Most people don’t know it – but one of the greatest breaches of personal privacy – leading to social embarrassment or identity theft – can come by way of the office photocopier.  That’s because the hard drive can retain images of every document copied, and be available to whoever takes possession when the copier is  more...

Tunnel problems?  At the very end, is that gas that shoots out from the car?  What is the deal with this tunnel?! Submitted by: Kevin McTie more...

As news from the massive environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico continues to worsen, one thing is certain: the underwater oil spill – now 1 month in duration – will result in litigation for years to come. But the BP crude leak – which could be the largest oil spill in history – is simply  more...

Some days are better than others. This one started with a small leak (first photo – look to the left at the bottom of the wall), and progressed to an unintended lake. This is an example of what we in the insurance business, call a “worst case scenario”. And they do happen.  more...

The April 20th sinking of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig 41 miles off the Louisiana coast could have an impact of up to $2B on various global insurance markets, according to Liberty International Underwriters. But according to some projections, the total financial hit is approaching $14B.  And growing. The magnitude of the threat continues to escalate  more...

From my earliest days, my father drilled into my head that I was responsible for the consequences of my own decisions. Hulk Hogan has never met my dad. The incident:  professional wrestler Hulk Hogan (real name is Terry Bollea) is suing Wells Fargo Southeast Insurance in the aftermath of a horrendous car accident in Clearwater Florida  more...

How much liability insurance is enough?? – Picture yourself in this situation: somebody has threatened to sue you over a frivolous incident for which you believe you are not responsible.  Just to be safe, your insurer assigns a high-powered Toronto law firm to defend you. Here’s the shocking part: after pointing out that the plaintiff has  more...

Olympics Security – worth the hassle? worth the cost?? – Canada’s biggest peacetime security operation is ramping up to full force as Vancouver sets to host the 2010 Winter Games. The Vancouver Olympics will attract 2,500 athletes, but will require 16,000 police officers, soldiers, and private security guards.  The security budget is $900M.  All of that  more...

In the wake of the global financial sector meltdown, contemporary jargon is sprinkled with references to “risk appetite”, “enterprise risk management”, “risk assessment matrix”, etc. All of this fits under the general heading of “risk management”. But what is it? The term “risk” didn’t even appear in the English language until the 17th century, replacing what  more...

Public Vaccination for H1N1 – What if the government is wrong??? It’s hard to nail down objectively, but anecdotal evidence suggests some healthcare workers are beginning to worry about the changing nature of information accompanying the H1N1 threat. If a problem surfaces, can the federal government be legally liable for its pandemic threat vaccination strategy, or  more...