Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCST 19-12 159 cit,, °� z Report To Executive Committee PICKERING Report Number: CST 19-12 Date: June 11, 2012 From: Gillis A. Paterson Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer Subject: 2012/2013 Property and Liability Insurance Renewal Recommendation: 1. That Report CST 19-12 of the Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer be received; 2. That the City of Pickering renew its property, liability and other insurance policies through the Frank Cowan Company for the period July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 in the amount of $790,690.92 (includes applicable taxes) and inclusive on terms and conditions acceptable to the Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer; 3. That L.V. Walker & Associates be confirmed as the City's Adjuster of Record for property, liability and other insurance and related matters; 4. That the Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer, as part of the Risk Management Program, be authorized to continue the Deductible Program, including entering into the attached Claims Handling Agreement, through the Insurance Adjuster L.V. Walker & Associates, and the Frank Cowan Company and further, that the Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer or the Manager, Finance & Taxation be authorized to settle any claims including any adjusting and legal fees where it is in the City's interest to do so; 5. That the Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer be authorized to purchase additional insurance, make changes to deductibles and existing coverages, and alter terms and conditions as becomes desirable or necessary in order to limit potential liability exposure and to protect the assets of the City and it's elected officials and staff; and, 6. That the appropriate officials be authorized to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto. • ,�R port CST 19-12 June 11, 2012 I. b Subject: 2012/2013 Property and Liability Insurance Renewal Page 2 Executive Summary: The City's insurance program continues to operate successfully and the above Recommendations provide for a renewal of the policies basically on the same or improved terms and conditions as in past years, which also provides coverage for the Library, its Board and its employees. Financial Implications: The insurance premium has been provided for in the approved 2012 budget and the renewal premium cost is within the 2012 budgeted amount. Discussion: Each year on July 1, the City's general liability and property insurance policies come up for renewal. As approved by Council at the time of the 1998 renewal, the Treasurer undertook an extensive review of all aspects of the City's insurance program. The City of Pickering embarked on a Risk Management Program, the initial phase of which involved negotiating renewing premiums with the City's broker. The result of the negotiations was a decrease of approximately $75,000 or 20 percent, in the premiums from that of the prior year. The savings were transferred to the Self Insurance Reserve. In our opinion, this program has served the city well, and today there is almost $1 million in this reserve. Recommendation 4 provides the Treasurer with the authority to continue to review and adjust insurance coverages where appropriate during the year to reflect business requirements and current market and business environment conditions. Every year, staff review the proposed insurance policy terms and conditions to ensure that the City is adequately protected. The City's municipal liability limit is $25.0 million which is at an adequate level based on the City's current population and liability exposure. For comparison purposes, the City of Windsor with a population of approximately 200,000 has liability coverage of $50.0 million and Toronto with a population of 2.5 million has a liability limit of $100.0 million. The City's liability policy provides coverage for bodily injury, property damage, personal injury and is based on a deductible of $100,000. Bodily injury claims include and are not limited to: sickness, disease, shock, mental anguish assault and battery sustained during the policy period by any person. With the current deductible limit at $100,000, the insurance renewal is $790,690 (including applicable taxes) that is within the budget. Future favourable premium renewals will be contingent upon the City's claim history or claims experience. To ensure positive future premium renewals, the 2012 budget included $200,000 for sidewalk rehabilitation funded 100% from Federal Gas Tax (FGT). It is anticipated that the FGT funding will help reduce the number of sidewalk "slip and fall" claims. The Claims Handling Agreement is mainly making formal a working arrangement that the City has had in place with the Adjuster and Cowan's for many years. Through this formal arrangement the City should realize cost savings which would be reflected in lower premium increase in future years. Report CST 19-12 June 11, 2012 Subject: 2012/2013 Property and Liability Insurance Renewal Page 3 Insurance Market and Trends Traditionally, the market for municipal insurance providers has been a limited one. Municipal operations pose a unique challenge to insurers arising out of the wide array of exposures which fall within the scope of coverage under one policy. The availability of markets willing to insure municipalities has been further complicated by legislative changes and by broader court decisions. The Frank Cowan Company is one of Canada's largest providers of insurance and risk management solutions for public entities. This company has been in business for over 80 years and is a financially strong company and is associated with the Guarantee Company of North America. The current liability and property insurance market remains steady for most standard lines of insurance business with municipal insurance.experiencing an above average increase. The Court awarded damages are getting larger, especially for bodily injury claims. These awards are primarily driven by the costs of providing future care for injured persons. Municipal property liability premiums continue to increase as a result of the legal provision of the joint and several liability application leveraged with large court awards and with the municipality as being seen as having "deep pockets". The joint and several provisions of the Negligence Act, indicate, "Where damages have been caused or contributed to by the fault or neglect of two or more persons ... and, where two or more persons are found at fault or negligent, they are jointly and severally liable to the person suffering the loss or damage ..." Also known as the 1°/0 rule, these provisions may oblige a defendant, which is only 1% at fault, to pay the plaintiff's entire judgment particularly in cases where the other defendants are financially unable to do so. In other words, the defendant who is 99% at fault does not have the financial strength or assets to pay the claim. Therefore, the municipality, who is viewed as having "deep pockets", pays the remainder of the claim. Individual claims are becoming more complex, resulting in more time to manage the claim, more detailed investigation and more experts and legal costs involved in defending the claim. Even if the City is not liable, there are always costs in defending the claim. Basic risk management states that you should diversify your risk. Many insurance companies have customers throughout the Province or Canada to diversify the risk associated with a local catastrophic event. With the City of Pickering being a direct customer of the Frank Cowan Company (who has customers throughout the Province and beyond), the geographical risk diversification is achieved and maintained. Service to our Residents Regrettably, insurance claims or incidents do occur. A key strategic advantage of the City's insurance and risk management program is that every claim is processed with a customer service attitude. After a claim or incident is received, City staff quickly contact R9�ort CST 19-12 June 11, 2012 Subject: 2012/2013 Property and Liability Insurance Renewal Page 4 (within 24 hours) the claimant, to advise them that the City has received the claim and to assure them that the claim is being investigated by the City's Insurance Adjuster. The City's Insurance Adjuster has many years of local municipal insurance experience, which the City uses as an asset to investigate and settle claims. The City's Insurance Adjuster is familiar with the City and its municipal infrastructure and this experience has assisted in reducing claims cost due to his knowledge and/or his familiarity with the City, its policies and procedures. The Insurance Adjuster's service standard is to make contact with the claimant within two business days. Sometimes, the claimants may not completely agree with the outcome and City staff may review the claim and/or intervene to work towards a solution. The strategic advantage of the "local service delivery model" is that claims are handled quickly, professionally and with a customer service perspective. In addition, the current "local" service delivery model allows City staff "hands on" participation in the claims process to better serve claimants who, in the majority of situations, are City residents. Attachments: 1. Program Summary of Insurance Coverage 2. Frank Cowan — Claim Handling Agreement Prepared By: Approved / Endorsed By: Stan Karwowski Gillis A. Paterson, CMA Manager, Finance & Taxation Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer Recommended for the consideration of Pickering Cit Council /,1j / Vt 2 ZOI Tony Prevedel, P.Eng. Chief Administrative Officer ATTACHMENT#_d__TO REPORT# /1-i 2 163 6) Cowan Frank Cowan Company 2012 MUNICIPAL INSURANCE PROGRAM City eit, q CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF PICKERING Prepared by: Mr. Viano Ciaglia,C.I.P., C.R.M. Regional Manager Frank Cowan Company Limited 75 Main Street North Princeton,ON NOJ 1V0 This is a summary. Nothing herein alters the terms,conditions and viano.ciaglia @frankcowan.com exclusions contained in the printed insurance contract(s). 1-800-265-4000 REF: 60275/sd April 19,2012 T/519-458-4331 F/519-458-4366 164 About Frank Cowan Company Leader in Public Entity Insurance Frank Cowan Company has grown to become one of Canada's leading providers of Insurance and Risk Management solutions for public entities. For over 80 years Frank Cowan Company has been a pioneer in the development and implementation of innovative insurance programs for the Municipal,Health Care,Education and Social Services sectors. Frank Cowan Company is affiliated with Cowan Insurance Group, The Guarantee Company of North America and Millennium CreditRisk Management through common ownership under Princeton Holdings Limited. Cowan Insurance Group provides insurance and risk management products and services to businesses, organizations, and individuals. Cowan Insurance Group is one of the largest privately owned business and personal insurance brokerage operations in Canada, and provides retirement and group benefits assistance to employers, as well as financial advice on life insurance, disability management, critical illness and long term care. The Guarantee Company of North America specializes in commercial and contract surety, fidelity, directors' and officers' liability and personal lines insurance including it's high value Guarantee Gold coverage. Millennium CreditRisk Management specializes in trade credit and political risk insurance. Outstanding Service We are more than just an insurance provider. We are a trusted partner in providing insurance and risk management services. We work with our clients and their affiliated associations to develop individualized risk management and claims management programs, advise on procedural or regulatory change as well as an array of other services. Our mandate is clear...help our clients reduce risk. Clients also benefit from our affiliations with lawyers, adjusters and others that specialize in the public sector. The combination of our service network and internal expertise allow us to continually develop innovative, cost-effective solutions and services tailored to the risks of individual clients. Financial Stability Frank Cowan Company, as an Underwriting Agent,represents a select group of financially strong Canadian based insurers that have made a long-term commitment to public sector risk. Our business model creates a very stable market for your insurance requirements, and gives our customers the comfort of knowing that they will always be protected by long-term, high-quality continuous service. Frank Cowan Company -2- 165 Cowan Service Solutions More Than Just Insurance Cowan offers a full range of services to assist in the management and reduction of risk, which is equally vital to our clients. Risk Management, Claims Management and our other value-added services were initiated by Cowan and have evolved throughout our history. Most often we can provide the services listed below at no additional cost to the client. Liability Hazard Assessment Pao Our Municipal clients are involved in a wide range of diverse activities to serve the public. These lead to various potential public liability situations. We work with our clients to provide specific hazard identification and analysis of these exposures. Building Valuations tb. We conduct periodic detailed inspections of property and buildings with formal reports, replacement cost valuations for insurance purposes, photographic inventory with recommendations to correct potential hazards. Seminars&Staff Training tbe We deliver a wide range of presentations to our Municipal clients on an ongoing basis that provide continuous education for our clients. Risk Audits t1. We help our clients audit systems and processes to reduce potential losses within their operations and specifically focus on documentation, reporting and consistency with accepted standards and practices. Contractual Review to Our experience contributes insight on the suitability and effectiveness of liability transfers and appropriate insurance and indemnity clauses within your various contracts. Publications,Bulletins& Because constant two-way communication is important, Information Packages our website is available on a 24 hour basis for access to information on our Services, Publications and programs. Anyone in your organization can visit us at www.frankcowan.com to keep informed of common issues and solutions. Claims Management to We handle your claim fairly and efficiently. Claims that are made against you are handled with the consistent strategy of defending or discouraging those claims that are without merit, or reaching a reasonable settlement on claims that do merit payment. Detailed claims progress reports are produced and can be organized by type of loss or department to suit your needs. Frank Cowan Company -3 - 166 MARKETPLACE CONDITIONS The Canadian Property& Casualty Insurance marketplace continues to witness consolidation yet remains one of the most saturated insurance markets in the world, with over 200 players. However, amongst the majority of the insurers operating in Canada, specialization continues to be the trend. Only a limited number of insurers are willing to risk their capital on high liability exposure classes such as Municipal, Healthcare, Education and Social Services sectors. While the last few years have brought some stability for the general Property & Casualty market, specialty classes continue to present unique Underwriting and Claims Management challenges. The Public Entity sector continues to experience significant losses. Some of these losses have been driven by landmark cases, but overall, frequency and severity of claims have increased dramatically. As well, the overall cost of claims, which takes into account escalating court awards, claims administration expenses and the ever-increasing replacement costs of assets, has continued to rise. Insurers and Reinsurers are extremely cautious about public entity liability exposures due in part to the complexity of services provided by public sector organizations. A number of insurers have either imposed coverage restrictions or withdrawn from the public entity market entirely. Frank Cowan Company, a specialist in public entity insurance, continues to receive the support and capacity of our insurers. We continue to provide long-term stability for the insurance and risk management needs of our public entity clientele. Our policies and services continue to evolve in response to the exposures faced by our clients. We are confident that our product, service and pricing will reflect our continued commitment to this sector. Frank Cowan Company -4- 167 COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE PROGRAM 2012 - 2013 Frank Cowan Company -5- 1 6 8 CHANGES TO YOUR INSURANCE PROGRAM Please be advised of the following changes to your insurance program that now apply: • PROPERTY POLICY Property values have been increased in order to reflect inflationary trends. • EQUIPMENT BREAKDOWN POLICY Electronic Equipment coverage is now included under the definition of objects insured. Frank Cowan Company -6- PROGRAM SUMMARY 1 6 9 SUMMARY OF COVERAGES LIMITS/AMOUNTS PART A—CASUALTY Municipal Liability Limit of Protection per occurrence $ 25,000,000. (No Annual Aggregate Limit) Third Party Claims Deductible including expenses $ 100,000. Sewer Backup per Claimant Deductible including expenses $ 100,000. Wrongful Dismissal(legal expense)Limit per claim $ 250,000. Annual Aggregate Limit $ 250,000. Deductible $ 5,000. Voluntary Compensation Included Municipal Marina Liability Included Malpractice Liability Included Errors and Omissions(Claims Made Form) Limit of Protection per claim $ 25,000,000. (No Annual Aggregate Limit) Deductible including expenses $ 100,000. Non-Owned Automobile Limit of Protection per occurrence $ 25,000,000. (No Annual Aggregate Limit) Legal Liability for Non-Owned Vehicles(S.E.F.No. 94) Third Party Liability Deductible $ 10,000. All Perils Physical Damage Limit $ 500,000. Deductible $ 500. Environmental Liability(Claims Made Form) Liability of Protection per claim $ 1,000,000. Annual Aggregate Limit $ 2,000,000. Self-Insured Retention $ 100,000. Frank Cowan Company -7- 17 0 PROGRAM SUMMARY SUMMARY OF COVERAGES LIMITS/AMOUNTS Comprehensive Crime Commercial Blanket Bond $ 2,000,000. Money Orders and Counterfeit Paper Currency Included Depositors'Forgery Included Audit Expense $ 100,000. Money and Securities-Blanket any Location $ 100,000. Excess on Securities $ 100,000. Computer Fraud or Funds Transfer Fraud $ 200,000. Councillors' Accident One City Mayor/Regional Councillor,Three Regional Councillors(Durham)/ City Councillor and Three City Councillors and Nine Library Board Members Accidental Death&Dismemberment $ 100,000. (No Annual Aggregate Limit and No Deductible) Weekly Income—Total Disability $ 500. Weekly Income—Partial Disability $ 250. Twenty-Four Hour a Day Coverage applies. Municipal Conflict of Interest Percentage of Legal Fees and Expenses 100% Maximum Limit of Reimbursement per claim $ 100,000. (No Annual Aggregate Limit) Legal Expense Percentage of Legal Fees and Expenses 100% Maximum Limit of Reimbursement per claim $ 100,000. Annual Aggregate Limit $ 250,000. Frank Cowan Company -8- PROGRAM SUMMARY 1 7 1 SUMMARY OF COVERAGES LIMITS/AMOUNTS PART B—PROPERTY Property Insurance(including Data Processing Insurance) Total Sum Insured* $ 181,444,900. Valuable Papers $ 500,000. Accounts Receivable(other than Data Processing) $ 500,000. Extra Expense(other than Data Processing) $ 1,000,000. Business Interruption Rent or Rental Value Form $ 500,000. Gross Revenue Form $ 2,584,500. Checkroom Liability $ 5,000. Data Processing System and Equipment $ 1,440,800. Media $ 47,000. Extra Expense $ 50,000. Fine Arts Form $ 2,000. Exhibition Form As Per Lists Provided Deductible $ 10,000 Exceptions: -Checkroom Liability $ 2,500. -Fire Training Trailer $ 2,500. -Peril of Flood $ 25,000. -Peril of Earthquake 3%or Minimum $ 100,000. -Fine Arts Form and Exhibition Form $ 2,500. *Note: Please refer to the insurance contract for an itemized list of assets containing specific limits of insurance or that are excluded from the policy. Frank Cowan Company -9- 1 7 2 PROGRAM SUMMARY SUMMARY OF COVERAGES LIMITS/AMOUNTS Equipment Breakdown Limit per Accident—Comprehensive: -Steam Engine At Greenwood Museum,2365 6th Concession,Greenwood,ON $ 10,000. -All Other Locations $ 50,000,000. Extra Expense $ 500,000. Spoilage—Goods under Refrigeration $ 50,000. Business Interruption—Loss of Profits(Gross Revenue) -All Buildings&Facilities,Greenwood Museum,Pickering,Ontario $ 94,500. -Don Beer Arena,940 Dillingham Road,Pickering,Ontario $ 600,000. -Dunbarton Indoor Pool,655 Sheppard Ave.E.,Pickering,Ontario $ 100,000. -Pickering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Road,Pickering,Ontario $ 1,790,000. Expediting Expenses Included By-Law Cover Included Errors and Omissions $ 100,000. Hazardous Substance(including PCB Contamination) $ 500,000. Ammonia Contamination $ 500,000. Water Damage $ 500,000. Professional Fees $ 500,000. Data Restoration $ 25,000. Denial of Access 2 Weeks Deductible $ 10,000. Frank Cowan Company - 10- PROGRAM SUMMARY 1 7 3 SUMMARY OF COVERAGES LIMITS/AMOUNTS PART C-AUTOMOBILE Automobile Fleet Liability Limit $ 25,000,000. Deductibles No Physical Damage applies to 1951 Antique Pumper(Parades) Section 3 (Third Party Liability) $ 10,000. Section 6(Direct Compensation—Property Damage) $ 10,000. All Perils $ 10,000. Garage Automobile Third Party Liability Limit $ 3,000,000. Customer Vehicles Collision Limit $ 200,000. Deductible $ 500. Specified Perils Limit $ 300,000. Deductible $ 500. Frank Cowan Company - 11 - • 1 7 4 Revised August 2007 ATTACHMENT#_ TO REPORT Csf /q-/ D. Sarluis 6k) Cowan Frank Cowan Company Claim Handling Agreement This agreement is by and between Frank Cowan Company Limited ("Cowan") and (the "Insured") PURPOSE: ➢ To ensure all claims are handled effectively and appropriately. ➢ To reduce the cost of claims handling ➢ To ensure,all arms-length expenses incurred on internally handled claims matters are tracked accurately and completely. ➢ To provide an early warning system for claims that may exceed the policy deductible. BACKGROUND: Whereas reporting conditions and requirements are present in and form part of the policies of insurance issued to the Insured by Cowan; and whereas the policy wordings authorize Cowan to handle all claims; and whereas the Insured desires to continue handling certain claims internally; and whereas Cowan authorizes the Insured to handle certain claims internally subject to the terms of this agreement; and whereas this agreement is intended to remain in force until all claims handled by the Insured and covered by the policies of insurance issued by Cowan are resolved, therefore, the Insured agrees to the following terms and conditions. REPORTING REQUIREMENT: If at any time during the handling of a claim it becomes apparent that the claim: ➢ has reached or is expected to reach a total incurred value in excess of 75% of the policy deductible or, • Frank Cowan Company Limited 175 ➢ is the type of claim set out below, or ➢ triggers coverage under the Errors and Omissions policy, The Insured shall immediately report the claim, despite the insured not assessing any liability, to Cowan who may elect to assume handling of the claim. Type of Claim That Must Be Reported Immediately: ➢ Fatalities ➢ Brain damage resulting in mental or physical impairment ➢ Injuries resulting in total or partial paralysis ➢ Third degree burns (10% of body) or second degree burns (30% of body) ➢ Impairment of vision or hearing (50% or more) ➢ Massive internal injuries affecting body organ(s) ➢ Multiple fractures involving more than one member or significant shortening of limbs ➢ Fracture of both heel bones ➢ Total disability of more than 1 year regardless of injury ➢ Multiple cases of drug or vaccine reaction ➢ Class action suits ➢ Pollution, environmental or contamination If at any time a claim is not reported to Cowan that otherwise should have been as per the above criteria, Cowan reserves the right to deny coverage. TRACKING: The Insured must maintain a claims reporting and tracking system on which all claims will be entered. The system must be acceptable to Cowan. An up to date claims report must be forwarded to Cowan every six (6) months or as requested by Cowan. EXPENSES: Arms-length expenses will not include salaries for Insured personnel, administrative and overhead expenses. Arms—length expenses will include the following paid to third party vendors: ➢ Defence legal ➢ Adjusting ➢ Investigation ➢ Experts Page 2 of 3 Claim Handling Agreement 1 7 6 Frank Cowan Company Limited AUDIT: The Frank Cowan Company Limited will have the right to audit claims handled by the Insured having provided reasonable notice. The results of all audits will be shared with the Insured. The audit will address proper documentation to support coverage, liability and quantum, claim handling quality, reserve timeliness, settlement level appropriateness, quality of defense and adherence to this agreement. TERMINATION: If at anytime the terms of this agreement are not being met, Cowan reserves the right to terminate this agreement immediately and assume carriage of all or some of the insured's claims at the sole discretion of Cowan. We the undersigned have the authority to execute this agreement. Dated at the day of , 200_ (The Insured): Name and Title of Authorized Representative Signature of Authorized Representative Frank Cowan Company Limited Name and Title of Authorized Representative Signature of Authorized Representative Page 3 of 3 Claim Handling Agreement