INSURANCE INDUSTRY NEWS

BOXX Highlights How A.I. Is Redefining Cyber
BOXX Insurance, the original all-in-one cyber insurance and protection company, has findings revealing the increasing importance of artificial intelligence as a core capability for Canadian Insurance Brokers placing commercial and personal cyber and tech coverage. Read more.

PURE Launches Ting Fire Prevention Program
PURE Insurance, a member-owned insurer focused on proactive risk prevention, is pleased to announce that it will offer Whisker Labs' Ting fire prevention sensors and service at no cost to its Ontario members. PURE is the first insurance company in Canada to offer this life-saving device as part of its risk management program. Read more.

Severe Convective Storms Named Costliest Insured Peril: Aon
Aon has launched its annual Climate and Catastrophe Insight report, revealing that severe convective storms have surpassed tropical cyclones to become the costliest insured peril of the 21st century. Read more.

How Much Did Severe Weather Cost Last Year?
Insured damage caused by severe weather events exceeded CAD$ 2.4 billion in 2025, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. This makes 2025 the tenth costliest year on record for severe weather-related insured losses in Canada. Read more.

United Heritage Goes Live On Equisoft Cloud-Based Policy Administration System
Equisoft, a leading global digital solutions provider to the financial services industry, is pleased to announce that United Heritage Life Insurance Company has successfully gone live with their annuity products on Equisoft/manage, a modern SaaS policy administration system for life insurance and annuities. Read more.

Gen Z Leads All Age Groups For Mental Health Challenges, Chronic Disease Rates
According to a new report from Sun Life, Gen Z are facing greater mental health difficulties and increasing rates of chronic disease compared to other age groups. As the generation set to dominate Canada's workforce by 2030, their health challenges ripple through every workplace and community. Read more.

How Homeowners Can Protect Their Property
With most of Canada facing weather alerts for cold and snow, IBC is sharing tips to help Canadians protect their property. Read more.

Manulife Launches Reforestation Initiative Powered By Smart Forest Technology
Manulife is pleased to announce the launch of Manulife Impact Forests, a global network of restoration sites designed to enhance biodiversity, create opportunities for local communities, and contribute to climate resilience, in partnership with veritree, the platform powering verified nature restoration. Read more.

Navacord, Acera Complete Transformational Deal
Navacord Corp. and Acera Insurance Services Ltd. are pleased to announce the successful completion of their previously announced merger. Effective February 2, the transaction formally closed following confirmation of all required regulatory, court and shareholder approvals. Read more.

Strong Travel Confidence, Shifting Destination Choices: Allianz Survey
Canadians are feeling optimistic about travel in 2026. Results from the ninth annual Vacation Confidence Index Study by leading travel insurance provider Allianz Global Assistance Canada show growing confidence in vacation plans as well as shifting destination preferences, reinforcing the importance of protecting those trips with comprehensive travel insurance. Read more.

December Flood Insured Damage Total Revealed
Severe weather and flooding that hammered southern British Columbia and parts of Alberta this past December caused millions in insured damage, with new estimates from CatIQ revealing that BC's Fraser Valley suffered the vast majority of losses, primarily to homes and businesses. Read more.

Financial & Health Hurdles Of Diabetes: Sun Life
More than three million Canadians are living with Type 2 diabetes and one-third of survey respondents say that living with the illness makes it hard to save for the future, according to new survey data, collected by Element54 on behalf of Sun Life, which sheds light on the financial challenges faced by Canadians living with diabetes and the unique needs of those navigating life with a chronic health condition. Read more.

GreenShield Acquires Kii Health Mental Health Services
GreenShield, Canada's only national non-profit health care and insurance organization, has announced its acquisition of Kii Health's Canadian mental health services segment, strengthening GreenShield Health's mental health capabilities and expanding its footprint nationwide. Read more.

In the InsurTech Spotlight this week:

Quadient
From Life & Health to Property & Casualty insurance, Quadient's portfolio of industry-leading solutions help organizations create a nimble, effective and unified customer communications infrastructure and automated processes to deliver compliant omnichannel customer experiences that span the entire customer journey. Learn more.

Calling all InsurTechs! Click here to participate.

Featured job opportunities:

Client Service Broker (Commercial)
Josslin Insurance
Kitchener, ON

Financial Security Advisor, Insurance
RBC
Montréal, QC

From Doug Autonomous Vehicles in Canada All provinces generally adhere to Transport Canada's regulations regarding safe testing, but otherwise Canadian provinces differ significantly, with leaders Ontario and Quebec addressing early adoption and structured testing frameworks Ontario introduced a 10-year pilot program for AVs in 2016, developed a regulatory framework for driverless testing, and launched a Pilot Program for testing large autonomous trucks. Gatik partnered with Loblaws, deploying 20 autonomous trucks for middle-mile logistics, adding 30 more in 2026. Toronto-based AI company Waabi raised US$1 billion to push forward with self-driving trucking technology. It will also launch a vast fleet of robotaxis with Uber. BlackBerry QNX of Ottawa is strengthening its position as a foundational software provider for software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Calgary's Living Lab is focusing heavily on autonomous systems, including aerial drones and ground-based electric vehicles. Waymo entered the Canadian lobbyist registry, advocating for legal frameworks to guide a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Canada. Tesla recently made significant changes to its driver-assistance systems in Canada. In Toronto, Magna International was testing driverless, three-wheeled vehicles for last-mile package deliveries (report forthcoming). Suncor has 150 huge driverless trucks hauling oil sand near Fort McMurray. Things keep progressing; don't overlook the insurance implications. Doug Grant, CIP Partner Insurance-Canada.ca