May 5, 2014 | News
High-risk driving, which includes failing to yield, speeding, following too closely and ignoring a traffic control device, contributes to almost half (44 per cent) of all police-reported crashes that result in injuries or fatalities each year in B.C.
The Insurance Corporation of BC and police have launched a month long high-risk driving campaign at an intersection in Vancouver where a mock crash was set-up to show the consequences of underestimating the time it takes to make a left-hand turn safely.
Determining if it’s safe to make a left-hand turn at an intersection is not always easy. Drivers need to consider the speed of oncoming traffic, the time it will take to cross each lane and accelerate to the speed of traffic.
“As the weather improves, motorists can expect to find themselves sharing the road with more motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians,” said Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “Use caution, be aware of other road users, and stay focused on the road.”
Police will be stepping up enforcement during the month of May targeting all high-risk driving behaviours including failing to yield, speeding, following too closely and ignoring a traffic control device.
“High-risk driving behaviours such as tailgating, failing to yield or speeding have no place on our roadways,” said Chief Officer Neil Dubord, Chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee. “Drivers have to be responsible for their actions, pay attention and focus on driving. As police officers, we see the heartbreaking effects that result from bad driving behaviours – we will be out in full-force across the province to let you know that we are serious about reducing these senseless crashes that are so easily prevented.”
“We’re asking drivers not to underestimate the time and space required to make a left-hand turn safely,” said John Dickinson, ICBC’s director of road safety. “Don’t panic if the light turns yellow while you’re waiting to make a left-hand turn. You’re legally allowed to complete your turn if you’re already in the intersection, but watch for approaching vehicles, especially for drivers trying to beat the red light.”
The high-risk driving campaign aims to change driver attitudes and behaviours. Here are yielding and intersection safety tips from ICBC:
- When making a left-hand turn at an intersection controlled by traffic lights, don’t rush, yield to oncoming traffic, including cyclists and motorcyclists, as well as pedestrians. Don’t panic if the light turns yellow while you’re waiting to make a left-hand turn. You’re legally allowed to complete your turn if you’re already in the intersection, but watch for approaching vehicles, especially for drivers trying to beat the red light.
- To determine whether the gap in traffic is enough to allow for a safe left-hand turn, consider the speed of oncoming vehicles, the time it will take to complete the turn and accelerate to the speed of traffic.
- If there is any doubt about who has the right-of-way or if there is any chance of a crash, it’s always better to yield to the other person.
- Always yield to pedestrians and follow directions from crossing guards and traffic control people.
- When crossing a bike lane to turn right or to pull to the side of the road, be sure to signal well ahead and yield to cyclists.
- Always yield to emergency vehicles displaying flashing lights and sirens. All traffic moving in both directions must stop. (Exception: if you’re on a divided highway and the emergency vehicle is on the other side of the median, you may not need to stop.)
For more tips and information on this year’s campaign, visit icbc.com.
ILScorp offers ICBC Autoplan courses for BC insurance agents. Introduction to BC Autoplan Insurance Online Course provides new orientation training for those wanting to learn more about ICBC’s Autoplan insurance in BC. ICBC Autoplan Coverages and Exclusions Online Course provides in-depth insurance training on ICBC’s Autoplan insurance coverage and exclusions.
Both courses review:
- ICBC Autoplan coverages and exclusions;
- Accident benefits;
- Underinsured Motorist Protection;
- Hit-and-Run & UMP;
- Third-party liability;
- and what ICBC coverss
Keep up with the latest Canadian Insurance news at ILStv.com
May 1, 2014 | News
ILScorp is pleased to offer a variety of ways to help you prepare to write the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) exam, online, in the comfort of your own home or anywhere you have an internet connection.
Our interactive, online, CAIB Exam Preparation Video courses combine the dynamic instruction of Todd Hochban with the ease and convenience of online learning. Each course contains streaming video, and are divided into easy-to-manage chapters. Each chapter includes 10-20 video clips of the instructor, along with easy to read text. Numerous exercises and mock exams help to reinforce knowledge retention.
Complete the course anytime on your schedule, or if you need an added boost, register for the upcoming Virtual Classroom program and complete the exam prep course in only four weeks, with added support from ILScorp. The Virtual Classroom runs from May 12-June 6, and now you can save $100 off the regular $550 cost of the program, using the promo code Spring14.
Benefits of the Virtual Classroom include:
- A Daily Assisted Learning calendar, which breaks the CAIB courses down into easy to manage daily study modules.
- The online CAIB video course are like having your own private tutor with the added benefit of being able to pause, rewind and review at the touch of a button. Unlike a live classroom, students can move through the material at their own pace ensuring that they understand key concepts before moving on to new sections.
- Have a question, ask the instructor! Online threaded discussions allow students to post questions, review answers, and really think about what they’re learning.
- Weekly practice exams simulate a real-exam environment so students are comfortable with the process.
- Review videos that summarize material covered. An extra study tool that students can come back to again and again.
- Live customer support throughout the program – no telephone trees or unanswered emails.
Options are also available for one-week live immersion courses in Vancouver.
Instructor Todd Hochban highly recommends using the CAIB textbook in conjunction with the ILScorp CAIB Programs to thoroughly learn the material. Please note ILScorp does not sell CAIB text books, but they can be purchased through your provincial brokers association. Contact your association directly for more information.
Note: Students must register with their insurance council to write the CAIB examinations – exam registration deadlines vary, so be sure to check with your provincial council.
For more information, or to register visit ILScorp.com or call us today at 1-800-404-2211.
Apr 28, 2014 | News
Canadian home buyers with small downpayments face a hike in mortgage insurance premiums next week. But market watchers say the increases likely won’t be enough to slow sales in what has lately been a hot housing market in many areas, helped in large part by historically low mortgage rates.
In February, CMHC announced it would hike premiums for default insurance by an average of 15 per cent effective May 1. The increase would hit buyers who have a downpayment of less than 20 per cent. Soon after CMHC served notice of the increase, private sector competitors Genworth Canada and Canada Guaranty matched the increases.
The increases will only affect new policies, not mortgages already in existence. The highest premiums are paid by those who put down just five per cent of the home’s purchase price. At that level, the mortgage insurance premium rises from 2.75 per cent to 3.15 per cent.
On a $450,000 mortgage at 3.49 per cent amortized over 25 years, the insurance fee would rise from $12,375 to $14,175. While $1,800 sounds like a big increase, it can be financed over the life of the whole mortgage , so the monthly cost of the insurance premium in this case would rise by less than $9 a month. CMHC estimates that for the average buyer needing insured financing, the new rates will add about $5 a month.
To be eligible for the lower mortgage insurance premiums, lenders have to submit their requests for mortgage loan insurance before May 1. The closing date of the home purchase is not the determining factor.
Also, as of May 30 CMHC will no longer insure purchases by self-employed workers without third party income validation, and will offer no insurance Canadians seeking to purchase a second property.
Self-employed Canadians can still qualify for CMHC insurance, but must be able to provide proof of their income levels, the agency said. CMHC estimated the changes would effect less than three per cent of the units it insures. Given the limited use of these products, their discontinuation is not expected to have a material impact on the housing market, the agency added.
CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal said the move was not a surprise, adding that more changes are likely coming to reduce the agency’s footprint in the market.
The Finance Department has tightened mortgage rules on four separate occasions in the past several years – along with requiring stricter enforcement and management of loans – in an effort to weed out marginal buyers and excessive speculation in the housing market.
Former finance minister Jim Flaherty had also expressed concern that CMHC had become too large a player in the market, needlessly exposing Canadian taxpayers to risk should there be a housing crash. The agency currently has about $560 billion in outstanding mortgage insurance on its books.
Flaherty and the Bank of Canada have for several years expressed concerns that too many Canadians risked becoming over-extended in the mortgage markets, especially once interest rates begin to rise.
Stay tuned to the latest in Insurance news by subscribing to ILStv’s daily or weekly newsletters.
Apr 25, 2014 | News
ILScorp is pleased to let you know that your subscription to our Life insurance continuing education bundle now includes the following new course: Comprehensive Estate Planning with Life Insurance.
Life insurance is not easy to sell and while many try, few succeed in growing healthy, profitable careers. There is often a trade-off between people skills and technical skills. You may notice that successful fellow agents weak in technical skills probably have strong people skills and vice versa. Certainly there is a required combination of human and technical aptitudes to manage an estate-planning file.
This course will assist with the basic estate planning skills by covering the following modules:
- The role of the Life Insurance Agent;
- The Estate Planning players;
- Other common strategies with Life Insurance;
- Death & Taxes; Tax considerations;
- Estate Planning Topics;
- Corporate Estate Planning strategies;
- Charitable Giving and Bequest Planning;
- Trusts.
This course will explain the technical and people skills needed for successful career in Life Insurance. This course includes nine lessons with interactive videos, downloadable texts, chapter quizzes and a final exam.
This course is accredited in AB, MB, SK, BC for 2 CE hours. It is included in our Life & AS subscription and available f0r individual purchase for $159
Apr 23, 2014 | News
If a manager or supervisor is told that one employee is bullying another, they must address the issue. But before company leaders can confront the person responsible, they need to identify that bullying has indeed taken place and confirm the facts. The following is a basic three-step plan of action:
Step 1: Identify what is considered bullying in the workplace. Workplace bullying can be described as repetitive, deliberate verbal, non-verbal and even physical actions directed against a co-worker or subordinate for the sole purpose of dominating and controlling. Such behaviour is damaging and can result in severe psychological or physical harm to the victim.
Step 2: Confirm the facts and develop a plan to confront the bully. Once bullying has been identified, it is the supervisor/manager’s responsibility to confirm the facts, prepare documentation, and develop a plan to confront the bully. Confirming facts will help you understand the extent of damage that may have been done to the victim. If there are enough facts to confront the bully, prepare a plan.
Consult any appropriate partners such as human resources personnel and determine what consequences – anything from written discipline to termination – may be considered. The plan must be sensitive to the needs of the victim, who may need support through an employee assistance program.
Step 3: Schedule a meeting to confront the bully. Determine the time and location of the meeting, as well as who will be involved, and prepare a script. In a private space, facilitate the following conversation:
- Explain the purpose of the meeting. In a clear and assertive tone, explain that the employee has been linked to bullying and that this conversation is to address that. For example: “John, I have asked to meet with you to discuss the following facts … and our position on this matter. Do you understand why you’re here?”
- Verify with the employee why they are there. This gives the individual time to understand the seriousness of the conversation and allows the leader to evaluate how the employee is going to manage their emotions. If the employee or leader becomes overly emotional, stop the conversation and start again only when everyone is calm.
- Present the facts and concerns, and outline the consequences. This is to ensure that the employee understands that this is not a negotiation; it’s a reporting of the facts. The ultimate goal is for the employee to accept responsibility for his or her actions. Facts: “John, you were observed … ” (Share the facts, history, evidence and the organization’s position.) Concerns: “John, bullying behaviour is not acceptable in this organization and it will not be tolerated. Do you understand the concern and expectation to stop any behaviours that could be perceived as bullying?” Employee’s response: Give the employee a chance to admit responsibility, ask questions about what they need to do, show remorse, apologize and commit to changing their behaviour. Consequences: Inform the employee how the matter will be dealt with. A union representative may need to be involved.
- Frame an action plan. Outline the steps the employee must comply with to continue their employment. “John, the first step is to stop bullying X immediately. You will be expected to …” Leave nothing to assumption. Get the employee to agree to those expectations.
- Review the plan. Review the expected behaviour, how the plan will be monitored, any disciplinary action, the impact on the employee’s record, future consequences if there is a relapse, and the frequency of follow-up. A written plan may help the employee follow the guidelines.
Effective leaders must embrace the challenge of making sure their workplace is free of bullying. ILScorp offers additional resources to help both employers and employees prevent and manage bullying in the workplace, and ensure compliance with workplace legislation.
Ontario, Manitoba, Québec and Saskatchewan have already introduced legislation against bullying and B.C. recently enacted Bill 14 [Workers Compensation Amendment Act] to address the effects of bullying at work. Become compliant with existing laws. Complete ILScorp’s “Understanding Workplace Bullying & Tools for Safeguarding an Organization from Bullying Behaviour” courses.
This course is included free of charge as part of ILScorp your group subscription. This course is General and Adjuster CE accredited, however ILScorp recommends that all employees receive this training for law compliance.
Excerpted from the Globe and Mail, written by Bill Howatt, the president of Howatt HR Consulting and founder of TalOp, in Kentville, N.S.
Apr 22, 2014 | News
Flooding worries are on many minds following the dramatic events in Sherbrooke, Quebec last week and as rain starts to fall in Alberta this spring. But homeowners looking to insulate themselves from flood damage can’t look to Canadian insurance companies for help.
According to the Insurance Board of Canada, 61 per cent of Canadians think their home insurance covers them in case of overland flooding. Sixty one per cent of Canadians are wrong.
The IBC’s Pierre Babinksy says insurers in Canada don’t offer protection against flooding because they think floods, unlike fires, earthquakes or hurricanes, are what he calls “certainties.”
“It’s very difficult to assess the risk in order to quantify it and in order to capitalize accordingly cover any damages that would be incurred,” he says.
However, flooded homeowners can usually seek assistance from their municipalities, which are in charge of distributing federal and provincial flood aid. Babinsky does encourage homeowners to contact their insurers in all cases of water damage in order to see if they are eligible for reimbursement.
Excerpted from CJAD News
ILScorp has partnered with the Restoration Industry Association to provide a Basic Water Loss Training Course. This entry-level online training program addresses basic, broad knowledge for those interested in the practice of water damage restoration. One of the main goals of a water loss restorer is to return safe indoor environments to buildings that have been affected by a water intrusion. This online course is excellent training for new water loss field staff, administrative, HR, marketing staff and restoration professionals.
Visit us at www.ilscorp.com or call us a 1-800-404-2211 to join the more than 23,000 other Canadian insurance professionals who are learning with ILScorp every year.
