Author: Caroline Floyd

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CatIQ Connect

Registration for the first of CatIQ’s Connect Quarterly Webinar Series has opened. It will run online on October 14, 2020

news-1

Toronto, August 18, 2020 – CatIQ and MSA Research are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the first of the Canadian catastrophe conference’s online webinars. The upcoming CatIQ Connect quarterly webinar series will be held in October and December of 2020 and February and June of 2021.

“Given the uncertainty of the global pandemic, we made the decision to host an online quarterly series from October 2020 to June 2021,” said Joel Baker, CEO, of CatIQ and MSA Research “As we all know, catastrophes do not stop for a pandemic, and this year has already been memorable with the impactful Fort McMurray flooding and Calgary hailstorms.” CatIQ Connect is a platform where industry, all levels of government, and academia come together to discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies, technological advancements, and sector perspectives around catastrophe management.

Registration is now open for:

October 14, 2020 – The Financial Sector on Catastrophes & Climate Change

“This forum will examine how banks, insurers and institutional investors are subject to the evolving threat of physical climate change. For those working in the capital markets, the forum will provide practical guidance to limit risk that might otherwise prove challenging to the financial services sector,” says Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo.

The half-day will be capped off with a keynote discussion between Mike Pedersen, Chair of the Business Development Bank of Canada, and Blair Feltmate, Head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. The pair will focus on the threat of physical climate risk, and how Canada’s banks can provide stability to the Canadian economy.

Session highlights for October 14:
Risks and Opportunities for the Capital Markets with Alyson Slater, Global Risk Institute. Moderator: Andrew Castaldi, PERILS AG

Innovative Insurance Strategies from Low to Middle Income Countries and How to Apply Them in Canada with Kathy Baughman McLeod, Adrienne Arsht–Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Atlantic Council. Moderator: Marjorie Brans, School for Social Entrepreneurs Canada

Evolving Perspectives on the Impacts of Physical Climate Risk for Canada’s Housing Sector with Steve Mennill, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Moderator: Joanna Dafoe, Insurance Bureau of Canada

Save the dates for the full webinar series line up:
December 3, 2020 – New in Catastrophe Technology & Modelling
February 11, 2021 – Pandemic: One Year Later
June 10, 2021 – Collaborating to Mitigate Loss to Catastrophes and Climate Change

As always, the conference Steering Committee brings together leading organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

Jim Abraham
President,
ClimAction Services Inc.		Caroline Floyd
Assistant Director of
Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ		Anthony Black
National Catastrophe Manager,
RSA Insurance Group
Karen Francis
Vice President,
Guy Carpenter		Marjorie Brans
Director of Ecosystem Impact,
School for Social Entrepreneurs Canada		Paul A. MacDonald
EVP, Registrational Insurance,
Economical Insurance
Michael Butler
Senior Business Development Manager-Commercial, ServiceMaster Restore		Glenn McGillivray
Managing Director,
ICLR		Andrew Castaldi
Representative Consultant,
PERILS AG
Dwayne Torrey
Director, Construction & Infrastructure, Standards, CSA Group		Lindsey Collins
Senior Catastrophe Analyst,
Aon		Laura Twidle
Managing Director,
CatIQ
Joanna Dafoe
National Director of Climate Change,
Insurance Bureau of Canada		Rebecca Wagner
Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada		Dipika Deol
Head of P&C Underwriting, Canada and English Caribbean, Swiss Re
Kyle Winston
Co-founder & President,
CRU Group Inc.		Dr. Blair Feltmate
Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaption, University of Waterloo		Anna Ziolecki
Director,
Partners for Action
Categories
CatIQ Platform

CatIQ Issues Annual Update of Insurance Industry Exposure Database for Canada

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Toronto, June 30, 2020 – Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), a subsidiary of Zurich-based PERILS AG, today released the annual update of its Canadian insurance Industry Exposure Database (IED), developed with the support of the Canadian P&C industry. The IED now contains 2019 year-end estimates of Canadian industry property sums insured.

As in previous years, the database makes available industry property sums insured, number of risks and prevailing original insurance conditions by:

  • Canada Post Forward Sortation Area (FSA)
  • Peril (windstorm, hail, fire, flood, sewer back-up, earthquake and volcanic eruption)
  • Line of business (personal, commercial, and motor hull)
  • Cover type (building, vehicle, contents, business interruption and additional living expense, where applicable)

Launched in June 2018, CatIQ’s IED is based on detailed exposure submissions from a majority of the Canadian insurance market. Consistent with PERILS’ globally recognized methodology, CatIQ’s IED is updated annually from the ground-up. Also, with the support of the participating insurers, CatIQ produces industry loss estimates at the FSA level as follows:

  • The same perils, lines of business and cover types as listed above
  • Any catastrophe that results in an industry loss greater than C$300 million

This detailed loss dataset is now comprised of three major events, including the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire, the 2018 May Windstorm in Ontario and Quebec, and the Ottawa and Gatineau tornadoes of September 2018. The Fort McMurray flooding from this past spring will also be added to the FSA level loss database at the 90-day estimate.

Commenting on the announcement, Joel Baker, CEO of CatIQ, said, “The update of CatIQ’s Canadian IED and Loss platform will provide immense value to insurers, reinsurers, brokers and modelers.” He added that, “the unprecedented level of detail available in the platform supports improved modeling, benchmarking and risk-transfer solutions. The new data combined with the powerful features added in Fall 2018, like the Exposure Map, create an opportunity for the industry to quickly review the exposure to forecasts and more.”

Luzi Hitz, CEO of PERILS, added: “An independent and reliable IED is crucial to understanding the Cat exposure of the Canadian insurance market. CatIQ applies the identical from-ground-up method as PERILS to produce the Canadian IED, namely by collecting sums insured information from the majority of the market each year and by calculating the industry exposure based on the collected data. It is the gold standard of IEDs and enables Cat model validation as well as risk-pricing of industry-loss-based risk-transfer instruments, such as ILWs and Cat bonds. In times of tight retrocession capacity, these industry loss products can be a valid and helpful alternative to traditional retrocession, and CatIQ’s IED and industry losses represent the most professional dataset available for this specialized market.”

CatIQ’s IED module is available on CatIQ’s platform, heralded as the most reliable source of CAT loss information in Canada. Primary insurers participating in the IED program receive the IED module at no extra charge. Furthermore, CatIQ’s Canadian IED and granular loss information is made available on the PERILS platform. In addition to Canada, PERILS’ Industry Exposure and Loss Database covers Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Categories
Catastrophes CatIQ Connect

CatIQ Connect, Canada’s Catastrophe Conference, described as ‘Where Worst Case Meets Best Practice’

Connect 2020 panel

Toronto, February 12, 2020 – The fifth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, was held over three days last week, Feb 3-5, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. More than 235 delegates attended the event, including catastrophe risk professionals and emergency managers from across Canada, the United States, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. This year featured a great recap of the outstanding initiatives underway across the country, as well as discussions on the work yet to be done.

Delegates participated in a workshop developed by the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) on Feb 3rd. The CRC led the participants through a wildfire simulation to present the challenges faced in a disaster. From the second part of the workshop, the CRC will use the valuable insights from the diverse participants to contribute to their report on the role of a national flood insurance program in assisting individuals and small business affected by disasters.

“As someone who works with the communities most vulnerable to natural disaster impacts, I appreciated learning about the growing challenges facing the catastrophe management industry,” said Marjorie Brans, Director of Ecosystem Impact, School for Social Entrepreneurs Canada. “CatIQ Connect is a critical gathering where industry players can pool their creativity and rise to the challenge.”

Climate change and the need for resilient infrastructure were featured prominently in the conversation, as well as conversations around a high-risk flood insurance pool. “We are entering an unprecedented period of collaboration on climate resilience between the federal government and the insurance sector,” observed Craig Stewart, Vice President Federal Affairs at IBC. “As evidenced by the broad federal representation at this year’s event, CatIQ Connect provided a timely opportunity to share our mutual progress in the interest of consumers.”

Further discussion included how we can become more resilient to different types of severe events, such as earthquakes, wind, hail, flooding, and the mental health impacts of home and business owners, first responders and claims teams. Alister Campbell, President & CEO of PACICC described CatIQ Connect as a forum “where worst case meets best practice!” Having a plan in place before a disaster is important to ensuring a smooth recovery process, and CatIQ Connect supports the collaboration needed in the industry and across sectors.

Over 25 organizations participated as sponsors or partners of the event, including CRU Group, The Co-operators and IBC as Platinum Sponsors. Other sponsors included major reinsurance brokers, reinsurance companies, flood risk organizations, cat modelers, imagery specialists, and restoration and emergency management companies.

The success of the 2020 CatIQ Connect event was driven by the oversight of an outstanding Steering Committee. Representation included:

  • Jim Abraham, President, ClimAction Services Inc.
  • William Belzile, Geographic Information System Advisor, Desjardins General Insurance Group
  • Alister Campbell, CEO, PACICC
  • Claudette Cantin, Chief Actuary and CRO, Munich Re Canada
  • Paul Cutbush, SVP, Catastrophe Management, Aon
  • Esaie Djossou, AVP of Reinsurance, CAT Underwriting, International Underwriting and Data & Insights functions, Aviva Canada
  • Dr. David Etkin, Professor, Disaster and Emergency Management, York University
  • Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
  • Dr. Maryam Golnaraghi, Director, Climate Change & Emerging Environmental Topics, Geneva Association
  • Sean Hobson, VP, National Programs, WINMAR (Canada) International Ltd.
  • Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, ICLR
  • Ryaz Mohamed, Director, Corporate Reinsurance, The Co-operators Group
  • Shawna Peddle, Program Director, Community Economic Development Funds, The Co-operators Group
  • Sean Russell, Managing Director, Guy Carpenter
  • Craig Stewart, VP, Federal Affairs, IBC
  • Geneviève Thouin, Project Director, MCIP, FCM
  • Dwayne Torrey, Director, Construction & Infrastructure Standards, CSA Group
  • Laura Twidle, Managing Director, CatIQ
  • Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, MSC, ECCC
  • Kyle Winston, President, CRU Group Inc.
  • Anna Ziolecki, Director, Partners for Action 

CatIQ Connect will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre February 1-3, 2021. View 2020 event photos.

Categories
Catastrophes CatIQ Platform

CatIQ Announces Major Platform Enhancements

Toronto (October 10, 2019) – CatIQ has today announced the implementation of a series of new features on their state-of-the-art platform, which includes the introduction of several powerful visualization tools.

The CatIQ platform houses the Canadian insurance industry’s loss and exposure database, as well as other catastrophe-related information. The platform enhancements make available additional tools for the visualization of pre- and post-catastrophe information and the Industry Exposure Database (IED).

To complement CatIQ’s existing catastrophe forecasts, upgrades to the platform introduce a series of new data feeds from external sources including:

  • Radar and cloud cover
  • Earthquakes
  • Hurricanes
  • Water levels
  • Wildfires
  • Significant weather outlooks

These augmentations provide CatIQ subscribers with quick access to comprehensive datasets to support quick and effective decision-making. IED Subscribers can now visualize industry and their own exposures and measure sensitivity to loss for catastrophe forecasts in real time. Participating primary insurance companies can also visually compare their own exposure to the industry at the FSA level (first three digits of postal code), by business line and peril type.

Commenting on the new platform capabilities, Laura Twidle, Managing Director at CatIQ, said: “Through our CatIQ platform, we aim to provide a one-stop-shop for catastrophe information. Having swift access to a wide range of information to help make informed decisions is critical to all industry stakeholders, and we believe that these platform enhancements enable exactly that.”

A webinar tutorial on the new platform capabilities will be available to CatIQ subscribers on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 1 pm EDT. For more information, please contact Laura Twidle at the details listed below.

The first Canadian IED was released in June 2018. The IED now contains year-end data for 2016, 2017 and 2018. The 2019 IED will be released in the spring of 2020.

Categories
CatIQ Connect

Registration for the Fifth Annual Canadian Catastrophe (CAT) Conference has Opened

Toronto (September 11, 2019) – CatIQ is pleased to announce that registration for its fifth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, is now open. CatIQ Connect is being held February 3-5, 2020 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  CatIQ Connect will kick off with a review of the events from 2019, which is sure to be interesting, given the weather activity in 2019 so far.

Canadian insured catastrophic losses have reached nearly $900 million thus far in 2019 and these do not include the impacts from Post-Tropical Storm Dorian according to CatIQ (Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc.). Impactful weather events are on the rise, and government and industry must look to implement solutions to mitigate the increasing cost of catastrophes.

CatIQ Connect is a content-driven conference designed to foster collaboration between sectors relating to resilience and recovery in the face of catastrophes. “We are thrilled to be hosting the fifth annual catastrophe conference and, once again, our steering committee has put together a phenomenal agenda,” said Laura Twidle, Managing Director of CatIQ. “The 2020 event will focus on solutions; we want attendees to leave with information on how they can take the next step in mitigating risk and planning.”

CatIQ Connect is designed for:

  • Insurance/Reinsurance Professionals
  • All Levels of Government
  • Academia/Researchers
  • Risk Managers
  • NGO’s
  • Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Keynote:

  • Roy Wright, President & CEO, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

The CatIQ Connect 2020 Agenda features 30+ expert speakers. Highlights include:

  • Interactive Workshop
  • Leadership and Financial Solutions to Climate Change
  • Financing Climate Resilient Infrastructure
  • The War Story – 48h Post-CAT
  • Resilience: The Whys and Hows
  • Mental Health and Disasters
  • The Fort McMurray Rebuild
  • Different Views of Earthquake
  • Communication Tools for Preparedness and Recovery
  • Flood Resilient Design for New Residential Communities
  • Governmental Views on Moving Out or Staying Put
  • Risk Assessment – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Save $100 by registering early and save a further $100 per person by registering three or more at https://connect.catiq.com  

Once again, this year’s Steering Committee includes leading organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

Jim Abraham
2020 Co-emceeand President, ClimAction Services Inc.		Glenn McGillivray
Managing Director,ICLR
William Belzile
GIS Advisor, Desjardins General Insurance Group		Ryaz Mohamed
Director, Corporate Reinsurance, The Co-operators Group
Alister Campbell
CEO, PACICC		Shawna Peddle
2020 Co-emcee and Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
Claudette Cantin
SVP, Chief Actuary and CRO, Munich Re Canada		Sean Russell
Managing Director, Guy Carpenter
Paul Cutbush
SVP Catastrophe Management,Aon Benfield Analytics		Craig Stewart
VP, Federal Affairs, IBC
Esaie Djossou
AVP of Reinsurance, CAT Underwriting, International Underwriting and Data and Insights functions, Aviva Canada		Genevieve Thouin
Project Director, MCIP, FCM
Dr. Blair Feltmate
Head, Intact Centre onClimate Adaption,University of Waterloo		Dwayne Torrey
Director, Construction & Infrastructure,Standards, CSA Group
Dr. Maryam Golnaraghi
Director, Climate Change and Emerging Environmental Topics, The Geneva Association		Rebecca Wagner
Associate Director,Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Sean Hobson
VP, National Programs, WINMAR (Canada) International Ltd.		Kyle Winston
Co-founder & President,CRU Group Inc.
Anna Ziolecki
Director, Partners for Action>
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Uncategorized

PERILS Acquires CatIQ

Signing a contract

Zurich, 17 June 2019 – PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organisation providing industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has today announced that it has acquired Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).

Established in 2014, CatIQ is widely recognised as the most reliable source of catastrophe loss and exposure information in Canada. The firm collects event loss and exposure data from the majority of the Canadian insurance market and provides an independent Industry Exposure & Loss Database for the region. The data are primarily used by re/insurers, ILS funds, intermediaries and modellers for market benchmarking, catastrophe risk model validation, and as triggers in industry-loss-based risk transfer products. CatIQ also works with several public bodies, as well as industry organisations such as The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR).  

Based in Toronto, CatIQ will continue to be managed day-to-day by Joel Baker, CEO and Founder, while Laura Twidle, Managing Director, will continue to lead the CatIQ team. The firm will also maintain its eleven-member advisory board which includes senior representatives from six major Canadian primary writers and global reinsurers on a rotation basis, as well as permanent representatives from Aon, Guy Carpenter, IBC, ICLR and Canada’s federal agency Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Commenting on the acquisition, Luzi Hitz, CEO of PERILS, said: “We are delighted to be announcing our agreement with CatIQ. The firm’s excellent market reputation and steadfast commitment to enhancing the industry’s understanding of Cat risk has enabled it to secure the support of the majority of the Canadian general insurance market. Acquiring CatIQ is in line with our mission to increase data availability and strengthens our ability to provide state-of-the-art Cat intelligence and industry loss triggers, helping boost the efficiency of re/insurers, modelers and others as well as the specialised risk transfer market.” 

Joel Baker added: “In 2017, we entered into a strategic alliance with PERILS. That close collaboration was central to our ability to launch the FSA (CRESTA) level industry exposure database for Canada in 2018. Today’s announcement means that we can build upon this partnership to deliver CatIQ’s analytical platform and loss indices to the wider risk transfer market and offer additional innovative solutions to the Canadian and global markets. This is truly a win-win-win situation for all parties involved – CatIQ, PERILS and most importantly our clients.”

Laura Twidle added: “There is an almost seamless fit between PERILS and CatIQ both in terms of the activities that we conduct and the culture that we operate. Our industry mandates are perfectly aligned and by coming together our market proposition becomes even more appealing to the global insurance industry. CatIQ will also continue to play its part in promoting advancements in Cat management strategies through events such as the annual CatIQ Connect Conference, which we conduct in partnership with MSA Research Inc.”

About PERILS

PERILS is an independent Zurich-based organization providing industry-wide natural catastrophe exposure and event loss data. The PERILS Industry Exposure & Loss Database is available to all interested parties via annual subscription. The database contains industry property sums insured and event loss information for 15 countries on a CRESTA zone level and per property line of business. PERILS industry loss estimates, provided via the PERILS Industry Loss Index Service, can be used as triggers in insurance risk transactions such as industry loss warranty contracts (ILW) or insurance-linked securities (ILS). The use of PERILS exposure and loss data other than in conjunction with a valid PERILS License and according to its terms, by a Licensee or an Authorized User as defined in the License, is illegal and expressly forbidden.

www.perils.org

About CatIQ

Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) delivers detailed analytical and meteorological information on Canadian natural and man-made catastrophes. Through its online subscription-based platform, CatIQ combines comprehensive insured loss and exposure indices and other related information to better serve the needs of the insurance / reinsurance / ILS industries, the public sector and other stakeholders. CatIQ was established in 2014 with the support of the overwhelming majority of the Canadian insurance and reinsurance industry and is widely recognized as the most reliable source of catastrophe loss information in Canada.

www.catiq.com

More information can be found on www.perils.org

Contact

Nigel Allen

+44 7988 478824

nigel.allen@perils.org

Categories
CatIQ Platform

CatIQ Issues Annual Update of Insurance Industry Exposure Database for Canada, Developed in Partnership with PERILS

Toronto (May 9, 2019) – Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) today released the annual update of its Canadian insurance Industry Exposure Database (IED), developed with the support of the Canadian P&C industry and in partnership with Zurich-based PERILS AG. The IED now contains 2018 year-end estimates of Canadian industry property sums insured.

 As in the 2017 and 2016 year-end datasets, the industry property sums insured are by:

  • Canada Post Forward Sortation Area (FSA)
  • Peril (windstorm, hail, fire, flood, sewer back-up, earthquake and volcanic eruption)
  • Line of business (personal, commercial, and motor hull)
  • Cover type (building, vehicle, contents, business interruption and additional living expense, where applicable)

 Launched in June 2018, CatIQ’s IED is based on detailed exposure submissions from a majority of the Canadian Insurance market. Consistent with PERILS’ methodology, CatIQ’s IED is updated annually. Also, with the support of the participating insurers, CatIQ produces industry loss estimates at the FSA level as follows:

  • The same perils, lines of business and cover types as listed above
  • Any catastrophe that results in an industry loss greater than C$300 million
  • At three months, 6 months, 1 year and, if industry loss exceeds C$500 million, 2 years after the event

 This detailed loss dataset is now comprised of three major events, including the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire, the 2018 May Windstorm in Ontario and Quebec, and the Ottawa and Gatineau tornadoes of September 2018.

 Commenting on the announcement, Joel Baker, CEO of CatIQ, said, “The update of CatIQ’s Canadian IED and Loss platform will provide immense value to insurers, reinsurers, brokers and modelers.” He added that, “the unprecedented level of detail available in the platform supports improved modelling, benchmarking and risk-transfer solutions. We are thrilled that several large insurers have joined the IED in 2018 and 2019 and that the market share of participating companies now stands over 60%.”

 Eduard Held, Head of Products at PERILS, added: “The availability of both insured market exposure and market loss data, produced with the identical methodology and stemming from the same sources, ensures a high degree of consistency. Such consistency is essential when combining the two datasets, be it for the validation of nat cat risk models or for performing exposure and loss benchmarking. We are delighted that our partnership with CatIQ successfully led to such high-quality IEDs, benefiting the entire Canadian re/insurance market.”

 CatIQ’s IED module is available as an add-on to CatIQ’s existing services, heralded as the most reliable source of CAT loss information in Canada. Primary insurers participating in the IED program receive the IED module at no extra charge. Furthermore, CatIQ’s Canadian IED and granular loss information is made available on the PERILS platform. In addition to Canada, PERILS’ Industry Exposure and Loss Database covers Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

 About CatIQ

 Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) delivers detailed analytical and meteorological information on Canadian natural and man-made catastrophes. Through its online subscription-based platform, CatIQ combines comprehensive insured loss and exposure indices, meteorological and GIS analytics and other related information to better serve the needs of the insurance / reinsurance / ILS industries, the public sector and other stakeholders. CatIQ was established in 2014 with the support of the overwhelming majority of the Canadian insurance/reinsurance industry and is widely recognized as the most reliable source of Cat loss information in Canada. CatIQ is affiliated with MSA Research Inc., Canada’s dominant provider of financial analytics covering the P&C and Life/Health insurance sectors.

 About PERILS AG

 PERILS is an independent Zurich-based organization providing industry-wide natural catastrophe exposure and event loss data. The PERILS Industry Exposure & Loss Database is available to all interested parties via annual subscription. PERILS industry loss estimates, provided via the PERILS Industry Loss Index Service, can be used as triggers in insurance risk transactions such as industry loss warranty contracts (ILW) or insurance-linked securities (ILS) and currently covers the following 16 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The use of PERILS exposure and loss data other than in conjunction with a valid PERILS License and according to its terms, by a Licensee or an Authorized User as defined in the License, is illegal and expressly forbidden.

 More information can be found at https://www.catiq.com and https://www.perils.org

 Contacts:

 Laura Twidle                                                   Nigel Allen

+1 416 368 0777 x30                                      +44 7988 478824

laura.twidle@catiq.com                                 nigel.allen@perils.org

Categories
CatIQ Connect

More Than a 35% Increase in Attendance Year-Over-Year at The Canadian Catastrophe Conference, CatIQ Connect

Conference attendees listening to a session.

Toronto (February 7, 2019) – The fourth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, was held over three days this week at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. More than 270 delegates attended the event, including catastrophe risk professionals and emergency managers from across Canada, the United States, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The number of participants at this event has increased by more than 35% year-over-year and signals the importance and relevance of catastrophe planning in Canada.

Delegates participated in a workshop developed with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) on Day One. FCM will be able to use the valuable insights from the diverse attendees to support municipalities as Canada experiences more frequent disasters. Climate change information and how it can be used practically in the capital markets, building codes, and risk management were featured prominently in the conversation as well. “CatIQ Connect is the leading forum where public and private sector leaders meet to discuss action to better manage flood, earthquake, wildfire and other catastrophic risks in Canada,” said Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, ICLR. Further discussion included how different sectors prepared for and responded to recent disasters, such as the May windstorm, British Columbia flooding, and Ontario wildfires.

“As the frequency and severity of extreme weather events increases, Canadians are bearing the financial, social and emotional impacts. As risk experts, we understand the issues and have a responsibility to act,” said Barbara Turley-McIntyre, Vice President of Sustainability & Citizenship at The Co-operators. “Events like CatIQ Connect allow us to gather across sectors, share insights and work collaboratively to help build more resilient communities.” Jim Abraham, President, ClimAction Services Inc. added, “It is only through a collective effort that we can ensure our communities are resilient. CatIQ Connect enables the collective conversation and relationship building needed to make this happen.”

Nearly 25 organizations participated as sponsors or partners of the event, including CRU Group, The Co-operators, IBC, and Wood as Platinum Sponsors. Other sponsors included major reinsurance brokers, reinsurance companies, flood risk organizations, cat modelers, imagery specialists, and restoration companies.

The success of the 2019 CatIQ Connect event was driven by the oversight of an outstanding Steering Committee. Representation included:

  • Jim Abraham, 2019 President, ClimAction Services Inc.
  • Kris Bagchi, AVP, Reinsurance, TD Insurance
  • Ron Biggs, National Claims Director, RSA Insurance Group
  • Teresa Burgess-Ogilvie, Partnership Engagement Committee, IAEM Canada and Manager, Office of Emergency Management, City of Mississauga
  • Paul Cutbush, SVP Catastrophe Management, Aon
  • Jim Eso, SVP, Property and Casualty, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
  • Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
  • Deirdre Laframboise, Senior Manager, Knowledge and Sector Development, Green Municipal Fund, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
  • Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, ICLR
  • David McGown
  • Megan Meaney, Executive Director, ICLEI Canada
  • Shawna Peddle, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
  • Alison Porter, SVP, Treaty, SCOR Canada Reinsurance
  • Alexa Reedman, Research Program Coordinator, MEOPAR
  • Kimberly Roberts, VP & Senior Meteorologist, JLT Re
  • Dwayne Torrey, Director, Construction & Infrastructure Standards, CSA Group
  • Laura Twidle, Director, Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
  • Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Kyle Winston, Co-founder & President, CRU Group Inc.

CatIQ Connect will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre February 3-5, 2020.

Categories
CatIQ Announcements CatIQ Connect

Catastrophe Stakeholders Attend CatIQ Connect to Hear David Phillips

Auditorium

Toronto (January 14, 2019) – A total of 220 delegates have already registered to attend the fourth annual CatIQ Connect, taking place February 4-6 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The overall themes of CatIQ Connect are on catastrophe preparedness and resiliency, risk management tools, and helping stakeholder and policy makers work together for the greater good of all Canadians.

David Phillips, Senior Climatologist of Environment and Climate Change Canada will open the workshop on February 4th and engage stakeholders with a review of 2018’s extreme weather events and what’s to come. The workshop will provide municipalities with insight on how to respond, recover and mitigate future disasters. Phillips says, “Canada’s annual list of top ten weather stories has revealed an increasing trend to more destructive, expensive and impactful weather. Perhaps 2018 is a preview of what lies ahead, not as exceptional, but simply the norm mere decades from now. At the same time, we have become more vulnerable and at greater risk to extreme weather. Canadians must become more resilient – not only for what lies ahead but for the climate already here.”

The workshop has been developed in partnership with The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). FCM President Vicki-May Hamm added, “Through FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, we encourage municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change. We welcome the opportunity at this year’s CatIQ Connect workshop to engage the stakeholders on this topic, and advance capacity-building resources for municipalities to help them address climate-related natural disasters.”

Conference sponsors are numerous organizations dedicated to mitigating and managing catastrophic loss, and include The Co-operators, CRU Group Adjusters, IBC, Wood, other technology and restoration companies, reinsurers, reinsurance brokers, and research networks. The conference agenda will provide diverse perspectives on various facets of Canadian catastrophes and session speakers include:

To register for CatIQ Connect 2019, and to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit www.catiq.com/connect
Photo caption:

CatIQ Connect 2019 speakers, from left: (top row) Tania Caceres, Dr. Lars Dyrud, Dr. Blair Feltmate; (middle row) Chad Nelson, David McGown, Ian McPherson; (bottom row) Shawna Peddle, David Phillips, Philipp Wassenberg.

Categories
CatIQ Connect

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities to Host the Workshop at CatIQ Connect on Feb 4

Toronto (October 15, 2018) – On the final day of summer, 6 tornadoes tore across eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Among the tornadoes was an EF3 which caused extensive damage and injuries from Kinburn, ON to Gatineau, QC. In addition, there was an EF2 that severely damaged a hydro station and many homes in Nepean, ON. Extreme weather can happen anytime and anywhere and, since over 80% of Canadians live in municipalities, major impacts can be felt when a disaster strikes in these populated areas.

CatIQ is thrilled to announce that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) will host an interactive workshop at CatIQ Connect on February 4, 2019. This engaging workshop will provide diverse participants the opportunity to learn about how municipalities are mitigating, adapting and responding to the impacts of climate change related to natural disasters. Participants will also get the chance to work together and develop ideas to support capacity-building resources for FCM and others to help Canadian municipalities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

“Through FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, we encourage municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change. We welcome the opportunity at this year’s CatIQ workshop to engage the stakeholders on this topic, and advance capacity-building resources for municipalities to help them address climate-related natural disasters,” said FCM President Vicki-May Hamm.

CatIQ Connect is designed for:

  • Insurance/reinsurance professionals
  • All levels of government
  • Academia/researchers
  • Engineers/builders
  • Risk managers
  • NGOs
  • Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Keynotes:

  • Howard Kunreuther, Professor and Co-Director of the Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, will present The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters
  • Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will sit down for a fireside chat with Rob Wesseling, President & CEO, The Co-operators
  • Ed Struzik, a Canadian author and photographer, will present a view of how wildfires will shape the future

CatIQ Connect 2019 Agenda Highlights:

  • Interactive Workshop hosted by FCM
  • Translating Climate Change and Extreme Weather into Practical Application for the Capital Markets
  • Lessons Learned on Hurricanes
  • Nuclear Emergency – Onsite and Offsite
  • Recent Catastrophes
  • Are Critical Services at Risk and Are They Adapting?
  • Risk Communication and Personal Action
  • Codes and Standards
  • Mortgage Impairment Due to Earthquake Loss
  • New Technologies and Techniques
  • Climate Change: From Science to Actionable Insight

Once again, this year’s Steering Committee covers organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

  • Jim Abraham, 2019 Emcee and President, ClimAction Services Inc.
  • Ron Biggs, National Claims Director, RSA Insurance Group
  • Kris Bagchi, AVP, Reinsurance, TD Insurance
  • Teresa Burgess-Ogilvie, Partnership Engagement Committee, IAEM Canada and Manager, Office of Emergency Management, City of Mississauga
  • Paul Cutbush, SVP Catastrophe Management, Aon
  • Jim Eso, SVP, Property and Casualty, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
  • Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaption, University of Waterloo
  • Deirdre Laframboise, Senior Manager, Knowledge and Sector Development, Green Municipal Fund Federation of Canadian Municipalities
  • Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, ICLR
  • David McGown, SVP, Strategic Initiatives, IBC
  • Megan Meaney, Director, ICLEI Canada
  • Shawna Peddle, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
  • Alison Porter, SVP, Head of Treaty, SCOR Canada Reinsurance
  • Alexa Reedman, Research Program Coordinator, MEOPAR
  • Kimberly Roberts, VP & Senior Meteorologist, JLT Re
  • Dwayne Torrey, Director, Construction & Infrastructure Standards, CSA Group
  • Laura Twidle, Director, Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
  • Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Kyle Winston, Co-founder & President, CRU Group Inc.

To register for CatIQ Connect 2019, or to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit www.catiq.com/connect or follow CatIQ on Twitter at @CatIQ_Inc or via the hashtag #CatIQConnect.

Download the full PDF press release.

About CatIQ

As Canada’s loss index provider, CatIQ delivers detailed analytical and meteorological information on Canadian natural and man-made catastrophes. Through its online subscription-based platform, CatIQ combines comprehensive insured loss indices and other related information to meet the needs of the insurance/reinsurance industries, public sector and other stakeholders.
www.catiq.com
CatIQ also hosts the annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect. www.catiq.com/connect/ which will next run February 4-6, 2019.