Category: CatIQ Connect

Registration for the Tenth Canadian Catastrophe (CAT) Conference has Opened

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date September 23, 2024

Toronto (September 24, 2024) – CatIQ is pleased to announce that registration for the tenth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, is now open. CatIQ Connect will take place February 4-5, 2025, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The conference will kick off with a review of the catastrophes from 2024 and close with a forecast for 2025.

In the span of less than a month, four events drove Canadian insured catastrophic losses to an all-time high in summer 2024, with annual losses topping a staggering $7 billion, according to an early estimate from CatIQ. More than ever, we see the need for thoughtful, innovative solutions to mitigate the increasing frequency and severity 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. “2024 will be a topic of discussion for years to come in the Canadian industry. This summer’s series of record-shattering events have provided a powerful reminder – both here at home and internationally – that disaster management remains an evolving challenge that must be met by a united effort,” said Laura Twidle, President & CEO of CatIQ. “I’d like to thank our steering committee for putting together an outstanding agenda. We look forward to catching up with everyone in Toronto in February.”

CatIQ Connect is designed for:

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

The CatIQ Connect 2025 Agenda currently features 20+ expert speakers, with more to come. Session highlights include:

2024 CATs in Review
CAT Season 2024 Feature Discussions
Catastrophe Management Toolbox
Canadian Climate & Data 101
Communicating Flood Risk
Community Resilience: An Indigenous View
Decoding Building Codes in Canada
Earthquake: Managing Capacity for “The Big One”
Earthquake Model Updates
Extreme Fire Behaviour: Jasper & What Comes After
Natural Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions
Resiliency in Canada’s Housing Market
Roadmap for Community Resilience
Severe Convective Storm Trends in Canada
State of the Industry 2025
What’s New in Flood Models?
2025: The Forecast Says?

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 representatives come from leading organizations in the Canadian catastrophe space, including:

Jim Abraham Past President and Fellow CMOS	Nevina Kishun President MSA Research
Vincent Accardo Senior Manager, Property & Marine Claims & National CAT Manager Zurich Canada	Glenn McGillivray Managing Director Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Kathryn Bakos Managing Director, Finance and Resilience Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation	Sharmalene Mendis-Millard Director Partners for Action – University of Waterloo
Marjorie Brans Global Catalyst The League of Intrapreneurs	Ken Mok Executive Vice President Gallagher Re
Cindy Curtis National Catastrophe Manager Crawford & Company	Kelly O’Neill Senior Natural Catastrophe Pricing Analyst SCOR
Phil Donelson Director of Climate & Catastrophic Risk Insurance Bureau of Canada	Erika Schurr Chief Actuary Travelers Canada
Charlene Ferris Manager, National Property Major Events Co-operators General Insurance Company	Laura Twidle President and CEO CatIQ
Caroline Floyd Director CatIQ	Rebecca Wagner Associate Director Environment and Climate Change Canada
Karen Francis Senior Vice President Guy Carpenter	Kyle Winston Chair CRU GROUP
Izzy Graham Senior Reinsurance Broker Aon

To register for CatIQ Connect 2025, or to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit https://connect.catiq.com.

About CatIQ

Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), a subsidiary of Zurich-based PERILS A.G., is Canada’s loss and exposure indices provider. CatIQ specializes in serving the Canadian market, providing analytical insured loss and exposure estimates for the country, along with detailed information on Canadian natural and human-made catastrophes. Via 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, public sector and other stakeholders. www.catiq.com. 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. CatIQ also partners with MSA Research to host the Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, connect.catiq.com which will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Feb 4-5, 2025.

For more information, please contact:

Caroline Floyd, Director, CatIQ

[email protected] www.catiq.com

Canadian Insured Losses from Catastrophic Events Exceed CAN $3 Billion in 2023

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date January 8, 2024

Toronto (January 8, 2024) – The unprecedented frequency of catastrophic events experienced across Canada in 2023 pushed the insured loss total for the region to CAN $3.1 billion, according to CatIQ, Canada’s insured loss and exposure indices provider.

With total insured catastrophic losses exceeding $3 billion, 2023 was one of the largest loss years for the country; however, unlike the top three loss years, no single event dominated the industry losses.

Top loss years (adjusted for inflation):

2016 – $5.9 billion
2013 – $3.8 billon
2022 – $3.4 billion
2023 – $3.1 billion

Canada also experienced 23 events which generated insured losses in excess of CAN $30 million during the 12-month period – a record number for the country. These included the first-ever catastrophe declared in the territories due to the exceptionally active wildfire season across Canada.

Canada’s most impactful events of 2023 included:

Kelowna Wildfires in British Columbia
Ice Storm in Ontario and Quebec
Tantallon Wildfire in Nova Scotia
Flooding in Nova Scotia
Severe Storms in Ontario and Quebec
Winnipeg Hailstorm in Manitoba

Laura Twidle, President and CEO of CatIQ, said: “Last year was one for the record books – not in terms of the overall insured losses, but rather the total number of catastrophes which occurred during the period. In July and August, there were more catastrophes than Canada has previously seen in an entire year. The country is experiencing the increase in severe events firsthand, and collaboration across sectors is becoming more important to mitigate the impacts.”

These catastrophic events directly impact the public and require the (re)insurance industry, academia, and government to work together before, during and after each loss. To foster greater collaboration between key stakeholders, CatIQ, in partnership with MSA Research, will again host CatIQ Connect – Canada’s Catastrophe Conference – which will take place on February 6-7, 2024 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

CatIQ Connect is a content-driven forum geared toward:

Insurance/Reinsurance/Risk Transfer Professionals
All Levels of Government
Engineers/Restoration contractors
Academia/Researchers
Risk Managers
Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Speakers and Session topics for February’s event include:

2023 ‘Catastrophes in Review’ by CatIQ
Renewals Season Recap – The State of the Industry
Navigating the Rise of Secondary Perils
Wellness in the face of Disaster
Fireside Chat: OSFI on B-15
Modelling 101- Your Questions Answered
Tech Developments
Modelling 201 – Deep Dive on Wildfire
Incentive vs Uptake
CAT 2023 Feature Discussion
Updated from the Federal Government
Non-Traditional Reinsurance
Underwriting Spotlight
Inclusivity in Disaster Management
Earthquake: Raising Our EQ IQ
Climate Change and the Housing Market

To learn more about CatIQ Connect, to view the full agenda, and to register, visit https://connect.catiq.com/.

About CatIQ

Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) is a subsidiary of Zurich-based PERILS A.G. and 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, public sector and other stakeholders. www.catiq.com. 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. CatIQ also partners with MSA Research to host the Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, connect.catiq.com.

— end —

For more information, please contact:

Laura Twidle | CatIQ | Tel: 1(416)368-1723 x1 | [email protected] | www.catiq.com

CatIQ Connect

Registration for the Ninth Canadian Catastrophe (CAT) Conference has Opened

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date September 7, 2023

Toronto (September 7, 2023) – CatIQ is pleased to announce that registration for its ninth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, is now open. CatIQ Connect will take place February 6-7, 2024, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The conference will kick off with a review of the catastrophes from 2023 and close with a forecast for 2024.

Canadian insured catastrophic losses are already over $2 billion in 2023 according to an early estimate from CatIQ. 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. “Given the unprecedented number of catastrophes in Canada this summer, disaster management has never been more important. There were more catastrophes declared this summer alone than in any other entire year,” said Laura Twidle, President & CEO of CatIQ. “I’d like to thank our steering committee for putting together an outstanding agenda. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back in Toronto in February.”

CatIQ Connect is designed for:

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

The CatIQ Connect 2024 Agenda currently features 30+ expert speakers, with more to come. Session highlights include:

2023 CATs in Review
Navigating the Rise of Secondary Perils
Underwriting Spotlight
Earthquake: Raising Our EQ IQ
Tech Developments and Claims
Updates from the Federal Government
Non-Traditional Reinsurance
Renewals Season Recap
CAT Season 2023 Feature Discussion
Fireside Chat: OSFI on B-15
Modelling 101 – Your Questions Answered
Wellness in the Face of Disaster
Modelling 201- Deep Dive on Wildfire
Incentive vs. Uptake
CAT Response Inclusivity
2024: The Forecast Says?

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 Past President and Fellow CMOS	Glenn McGillivray Managing Director Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Marjorie Brans Global Catalyst League of Intrapreneurs	Sharmalene Mendis-Millard Director Partners For Action
Patricia Davis Branch Manager Crawford & Company (Canada)	Ken Mok EVP Gallagher Re Canada
Caroline Floyd Director CatIQ	Chris Rol Manager and Sr. Advisor, Climate Adaptation & Flood Policy Insurance Bureau of Canada
Karen Francis SVP Guy Carpenter	Gayatri Singh Vice President Swiss Re
Izzy Graham Assistant Vice President Aon	Laura Twidle President & CEO CatIQ
Donna Ince SVP & Chief Underwriting Officer, Personal Insurance Definity Financial Corporation	Rebecca Wagner Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada
Tinotenda Marova Manager, Reinsurance Wawanesa Insurance	Kyle Winston Chair CRU GROUP

To register for CatIQ Connect 2024, or to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit https://connect.catiq.com.

About CatIQ

For more information, please contact:

Caroline Floyd, Director, CatIQ

[email protected]

www.catiq.com

CatIQ Connect

Risk Management Professionals #ReConnect at CatIQ Connect 2023

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date February 15, 2023

Toronto, February 15, 2023 – The Canadian Catastrophe Conference – CatIQ Connect – returned to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last week, February 7 and 8, marking the first in-person iteration of the event since 2020. More than 260 delegates were in attendance, representing stakeholders from the full spectrum of risk management in Canada, the United States, Czechia, and the United Kingdom.

Delegates arrived at the conference amid a financial and insurance landscape that looks substantially different to that of early 2020, with supply chain dilemmas, labour headaches and some of the most impactful natural disasters in Canadian history having dominated the past few years.

“This year’s CatIQ Connect was timely and on top of global issues as they were unfolding” said Julie Wright, Director of Partners for Action at the University of Waterloo, referring to the Turkey-Syria earthquake that occurred days before. “It was a great opportunity for our Partners for Action team to reconnect with stakeholders from across the country and the collaborations that emerge from those initial conversations will drive our work for months to come.”

CatIQ Connect sessions covered topics on climate change and risk modelling, inflation, earthquake, managed retreat, wildfire recovery, CAT adjusting, Indigenous communities and insurance, ESG, and the 2021 British Columbia floods.

“As Canada increasingly becomes a riskier place to live, work and insure, it’s clear we need to do more now to build and prioritize a culture of climate resiliency. CatIQ Connect provided a timely opportunity for leading climate experts to come together to propose and discuss solutions that will help better protect Canada and Canadians,” said Jason Clark, National Director, Climate Change Advocacy, Insurance Bureau of Canada. “We are entering a positive and unprecedented period of collaboration on climate resilience between the federal government and the insurance sector, especially as it relates to closing the flood protection gap. I’m proud of our industry for being a steadfast partner in making our communities safer and stronger.”

Nearly twenty organizations participated to support CatIQ Connect as sponsors or community partners, including Gold Sponsors Aon Impact Forecasting, CoreLogic, and KatRisk LLC. Other groups helping to promote the event included hazard modellers, reinsurance companies and brokers, as well as adjusters, restoration and emergency management firms.

The outstanding success of 2023’s event is a credit to the oversight of the conference’s exceptional steering committee. Members of the committee included:

Jim Abraham, President, Canadian Oceanographic & Meteorological Society
Marjorie Brans, Global Catalyst, The League of Intrapreneurs
Caroline Floyd, Director, CatIQ
Karen Francis, Senior Vice President, Guy Carpenter
Izzy Graham, Assistant Vice President, Aon
Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Hall Noble, Senior Manager CAT Response, National Catastrophe Claims, TD Insurance
Kelly O’Neill, AVP, Senior Natural Catastrophe Pricing Analyst, SCOR
Chris Rol, Manager and Senior Advisor, Climate Adaptation & Flood Policy, Insurance Bureau of Canada
Greg Smith, President, Canada, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
Laura Twidle, President & CEO, CatIQ
Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Shaun Walsh, VP, Head of Property & Exposure Management, Central Technical Unit, Aviva Canada Inc.
Kyle Winston, Chair, CRU GROUP
Julie Wright, Director, Partners for Action

CatIQ Connect will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre February 6 – 7, 2024.

About CatIQ:

Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) is a subsidiary of Zurich-based PERILS A.G. and delivers detailed analytical and meteorological information on Canadian natural and human-made catastrophes. Through its online subscription-based platform, CatIQ, catiq.com, combines comprehensive insured loss and exposure indices and other related information to better serve the needs of the insurance / reinsurance / ILS industries, 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. CatIQ also partners with MSA Research to host the annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, connect.catiq.com which will next run Feb 6 and 7, 2024.

About MSA:

Market Security Analysis & Research Inc. (MSA) is a Canadian-owned, independent and impartial analytical research firm focused on the Canadian insurance industry. Founded in 2003, MSA is the dominant provider of financial information relating to Canadian insurers. Its mission is to provide Canada’s insurance professionals with comprehensive financial information, analytical tools and rigorous research on a consistent basis. MSA Research is also the organization behind esteemed conferences such as the National Insurance Conference of Canada (founded 2007), CatIQ Connect (founded 2014) and InsurTech North (founded 2018). Through fostering industry thought leadership, MSA Research continues to prove itself as an invaluable provider of Canadian insurance information.

Media Contact:

Caroline Floyd

Director, CatIQ

[email protected]

CatIQ Announcements CatIQ Connect

Canadian Insured Losses from Catastrophic Events Total CAN $3.1 Billion In 2022

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date January 18, 2023

Toronto (January 18, 2023) – Last year ended with a bang, with the east and west each recording their own catastrophe in the final week. The pair of events pushed the Canadian insured catastrophic losses over $3 billion, a mark that hasn’t been reached since 2016 when a wildfire devastated Fort McMurray, AB.

The 2022 total insured catastrophic loss of $3.1 billion lands the year in the top three loss years for the country. There were 15 events which incurred at least $30 million in insured losses and, notably, two events made up a substantial portion of the overall industry total – the May 21 derecho in Ontario and Quebec ($1 billion) and Hurricane Fiona in Atlantic Canada in September ($800 million).

Laura Twidle, President and CEO of CatIQ said, “There was an unprecedented number of catastrophes in 2022, including now two of the top ten events in Canadian history. As our exposure and severe weather frequency increase, we all must come together to find unique solutions to mitigate the impacts to extreme events.”

These catastrophic events, which directly impact the public, require industry, academia and government to work together before, during and afterwards. In addition to its role as Canada’s loss and exposure indices provider, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), in partnership with MSA Research, organizes a conference to foster such collaboration in Canada.

Countdown to CatIQ Connect 2023

CatIQ Connect – Canada’s Catastrophe Conference – returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in 2023 on February 7 and 8. The premiere catastrophe conference focusing on concerns affecting Canadians, CatIQ Connect has welcomed hundreds of delegates to its online offerings since October 2020 and welcomes risk management professionals from across Canada and abroad to #ReConnect with their peers.

CatIQ Connect is a content-driven forum geared toward:

Insurance/Reinsurance/Risk Transfer Professionals
All Levels of Government
Engineers/Restoration contractors
Academia/Researchers
Risk Managers
Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Speakers and Session topics for February’s event include:

2022 ‘Catastrophes in Review’ by CatIQ
BC Floods – Claims and Local Perspectives
Challenges in CAT Adjusting, Claims & Inflation
Federal View on Disaster Risk
Innovations in Canadian Flood Modelling
Modelling Risk in the Future Climate
West Coast Earthquake – The Known Unknowns
Sustainability, Resilience, and the Financial Sector
A keynote presentation from former Weather Network host and author Chris St. Clair

To view the full agenda, visit connect.catiq.com.

To learn more about CatIQ Connect, visit https://connect.catiq.com/.

About CatIQ

— end —

For more information, please contact:

Caroline Floyd

Director

CatIQ

Tel: 1(416)368-1723 x2

[email protected]

www.catiq.com

CatIQ Connect

Registration for the Eighth Canadian Catastrophe (CAT) Conference has Opened

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date September 15, 2022

Toronto (September 15, 2022) – CatIQ is pleased to announce that registration for its eighth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, is now open. CatIQ Connect will take place February 7-8, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The conference will kick off with a review of the catastrophes from 2022 and close with a forecast for 2023.

Canadian insured catastrophic losses have already exceeded $1.5 billion in 2022 according to CatIQ. 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 so excited to reconnect in person with the catastrophe management community and, once again, our steering committee has put together a phenomenal agenda,” said Laura Twidle, President & CEO of CatIQ. “The 2023 event will focus on collaboration, since we should all be working together to manage impacts from catastrophes and climate change; we want attendees to meet peers inside and outside their respective sector so they can take the next step in understanding and mitigating risk.”

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

The CatIQ Connect 2023 Agenda features 40+ expert speakers. Highlights include:

2022 CATs in Review
Atmospheric Rivers, Derechos and Other Scary Things
B.C. Floods – Local and Claims Perspectives
Claims and Inflation
Federal View on Disaster Risk
Has the Time Come for CAT Bonds in Canada?
Getting Out of Harm’s Way with Managed Retreat
Indigenous Communities and Insurance
Insurance Adjusting Challenges and Opportunities
Modelling the Future Climate
The Lytton Recovery
Weathering the Storm: Ensuring Good Mental Health in Your Workplace
West Coast Earthquake – The Known Unknowns

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 2023 Co-emcee and President ClimAction Services Inc.	Chris Rol Manager and Sr. Advisor, Climate Adaptation & Flood Policy Insurance Bureau of Canada
Marjorie Brans 2023 Co-emcee and Global Catalyst League of Intrapreneurs	Greg Smith President, Canadian Operations Crawford & Company
Caroline Floyd Director CatIQ	Laura Twidle President & CEO CatIQ
Karen Francis SVP Guy Carpenter	Rebecca Wagner Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada
Izzy Graham Assistant Vice President Aon	Shaun Walsh VP, Head of Property & Exposure Management, CTU Aviva Canada
Glenn McGillivray Managing Director Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction	Kyle Winston Chair CRU Group
Hall Noble Sr. Manager CAT Response, National CAT Claims TD Insurance	Julie Wright Director Partners for Action
Kelly O’Neill AVP, Natural CAT Pricing Analyst SCOR Canada Reinsurance Company

To register for CatIQ Connect 2023, or to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit https://connect.catiq.com.

You can also follow CatIQ on Twitter at @CatIQ_Inc or through the hashtag #CatIQConnect.

About CatIQ

For more information, please contact:

Caroline Floyd, Director, CatIQ

Tel: 416-368-1723 x2

[email protected]

www.catiq.com

Catastrophes CatIQ Announcements CatIQ Connect

Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events exceed CAN $2 billion in 2021

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date January 11, 2022

Toronto (January 11, 2022) – 2021 saw much discussion of a ‘new normal’ for Canadians, but when it comes to insured losses, it seems that the new normal – where annual losses due to catastrophes exceed $2 billion annually – is already firmly established.

2021’s total insured catastrophic loss sits at a hefty $2.04 billion as of this release, landing the year in the top five loss years for the country. And with 14 events incurring at least $25 million in insured losses, the year also ties for second place in terms of number of catastrophes. Western Canada bore the brunt of 2021’s wrath, as fires, windstorms, and record-smashing flooding lashed British Columbia and the Prairies.

“Climate-related catastrophes in Canada are increasing in frequency and severity and impacting our communities like never before,” said Lisa Guglietti, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, P&C Manufacturing at The Co-operators. “As an industry, we must collaborate across sectors to develop real action and proactive solutions that protect the financial security of Canadians, by focusing on preventing losses, increasing risk awareness, and investing in solutions and infrastructure that will help build long-term community resiliency.”

Countdown to CatIQ Connect’s Catastrophes: Past, Present, and Innovative Paths Forward Webinar

CatIQ Connect – Canada’s Catastrophe Conference – continues in virtual format in 2022, as the in-person event remains suspended. Over the past year and a half, CatIQ has developed a series of quarterly webinars to focus on top-of-mind themes for all CAT stakeholders. Hundreds of delegates have participated in CatIQ Connect’s online format since October 2020.

The next of these events, scheduled to take place February 10, 2022, will feature in-depth commentary on the catastrophe landscape in Canada, reviewing 2021’s CATs in detail, analyzing the current state of the industry, and looking ahead to 2022 and beyond.

CatIQ Connect, is a content-driven forum geared toward:

Insurance/Reinsurance/Risk Transfer Professionals
All Levels of Government
Engineers/Restoration contractors
Academia/Researchers
Risk Managers
Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Speakers and Session topics for February’s event include:

2021 ‘Catastrophes in Review’ by CatIQ
State of the Industry
- Lisa Guglietti, EVP & COO, P&C Manufacturing, The Co-operators Group
- Claus-Ulrich Kroll, President & CEO, Munich Re Canada and Temple Insurance
- Matt Wolfe, President – Reinsurance Solutions (Canada), Aon
- Moderated by Don Forgeron, President & CEO, Insurance Bureau of Canada
Government Spotlight
- Laniel Bateman, Director for Climate Change Adaptation Policy, Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Steve Mennill, Chief Climate Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
- Vanessa Wen, Director, Strategic Policy Division, Public Safety Canada
- Moderated by Amy Graham, Senior Market Underwriter, Vice President, Americas, Swiss Re
Building a Resilient Canada Report
- Scott Vaughan, Chair, Expert Panel on Disaster Resilience in a Changing Climate, Council of Canadian Academies (CCA)
Incentivizing ‘Build Back Better’
- Justin Pockar, Manager Customer Advisory Services, The City of Calgary
- Moderated by Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
A keynote presentation on innovative insurance
2022 Natural Catastrophes: The Forecasts Says?
- Steve Bowen, Meteorologist and Head of Catastrophe Insight, Aon

Laura Twidle, Managing Director at CatIQ said, “The past two years have been nothing if not memorable catastrophe years for Canada. We are happy to have been able to bring together the catastrophe experts from different sectors to discuss the challenges they’ve faced, how they have overcome them, and what’s next.”

To learn more about CatIQ Connect, visit https://connect.catiq.com/.

CatIQ Announcements CatIQ Connect

Registration for CatIQ Connect’s October ’21 webinar now open

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date September 14, 2021

Toronto (September 14, 2021) – CatIQ and MSA Research are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the first of the Canadian catastrophe conference’s 2021/2022 online webinar series. The upcoming CatIQ Connect quarterly series will be held in October and December of 2021 and February and June of 2022.

“Given the uncertainty of the global pandemic, we made the decision to continue the webinar series through June 2022,” said Joel Baker, CEO, of CatIQ and MSA Research. “The 2020/2021 series welcomed over 500 participants to the online format, with sessions covering everything from the latest in catastrophe modelling and risk systems, to the ways the pandemic forced leaps forward in claims adjusting technology.” 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 natural and human-made catastrophe management.

Registration is now open for CatIQ Connect:

October 14, 2021 – Cyber and the Connected World

Session highlights for October 14:

Cyber Insurance: Challenges, Opportunities, and the State of the Industry with Judith Branham, Managing Director, Aon, and moderated by Gregory Eskins, Managing Director, Cyber Product Leaders, US & Canada, Marsh Canada
Tail Risks Arising from Our Interconnected World with Dr. Rachel Anne Carter, Director of Cyber at the Geneva Association, Jess Fung, Managing Director, North American Cyber Analytics Lead at Guy Carpenter, Scott Stransky, Managing Director, Head of the Cyber Risk Analytics Center of Excellence at Marsh McLennan, moderated by Jordan Brennan, Chief Economist and VP of Policy Development at the Insurance Bureau of Canada
Communities in an Integrated World with Stephanie Rackley-Roach, Acting Director of Corporate Performance/CIO, City of Saint John and an EPCOR Utilities representative
A keynote presentation on Systems Theory

Save the dates for the full webinar series lineup:

December 2, 2021 –Catastrophe Model and Technology Updates
February 10, 2022 – Catastrophes: Past, Present, and Innovative Paths Forward
June 9, 2022 – Sustainable and Inclusive CAT Management at All Levels

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.	Tara Laidman Program Director, Flood Initiative & Telematics, Co-operators Group
Lesley Baran National Catastrophe Claims Lead, Wawanesa Insurance	Glenn McGillivray Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Marjorie Brans Director of Ecosystem Impact, School for Social Entrepreneurs Canada	Natalia Moudrak Managing Director, Climate Resiliency Leader, Public Sector Partnership, Aon
Daryl Duke Senior Vice President & Chief Underwriting Officer, Munich Re	Chris Rol Manager, Policy, Insurance Bureau of Canada
Roberto Figueroa Advisor, Climate Risk Analytics, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation	Laura Twidle Managing Director, CatIQ
Caroline Floyd Assistant Director of Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ	Rebecca Wagner Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Karen Francis Vice President, Guy Carpenter	Kyle Winston Co-founder & President,  CRU Group Inc.
Sean Hobson Vice President, National Commercial Accounts, WINMAR

To register for the October session, and to keep up to date on the latest announcements for future sessions, visit connect.catiq.com. You can also follow CatIQ on Twitter at @CatIQ_Inc or through the hashtag #CatIQConnect.  

Catastrophes CatIQ Announcements CatIQ Connect

CatIQ in the news

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date March 2, 2021

Insurance Business Canada’s Alicja Grzadkowska was among the media presence at CatIQ Connect’s February webinar, Catastrophes – 2020 Review, 2021 Preview. Her article, “Biggest Canadian catastrophes of 2020 reveal a significant rise in risk,” focuses on the 2020 CATs in Review presentation, given by our own Laura Twidle.

“The past year hasn’t just been a unique one in Canada due to the pandemic – it’s also been an interesting year because of the variety in severe weather we’ve seen, and the impact events have had across the country. Notably, 2020 was ranked as the fourth highest in insured losses since 1983.

During CatIQ Connect’s February webinar, managing director Laura Twidle outlined the major weather events from the past year, and while it may be hard for many of us to remember what exactly happened in January 2020 when we were living out the last few blissful weeks of our pre-COVID existence, the CatIQ database never forgets.”

Read the full article at Insurance Business Canada, here.

CatIQ Announcements CatIQ Connect

Countdown to CatIQ Connect’s Catastrophes: 2020 Review, 2021 Preview Webinar

Post author By Caroline Floyd
Post date January 4, 2021

Toronto (January 4, 2021) – Looking back, 2020 will go into the history books as both one-of-a-kind and the same old, same old. While a global pandemic paused many aspects of our lives, catastrophes gave us no reprieve. Natural catastrophe records were broken globally, including some right in our backyard. Though 2020 was a year of exceptions in many ways, it falls right in line with the past decade when it comes to Canada’s increasing trend of annual catastrophic loss.

Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events in 2020 were nearly CAN $2.5 billion – CatIQ

The years where annual catastrophic insured losses were below $1 billion seem to be a thing of the past; 2020 went one further and surpassed $2 billion in the first half of the year. The two largest events occurred in the second quarter. The Fort McMurray ice jam resulted in a 1 in 100-year flood event and caused a staggering $562 million of insured loss in the spring, and the June 13^th Calgary hailstorm which pelted areas of the northeast with tennis ball-sized hail became the costliest hailstorm on record for Canada at $1.3 billion. These catastrophic events, which directly impact the public, require industry, academia and government to work together before, during and afterwards. In addition to its role as Canada’s loss and exposure indices provider, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), in partnership with MSA Research, organizes a conference to foster such collaboration in Canada.

CatIQ Connect, is a content-driven forum geared toward:

Insurance/Reinsurance/Risk Transfer Professionals
All Levels of Government
Engineers/Restoration contractors
Academia/Researchers
Risk Managers
Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Session topics:

2020 ‘Catastrophes in Review’ by CatIQ
State of the Industry
- Peter Askew, President & CEO, Guy Carpenter
- Paul MacDonald, EVP, Personal Insurance, Economical Insurance
- Monica Ningen, President & CEO, Canada and English Caribbean, Swiss Re
- Moderated by Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, ICLR
The Future of Claims Adjusting
- Bill Dietz, President Paul Davis Canada
- Skip McHardy, EVP, CRU Group
- Moderated by Christopher Bartlett, President of the CIAA and Supervisor – National Claims Management Centre, Crawford and Company
Impacts of the Supply Chain on the Insurance Industry
- Darilyn Dorosz, General Manager, PDR Hail Team
- Jim Gibb, Vice President, Installation Services, Peak Services
- Ian McKay, AVP, National Accounts, Insurance Company Solutions, Verisk
- Colin Young, AVP, JS Held
- Moderated by Elizabeth Kepes, Claims Corporate Vendor Manager, RSA Insurance Group

With the in-person event, typically held in February each year, being suspended for 2021, CatIQ has developed a series of quarterly webinars to focus on top-of-mind themes for all CAT stakeholders. More than 330 delegates have participated since October in CatIQ Connect’s online format.

“Climate change is causing increasingly erratic and severe weather patterns across the globe and losses from secondary peril events are forecast to increase. The risk Canada faces from extreme weather is growing and the costs of natural catastrophes are rising,” said Dipika Deol, Swiss Re’s Head of Underwriting for Canada and English Caribbean. “Events like CatIQ Connect bring together all key stakeholders to discuss and develop the solutions that will protect communities against the impact of severe weather and increase resilience across all of Canada.”

Laura Twidle, Managing Director at CatIQ says, “We are happy to have been able to bring together catastrophe experts over the past year. As we all learned, mother nature does not sit back just because there is a pandemic. We must all continue to work together to prepare for a future with increasingly frequent extreme events.”

To learn more about CatIQ Connect, visit https://connect.catiq.com/.