamour told analysts Wednesday. “While we’ve made meaningful progress with underwriting profits, on average, over the past three years in that line of business, our approach needs to evolve further, given the environment we face and will likely face in the coming years.”

Intact had a smaller second-quarter profit than last year but exceeded analyst estimates following several recent catastrophes that will result in millions of dollars of payouts by the insurance company.

On a per-share basis, the Toronto-based property and casualty insurer had 89 cents per share of net operating income. That was down from $1.35 a year earlier but 16 cents a share better than anticipated. Overall, Intact’s net operating income fell 32 per cent to $123 million, down $57 million from $180 million a year ago.

The lower operating income in the quarter ended June 30 reflects losses related to storms and flooding in Alberta. Intact had warned in July that it expected to take a hit in both the second and third quarter from claims related to flooding in Alberta, flash floods in Toronto and the Lac-Megantic train crash in Quebec.

The company said it is tweaking its home insurance products, boosting premiums and working to educate clients on how to minimize potential future losses.

“The plan we have in mind will focus on ensuring customers have a better understanding of the risks they face and what they can do to better adapt to climate change,” Brindamour said. “This issue is not one solely affecting the insurance industry, but rather society as a whole, and as such, we will work with communities across the country to raise awareness as to how they can better protect themselves against the impacts of extreme weather.”

Other insurance companies have also felt the impact of recent severe weather events.

Last week, Co-operators General Insurance Company (TSX:CCS.PR.C) dropped to a second-quarter loss of $5.9 million, mostly on costs from the floods in Alberta. The company said it lost around $77 million before taxes as a result of the Alberta floods, even after collecting reinsurance.

TD Bank Group (TSX:TD) said Tuesday the flooding in Toronto and Alberta will likely result in a loss for its insurance business, which would have been profitable without the weather-related expenses. TD Insurance faces an after-tax net loss of between $240 million and $290 million for the most recent quarter.

Excerpted from the Canadian Press. For more Canadian insurance industry news, sign up for the ILSTV daily or weekly newsletter

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