EN:

After reviewing the present state of the market, the author concludes as follows: “Whether we like it or not, Canada is affected by developments in the London and American markets, and will certainly be influenced by these structural changes, as regards both insurance and reinsurance. In the long run, the major insurers in Canada will have to seek new outlets in order to keep their share of the market. If Canadian insurers do not do so, foreign companies will do it for them. The recent acquisition of the Belair by the Commerce Groupe is very significant in this respect. Indeed, this situation has been a major factor in the development of the Sodarcan group over the past few years.”

EN:

Structured settlements represent a new way to settle accident claims and offer considerable advantages bath for the claimant and the Insurer. Such settlements guarantee the victim or his or her dependants a series of periodic payments issued for the purpose of satisfying specific needs in the years to come. These payments maybe fixed or variable and may be paid out over an extended period of time. Since the beneficiary benefits from a special income tax arrangement, he or she may enjoy a more generous settlement and the Insured, by paying out indemnities in structured settlements, may at the same time substantially reduce costs.

EN:

In their article, Messrs. François Bélanger and François-Xavier Simard ask themselves the following two questions: 1. Given the application of Article 116 of the Automobile Insurance Act (Québec), is the Uninsured, following an automobile accident, deprived of all avenues of appeal against the liable third party? 2. Is the Liability Insurer entitled to request a subrogation appeal after having compensated the client? Two aspects of the new clauses contained in the Automobile Insurance Act have brought about a rather marked change in market habits. The reader will be struck by the manner in which the co-authors have approached the subject as well as the frankness and genuineness reflected in their article. Their study has enabled them to draw the following conclusion: “Regardless of what we may be able to assert with respect to the Automobile Insurance Act, we must always bear in mind that we are dealing with an Act which, from various points of view, is comprised of a number of original elements. Therefore, the fact that Courts will continue to render contradictory rulings should not surprise us for it will be some time before a consistent and coherent jurisprudence can be established.”

EN:

Co-ownership of real estate is a form of ownership which has social, financial and legal consequences. Co-ownership is becoming more popular in Canada, U.S.A. and Europe. Although it would appear to be straightforward, it causes certain problems regarding insurance. Me Remi Moreau's article discusses these problems and describes insurers' attitude to them and their general approach. Mr. Moreau points out that insurance wordings are often inadequate to take care of the agreements between co-owners.

EN:

There exists a mutual interest between the broker and the insured which becomes evident when an insurance risk is placed or at the time a loss occurs. To illustrate this relationship, the author presents a number of cases in which services rendered by the broker to the client were high appreciable. Clients should indeed perceive insurance not simply as a good obtained, nor the best offer tendered, but rather a service the value of which one realizes when confronted with a loss.

EN:

Mr. Michel Beaudoin, eng., expounds upon two new types of automatic sprinkler systems: the first one is commonly referred to as large drop system and is suited for certain industrial or commercial buildings. The second is intended for use in homes. In this respect, Mr. Louis-Paul Béguin of l’Office de la langue française presents a brief study of automatic sprinkler system including a vocabulary the which is complemented by terminological excerpts compiled long ago by Mr. Gérard Parizeau and updated by Mr. Beaudoin.