The Idea Guy. Helping Hands. Calming the waters Dark cloud, silver lining Hacked. starts page 13. Industry Suppliers starts page 39

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1 1 2, c o p i e s d i s t r i b u t e d c o a s t - t o - c o a s t s e p t e m b e r Helping Hands starts page 13 Calming the waters Dark cloud, silver lining Hacked Publications Agreement # The Idea Guy Waggoner s Pete Tessier plays lead fiddle at IBAM Industry Suppliers starts page 39

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3 We re big on reaching for the stars The CN Tower is one of the seven wonders of the modern world and it is no surprise it took 1537 workers, working 24hrs a day, five days a week for forty months to complete. A project of this scope required extensive insurance solutions and RSA along with our broker partners are proud to have been a part of this monumental achievement. To ensure we continue to add further value to such partnerships we have recently welcomed GCAN to RSA. Our shared philosophy of technical underwriting excellence, diversified portfolios and strong broker relationships significantly strengthens our commercial position and makes us one of the largest general insurers in Canada. With over 300 years of experience, RSA is an established A rated insurer offering a complete suite of insurance solutions for small business to multi-nationals through a network of independent brokers. if you re big on reaching for the stars, partner With rsa insurance rsa is a registered trade name of royal & sun alliance insurance company of canada. rsa and the rsa logo are trademarks used under license from rsa insurance group plc. rsabroker.ca

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5 V o l u m e 1 6 N u m b e r 5 s e p t e m b e r Contents Vancouver Island s Qualicum Beach, says James Lynch, owner/ operator of the seaside community s NR Insurance Services (pictured), is a well-known, fast-growing retirement community. It s clean, it s safe and the people are friendly, he says. Story page 36 C O V E R S T O RY The Idea Guy After trying his hand at several ventures, Vancouver-born fine arts grad Pete Tessier, at the invitation of Winnipeg father-in-law Ed Waggoner, joined the family s Prairie brokerage. Tessier took a liking to his new calling and is currently president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba. Story page 10 F e at u r e s 34 Calming the waters Burlington, Ont. s Cheryl MacDowell learned the insurance business during summer vacations at her parents MacDowell Insurance Brokers, which she now manages. She ll soon be its owner. 36 Dark cloud, silver lining Nanaimo, B.C.-born James Lynch was a promising young football player and rock musician when a propane explosion forced him to reassess things. These days he s a successful insurance broker and high school football coach who still knows how to boogie with the band. 52 Hacked Kathy Slocombe received an early one morning in June saying her husband Barry, a senior adjuster with B.C. s Rush Claims Solutions, had been mugged in London, England. He needed help and quick. If so, she asked herself, then who was that man in her bed, snoring like a chainsaw? helping hands begins page 13 Industry suppliers starts page 39 Cover: Pete Tessier, part owner of Winnipeg s Waggoner Insurance Services and president of IBAM. Photo by Mignon North. d e pa r t m e n t s 7 StreetTalk 53 Ad index 54 TechWatch It s truly amazing what people can do when they band together, says Cheryl MacDowell, managing broker at her parents Burlington, Ont. brokerage and a territory director for the provincial brokers association. I feel it s important to communicate to all brokerages especially the small ones with regards to reforms, changes and education. Story page 34

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7 streettalk Please StreetTalk suggestions to in Vancouver or to our Prairies editor at Co-operators named top corporate citizen; Hoffman Insurance fetes 100th anniversary Corporate Knights, the organization dedicated to the promotion of responsible business practices in Canada and the advancement of social and environmental sustainability, has named The Co-operators its Best Corporate Citizen in Canada. The annual ranking is based on environmental, social and governance indicators found in the public domain. They include the health and quality of an employer s pension plan, the diversity of its board of directors, executive pay, transparency, use of resources and board-level oversight of sustainability issues as well as other criteria. The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $40 billion in assets under administration. It is well-known for its community involvement and is a fixture on annual Best Employer lists. HAPPY 100! Al Hoffman Insurance of Kenaston, Sask. is a century old. The small brokerage celebrated its 100th anniversary with a town barbecue July 15, assisted by Wawanesa Insurance, which was the agency s first market when the brokerage was established. Current owner Al Hoffman is the third generation of the Hoffman family to run the business started by his grandfather. Glenn McGregor of Wawanesa says he believes this is the first time an insurer in Canada has been continuously associated with the same agency for 100 years. Kenaston is south of Saskatoon. TEIG WINS APEX The Economical Insurance Group has won the APEX Award for its pandemic preparedness strategy at the istockphoto.com/erwo1 recent World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto. The insurer also won the award last year. Co-sponsored by Marsh Canada and pharmaceutical manufacturer Roche Canada, the award honours private or public organizations that build, execute and continually improve pandemic preparedness programs. Receiving this award last year was a great endorsement for our strategy, says Jennifer Hubbard, TEIG s assistant VP, corporate human services. This year s recognition runs deeper. Hubbard It shows that employee safety and business continuity are long-term core priorities at TEIG, and that TOLD YA If you have a client who returned home this summer from a day at the beach or a week at the cottage to a lock picked, a window smashed and valuable possessions missing, well, back in June, Aviva Canada told you so. Widely circulated claims data from the insurer shows that residential burglaries spike with a 13, 20 and 31 per cent higher frequency in June, July and August respectively over burglaries in April, the month with the lowest occurrence of residential theft claims. The reason is simple: with everyone out having a good time, opportunity abounds. The data also reveals that break-ins are more likely to happen at the start of the weekend. Fridays have 26 per cent more burglaries than Sundays, the day with the least number of break-ins. The value of the booty being carted off has also risen by 36 per cent since This is attributable to the popularity of easy-to-grab valuables like laptops, cellphones and video game consoles. The highest frequency of break-ins occurs in La Belle Province 99 per cent above the national average. The Atlantic provinces have the lowest. Other jurisdictions above the national average are Manitoba (43 per cent), B.C. (20 per cent), Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon (four per cent) and Alberta (two per cent). The number of break-in claims in Ontario is 20 per cent below the national average. As most intruders enter homes through a basement window or door, some of them unlocked, the following precautions are recommended: install a newer model of window with improved locking systems; make a vacant home look occupied by parking a car in the driveway; leave some lights on and ask neighbours to collect mail and newspapers; install security devices with blinking lights or loud alarms; use deadbolt locks on all doors and have locks changed when moving into a new property. The good news is that between 2003 and 2010, burglary claims declined about 40 per cent. IW Insurancewest September

8 W E S T E R N C A N A D A S I N S U R A N C E M A G A Z I N E September 2011 Volume 16 Number 5 Editor Don McLellan toll-free editor@insurancewest.ca Prairies Editor Ron Shorvoyce toll-free rshorvoyce@insurancewest.ca Editorial Contributors Jim Bensley, William Crossland, Laurie Jones, John Lekich, Stan Sauerwein, Ron Shorvoyce, Advertising Sales Linda Helme, Jim Bensley toll-free lhelme@insurancewest.ca jbensley@insurancewest.ca Publication Managers Fran Burnside, Susan Mellor Art Director Wil Wong Accounts Receivable/admin Cathryn Day Associate Publisher Jim Bensley Publisher Bill Earle Kenneth R. Wilson Awards 2010 Finalist Honourable Mention 2007, 2008 Insurancewest is published six times a year January, March, May, July, September, November for the general insurance industry by Insurancewest Media Ltd. 661 Market Hill, Vancouver BC V5Z 4B5. Tel Fax manager@insurancewest.ca Change of address? Please send old address label along with new address. More than 11,500 copies of Insurance west are distributed on a controlled circulation basis to general insurance brokerages, independent adjusting firms, insurance companies, wholesalers and risk managers throughout Cana da s four western provinces, Ontario, the Maritimes and three northern territories. Included are major insurance associations and organizations as well as selected insurance services, suppliers and trades. All rights reserved. Material appearing herein may not be reproduced in print or electronically without proper credit and written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Insurancewest are not necessarily those of the publisher or its advertisers. Insurancewest is a registered trademark of Insurancewest Media Ltd. Insurancewest Media Ltd., Western Canada s leading insurance publisher, produces Insurancewest, BC Broker, British Columbia Insurance Directory and Alberta Insurance Directory. Postmaster Returns to PO Box 3311 Stn Terminal, Vancouver BC V6B 3Y3 CPC Publications Mail Agreement # Printed in Canada ISSN New claims department The Vancouver-based p&c MGA Can-Sure Underwriting has created an in-house claims department. The four-person team began examining the bulk of the firm s claims July 1. Brent Lexier, formerly with RSA/CNS, will head the unit as claims manager. Joining him, as claims examiner, is Sarah Moore, who most recently worked with AXA Pacific. She has previous experience in the medical industry. Also joining the department as a claims examiner is Christine Gowe, formerly with Barnes Craig and Associates. In addition to adjusting experience, she has an extensive legal and business background. The team is completed by Anna Leung, who came aboard as a claims assistant after completing a degree in civil engineering and a short assignment at BFL. The claims department can be reached at claims@can-sure.com. Pictured are Christine Gowe, Brent Lexier, Sarah Moore and Anna Leung. IW we re delivering strong performance in pursuing them. NEW IBABC PREZ The new president of the Insurance Brokers Association of B.C. the second At Canstar, we put the comfort back in comfortable. Water & Fire Damage Emergency Response 24/7 3 strategic locations in the Lower Mainland and Whistler Over 80,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space r e s t o r i n g y o u r p e a c e o f m i n d to come from the Kootenay region is Maurice Poulin, the third-generation owner of Poulin Agencies in Nelson. The brokerage began doing business in Joining Poulin as elected officers of the association are Andrew Tablotney, Legear All is not lost. Canstar staff monitored Call Centre State-of-the-art technology Experienced and compassionate staff t tf September 2011 Insurancewest

9 Poulin Pelling Insurance Agencies (first VP); Dianna Johnsen Zimmer, Weeks Insurance and Financial Services (2nd VP); and Rosemary Hruby, Advantage Insurance Services (treasurer). Serving on IBABC s executive committee are Richard Pindral, Hyde Park Insurance, chairman of the board (immediate pastpresident); Laura Bolster, Megson Fitzpatrick, president of the Victoria Insurance Brokers Association; Linda Petrin, Somerset Insurance, Vancouver area rep; and Chuck Byrne, the association s executive director and CEO. SENIOR VP The Economical Mutual Insurance Group has appointed Philip Mather its senior VP and CFO. The appointment is effective Oct. 1. An accountant, Mather is currently a partner in the audit and assurance group of Pricewaterhouse- Coopers LLP, specializing in the financial services practice. He has more than 16 years financial consulting experience and has provided audit and assurance services to a wide range of global insurers. Prior to joining the Toronto office of PwC, Mather worked with the company in the U.K. LOWER AUTO Manitoba Public Insurance is planning to reduce basic auto insurance premiums for almost one million vehicles in the province. In its latest rate application before the province s Public Utilities Board, MPI proposes reductions averaging 6.8 per cent, to take effect in McLaren Marilyn McLaren, president and CEO, says the insurer s record of rate stability is unparalleled, having held the line or reduced rates in 13 of the last 14 years. McLaren says the proposed reduction is possible because of smaller injury claims costs, reduced theft costs and enhanced operational efficiency. Alberta drivers, meanwhile, will not be facing an increase in premiums this year for mandatory auto insurance. Mather Dyck As a result of its annual review, the Auto Insurance Rate Board has announced that premiums will be held to 2010 levels due to a decrease in injury insurance claims. Del Dyck, the Board s executive director, says the frequency of bodily injury claims has been decreasing for the past eight years, not only in Alberta but also in Canada. BIGGEST IN Alberta Through a reorganization of its holdings, Rogers Insurance of Calgary says it is now the largest independent brokerage headquartered in Alberta. The firm, which has no financial ties to any insurer, acquired 100 per cent of Mooney Insurance of Red Deer through a share swap, resulting in its new status. Lee Rogers, president, says all of the brokerage s competitors in the same Rogers size class are either headquartered or owned by organizations outside the province. The agency has more than 200 staff and is broadly owned by 57 employees. INVESTIGATIONS Forensic Investigations Canada has 11th ANNIVERSARY! Serving acquired Saskatchewan-based Stealth Investigations. By joining FIC s cutting-edge technology and Stealth s reputation as the provider of choice in the province, says Len Copp, president of FIC, the organization will provide enhanced service, even more efficient national service and an Copp Advance CLAIMS SERVICE LTD. CLAIMS RISK MANAGEMENT TPA enhanced reputation and depth of service throughout the Canadian communities they serve. Stealth s three offices and 15 employees will work under the FIC banner. Stephen Clark, the Stealth principal, will head up FIC s Saskatchewan operations. SEPARATE WAYS Longtime business partners Renate Mueller and John McArthur of AMAC Consultants have decided to go their separate ways. AMAC was founded in 1996 as a general management consulting firm Mueller providing merger and acquisition, executive search and other Continued on page 38 Advance Claims retains your clients and protects your contingency payments! Call us and ask how. Innovation Indemnity Control Experience Relationship Building Property Casualty Transportation Vancouver Abbotsford Chilliwack Squamish Kelowna Penticton Victoria Williams Lake B.C.'s regional adjusting firm Insurancewest September

10 cover story IBAM president Pete Tessier met future wife Marni Waggoner, whose father Ed founded Winnipeg s Waggoner Insurance, in Vancouver after a round-the-world backpacking trip. The couple has two sons. The Idea Guy Dave Schioler, CEO of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba, says Pete Tessier, the president of the association, is a very sharp fellow. He s an idea guy, says Schioler, who doesn t get selfish about the ownership of ideas. By Ron Shorvoyce Self-admitted risk taker, artist, hockey blogger and erstwhile Deadhead. Pete Tessier is all of those things and more including president of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba. A part owner of Winnipeg s Waggoner Insurance Services, a family-held business, Tessier isn t like most people who operate a brokerage. He d done a lot of other things in life before settling into this line of work. Tessier, 39, is originally from the West Coast. He says he came out to Winnipeg for the good weather. He was born and raised in Vancouver, where he attended St. George s School, an independent prep school for boys on the city s West Side. Tessier later earned a bachelor s degree in fine arts from the University of Victoria. The fine arts companies weren t hiring, so I had to do something else. While in university I worked at the head office of London Drugs, doing art projects for internal productions. I continued working there after university, doing things like developing corporate communications strategies. He did get to do some real art work, though, painting a 30-foot-long by 15-foot-high mural of a paddlewheeler for a New Orleans-themed event the drugstore chain was staging. He worked with the company from 1992 to 95. I just seemed to stick around like mould. At the age of 24, Tessier decided to travel. I jumped on a plane to London, went overland to Egypt and then flew to India, where I stayed for three months. Next I flew to Thailand and went from there to Indonesia before going to San Francisco, where I lived for a while, working in construction. San Francisco is where he first encountered the rock band The Grateful Dead 10 September 2011 Insurancewest