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1 P R O T E C T I N G O U R C L I E N T S S I N C E I N S U R A N C E N E W S S P R I N G I N S U R A N C E N E W S I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : M C E L H O E S & D U F F Y H I S T O R Y F I R E E X C A P E T I P S BEAR TIPS AND BOAT- ING ETIQUETTE T I P S F O R B O A T A N D Y A C H T I N - S U R A N C E With spring just around the corner there always seems to be a million things to do. There is an old saying Out of sight, Out of mind. This couldn t be more true when it comes to the maintenance of the water protection equipment in your house: Your sump pump and back water valve are your first line of defense to protect your home from unwanted basement water. Did you know that sump pumps only last an average of 7 years? Unfortunately we usually don t find out the pump is no longer working until the heavy rains come. Do yourself a favor and add this task to your spring maintenance. Although you may be able to purchase insurance to cover the costs of a sewer backup or sump pump failure, it is always preferred not to have to deal with the issues of water damage to your home. Your sewer backup/sump pump failure coverage should be reviewed every year. In most cases this coverage can only be added or modified on renewal so an annual update should be done. Feel free to contact our office for further information. R E F E R A L P R O G R A M 6 There are several back up systems available such as installing a secondary pump, monitoring the pump with your home security system, alternative power sources, etc. M E E T A N E W T E A M M E M B E R : J A Y E L A N G D O N After a distinguished career in broadcasting, Jaye joined the Team of McElhoes & Duffy in May Jaye s experience in service and communication makes her a perfect fit at McElhoes & Duffy. Please feel free to contact Jaye at or jaye@mcelhoesduffy.com for any of your Autopac or Residential Insurance needs.

2 I N S U R A N C E N E W S Page 2 M C E L H O E S & D U F F Y I N S U R A N C E B R O K E R S, E S T Established in 1921, McElhoes & Duffy celebrated our 90th anniversary year in The team at McElhoes & Duffy is dedicated to continue providing uncompromised service to our clients. In todays Bigger is Better society we strongly believe that personalized customer service is the backbone to our success and we will continue to find new ways and technology to provide the best service possible for our clients. After 90 years and three generations we can say We are here to stay W W W. M D I N S U R A N C E. C A

3 Insurance News Page 3 We would be remiss if we didn t mention something about the return of the Winnipeg Jets. Welcome home Jets and thanks to True North for making this happen. Go Jets Go F I R E E X C A P E P L A N : A M U S T 1. Install smoke alarms on each floor of your home. Test them regularly. 2. Draw a floor plan of your home showing all possible exits from each room. Plan a main exit route and an alternate exit route from each room. 3. Ensure that everyone understands that if they hear the smoke alarm or hear someone shout fire, they should evacuate immediately. 4. Decide on a meeting place. Someone should phone the fire department (9-1-1). 5. Meet the firefighters when they arrive so they know that you are safe. 6. Make certain that everyone in your home knows not to re-enter a burning building. Firefighters are properly equipped and trained to perform rescue operations you are not. 7. Practice your escape plan with fire drills. Regular practice is the best way to help prevent panic when an actual emergency occurs. Be sure that every member of the family knows what to do.

4 INSURANCE NEWS Page 4 Bear Tips Prevention is the key to avoiding a showdown with a bear at the cabin or cottage. B E A R S A F Bear Safety Tips How To Keep Bears Away From The Cabin or CottageE T Y T I P B A Y F R O M T H E C A B I N O R C O T T A G E Attracted by the prospect of an easy meal, bears will search out garbage, seeds in bird feeders, berries on plants, and acorns. Keep garbage in a secure place and take it to the landfill station regularly. If you compost, do it in a sealed and controlled manner. Rake up acorns that have fallen onto the property from oak trees. Keep the BBQ clean at all times. Wash your recyclable cans, bottles, and jars thoroughly. O N L How To Avoid Bears When Hiking U S E B I R D S E E D I N T H E W I N T E R. Carry a bell, horn and bear pepper spray when hiking your local trails. Stay far away from a mother bear with cubs. Be mindful around patches of blueberries and raspberries in the summer. Avoid areas with acorn-filled oak trees in the fall. BOATING ETIQUETTE: Obviously, the rules of the road are going to dictate how you operate your vessel underway in order to prevent collision. But what if no risk of collision exists, are you then free to do whatever you want when operating in the vicinity of other vessels? Above all, remember that you are responsible for you own wake and any damage done by it. When overtaking a slower vessel in open water, do so with as much room as depth conditions allow and slow your speed, if necessary, to avoid rocking the other vessel. There is nothing worse than being below in a slow trawler or sail boat, cooking breakfast, and being suddenly overtaken in close quarters by a loud, wake-throwing, go-fast boater. Especially if the wake causes the hot bacon grease and coffee to be thrown around the galley. It should be remembered that sometimes the boat being overtaken may need to slow its speed to accommodate the overtaking vessel. If you are proceeding at 8 knots, the passing boat can only slow to about 10 knots to still have enough speed difference to pass successfully. However, at that speed the overtaking vessel still throws an uncomfortable wake. You may need to slow to 4 knots to allow the overtaking vessel to pass at 6 knots which allows for a much smaller wake. If you are overtaking a vessel under sail, if possible, overtake them well to leeward or pass astern in a crossing situation, so as not to block their wind.

5 YACHT AND BOAT INSURANCE: Page 5 Insuring Your Boat & Motor When insuring your boat & motor you basically have 2 options. With either option, you will purchase physical damage coverage and liability. Option 1: add to your home/cottage insurance policy under a watercraft (boat & motor) floater When adding the unit to your home insurance policy you must provide specific information to your broker. This includes the year, make, model, and serial number of the boat and the motor; the length of the boat; the type of motor ( inboard, outboard, inboard/ outboard) and the maximum miles per hour. As well, you will need to provide a value for the boat and for the motor. You may be requested to provide up-to-date photos of the unit. Some companies also require drivers abstracts of all usual operators. A watercraft floater will provide all risk coverage (subject to policy limitations & exclusions). How a loss will be settled is based on the age of each scheduled item. Most insurers provide replacement cost coverage if the boat/motor is not more than 10 model years old. Once 10 model years old, losses are settled based on the actual cash value of the item at the time of the loss. In other words, only the depreciated value of the item will be paid out in the event of a total loss. Depreciation is also applied to a partial loss. Option 2: purchase a Marine Insurance policy At McElhoes & Duffy Insurance we recommend all new boats and motors, as well as used boats & motors with a total value of $15,000 and over, be insured under a Marine Insurance policy. Lower valued boats & motors also qualify for a Marine policy but are subject to a minimum premium. There are several marine companies offering coverage however we primarily use Pacific Marine as our marine insurance provider. We will complete an application with you and have a quote provided that same day. With Pacific Marine boats are insured on an agreed value. This method uses the current market value of the boat & motor at the time the policy is written. If the unit is new the agreed value is the purchase price. With used equipment the purchase price (if purchased used) can be a good measuring tool for its value. A written confirmation from a boat dealer can also determine the agreed value. The best way to determine value is to have a marine survey completed. Once a boat &/or motor is 15 years old a marine survey is required to determine a new agreed value. Regardless of the age of the equipment, in the event of a total loss Pacific Marine will pay the agreed value. With partial losses there is no depreciation on parts. So why choose a Marine policy? Broader coverage is provided including (but not limited to): Pacific Marine includes pollution cleanup and wreck removal; towing coverage; coverage for freezing provided except when unit is in the water; damage by zebra mussels: $2,000 coverage for personal effects included at no additional cost: deductibles reduces by10% each year of to claims up to a minimum of 50% of the original deductible. In a cost comparison, the premiums with Pacific Marine are typically lower than the premiums under your home/ cottage insurance on higher value watercraft. Units that are valued less than $15,000 can cost less to insure under your home/cottage policy. But keep in mind that coverage is not as extensive as what is provided under a Marine policy. For a Marine policy quote or a review of your current watercraft coverage call the team at McElhoes & Duffy Insurance!

6 Be a Part of our Referral Program and you can win p PLASMA HDTV Have them call us and mention your Name. You automatically enter to Win. Tell A Friend 2010 Winner, Allison Forsthe 2011 Winner, Yvonne Wall McElhoes & Duffy Insurance Brokers St. Marys Rd. Winnipeg, MB. R2M 3L5 Ph: Fax: info@mcelhoesduffy.com Plus every time you refer someone to our Brokerage for Commercial or Residential insurance and your name is entered into a draw for monthly and annual prizes. You could receive one of the following items with every referral draw: Tim Hortons Gift Card, Free Lottery Ticket, Restaurant Certificate, Donation to Charity and The Grand Prize.