LANDSCAPE ONTARIO
EXECUTIVE DESK
What we can do about insurance going up
I
have been receiving many calls about massive insurance increases, especially from those in the snow removal sector. Many of you cannot even get insurance, even if you have a great claims record. There are two main reasons for this situation. First, the insurance industry is global. That means that just as you purchase insurance to mitigate potential risks, insurance companies purchase reinsurance to mitigate their risks. The effect is that risks are spread out across many insurance companies. When global catastrophes happen, the payout affects the entire net of insurance companies. Recent global payouts have insurance companies wary of risk. Second, contingency lawyers make it easy for the public to sue and therefore claims have increased exponentially. Insurance companies often settle rather than fight because it is cheaper. Eventually, this leads to increases or insurance companies decide they no longer want to insure risk-laden sectors such as snow removal. LO has prepared a template for you to personalize and send as a letter to your local MPP (pictured here). You can download the template in the online version of this article at gfl.me/h8QN. Once personalized, you can find contact information for your local MPP online at ola.org/en/members/current. Once you send a letter to your local MPP, we would also like you to be a part of a Twitter campaign to raise awareness on the insurance crisis. We have posted a handy guide online, including best practices, key messages and some suggested Tweets with the appropriate tags for you to customize. They are also available via the online version of this article.
GET THE TEMPLATES AND TWEETS TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE AT gfl.me/h8QN Tony DiGiovanni LO Executive Director
tony@landscapeontario.com
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