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  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  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  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  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,  more...

One of the most crucial risk management questions our clients ask is: “How much liability insurance should I carry?” This question is critical in managing risk for anybody owning a vehicle, a residential property, a business, or for anyone involved in the operation of any organization, or almost any mobile equipment. My usual response is:  more...