This completely new seminar will be presented by three partners in one of Canada’s leading boutique maritime and insurance law firms, Bernard & Partners. Bernard & Partners has extensive experience in maritime and insurance lawsuits, including successful trials and appeals in the Federal Court and Court of Appeal, the B.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Be sure to attend to receive an advanced primer on maritime and insurance law issues. The topics covered will include: marine insurance coverage, bodily injury claims in a marine context, arrest of ships and maritime liens, as well as ship source pollution.

In this seminar, you will take a detailed look at commercial building replacement valuation issues. You will come to a good understanding of commercial construction costs and their relationship to insurance to value. The topics discussed will include: factors affecting replacement costs, a review of evaluation systems, and an overview of unique construction types.

In this fascinating new seminar, Neo Tuytel and Tom Hawkins of the Bernard & Partners legal team will bring you up to date on a range of current coverage issues, including: the limitation the Supreme Court of Canada has imposed on the design exclusion in all-risk property policies; the most recent appellate rulings on liability coverage for construction defect claims; the arrival of D&O claims for secondary market civil liability in B.C.; the new B.C. (and Alberta) Insurance Acts; the latest developments in the duty to defend; and more.

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Take a close look at commercial liability coverages in this all-day, interactive workshop. Whether you’re a junior commercial lines broker or are more experienced, you’ll love this seminar. It will improve and/or refresh your working knowledge of the intricacies of commercial liability wordings, including: legal background, an introduction to the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy, the liability of owners and occupiers, products liability, operations/completed operations, commercial host (liquor) liability and the proper assessment of liability exposures.

In this seminar, you will explore the wording and effect of specific commercial liability endorsements and exclusions with reference to applicable case authority including a consideration of the intentional act exclusion, liability assumed under contract, as well as the effect of a general exclusion from liability provision.

When insureds get sued, it is a daunting experience for most of them. Many are bewildered, frustrated and angry at the allegations. When they turn to you, the broker, to asks what is going to happen, it is a temendous opportunity to enhance the client relationship. By properly explaining the process, you can help to move them from a feeling of victimization to one of empowerment. In this seminar, you will explore a number of liability claims from begining to end, including working with the Writ, the Pleadings, Statement of Defense & Counterclaim and the methods for resolving liability claim disputes. You will come to understand insureds’ rights and duties and be able to explain to them what they can expect from their insurance companies. This session is part seminar and part workshop, where you and your fellow participants will work your way through problems together.

Commercial lines underwriting and risk management involves understanding your customer’s operations, identification of their key exposures to loss and validating that the required controls for the exposures are in place to ensure a safely managed operation. This seminar will provide you with an overview of some of the common occupancy and process hazards associated with industrial operations. It will help you identify key exposures that your industrial customers might have while helping you understand some of the required controls that are common for them. In turn, this will help you gain confidence in performing front-line inspections and completing submissions for commercial clients with industrial processes. A variety of industrial risks will be discussed, including plastic products manufacturing, metal working, food processing, printing and woodworking.

Surety underwriting involves contract and commercial surety bonds. Contract surety products are an essential component of any successful commercial, industrial or institutional contractor. The relationship between a contractor and its surety has developed to the point where the surety is virtually a business partner. In the first part of this seminar, you will learn about the intricacies of surety underwriting with an overview of contract surety bonds such as bid bonds, performance bonds and labour and material payment bonds. You will also gain an in-depth understanding of financial statements analyses and other underwriting requirements. In the second part of the seminar, which will focus on commercial surety (i.e., “Miscellaneous Bonds”), you will come to an understanding of such commercial surety bonds as license and permit, lost document, customs and excise, consumer protection and judicial (court) bonds. You will learn about the purpose, underwriting procedures and claims examples of these bonds, as well as the process for handling potential new classes of bonds.

In this half-day seminar, you will learn about the role of (non-broker) E & O liability insurance products, which clients may have a need for the coverage, what is covered, where it can be used in your client’s program and how it can add value for them. You will take a look at sample loss scenarios and discuss how the courts and insurers have changed their views on who is a ‘professional’ and what professional services fall within the exclusions of a CGL policy.

This seminar will provide you with an extremely valuable and in-depth insight into “FUS” – the Fire Underwriter’s Survey, which is used nation-wide by commercial property underwriters, risk inspectors and front-line underwriting brokers to assess the fire protection present (or lacking) in commercial risks.  This information is extremely valuable for your own knowledge of fire risk assessment and for helping your clients understand the important role they must play in fire loss mitigation.  The topics discussed will include: a history of the FUS organization, the importance of the grading system for insurance companies, commercial grading versus residential grading, and what exactly FUS is and what it involves.

This seminar will provide you with a powerful and practical overview of the type of materials you should be including in and leaving out of your commercial lines client presentations, including how to avoid the use of jargon, tips for effective presentations involving insurance, how to de-mystify technical insurance information, how to design effective presentations and what media and tools should be used in presenting your materials.

In this seminar, you will take an in-depth look at the specific risks and hazards associated with hotels and restaurants and how they can affect the insurance you place for their owners. The topics to be discussed will include: descriptions of occupancies; stairs, steps and handrail hazards; alarm systems; emergency lighting; fire extinguisher requirements; storage concerns; commercial cooking equipment; fire suppression system requirements; coverage solutions and more.

Investigate the various risks and hazards associated with different types of light manufacturers, including metal fabricators, wood working shops, fiber glassing operations and others. The topics highlighted will include: various descriptions of light manufacturing operations; cutting and welding operations; compressed gas storage; dust collection systems; general housekeeping practices; isolation of potential risks and hazards; small spray painting operations; electrical and ventilation requirements; coverage considerations and more.

Learn about the minimum recommended practices based on codes, regulations and standards for the proper and safe operation of recreational facilities associated with and used by both private (i.e., hotels and motels) and public (i.e., community halls, gymnasiums, etc.) organizations. The descriptions, regulations and associated risks and hazards will be highlighted with respects to swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs, fitness rooms, playgrounds, sports fields and others. Learn how to spot the hazards and what to recommend in terms of risk mitigation and coverages

This seminar will introduce you to the risks and hazards associated with spray painting operations. The topics you will explore include: descriptions, operations, types and uses of spray painting; ventilation requirements, standards and regulations; electrical requirements, standards and regulations; recommended storage practices for cleaning fluids, paints and other related flammable liquids; requirements for spray materials and applications; layout requirements, standards and regulations for spray painting booths, spray rooms and other related areas; fire suppression system regulations;  standards and recommended practices; coverage considerations and more.

In this excellent seminar, you will focus on the types of knowledge and skills that you need to move from being “ordinary” to “extraordinary” -- through technical expertise. Learn what technical skills many brokers lack plus the what, how, when, and why of acquiring new technical skills to set you apart from the pack. You will also learn how to properly communicate technical information to clients, how to simplify the underwriting process, and how to add value as a claims advocate.

When you look at a contemporary liability insurance binder, you will see a list of coverage features that are typically part of the insurance contract. These include Broad Form Property Damage, Contingent Employer Liability, Host Liquor Liability, Contractual Liability coverage and more. There was a time, not too long ago, when these coverages did not exist. They were added over time. By looking at the CGL coverage in its historical perspective, we gain a better understanding of the intent behind the coverages. If an insurer intended coverage but excludes benefits, it can become the basis of a successful challenge by the broker and his/her client. Similarly, by understanding the exclusions that exist in current liability forms and why they came about, you, the broker, can offer advice on how to minimize the risk of an uncovered loss. In this seminar, you will explore the CGL Insuring Agreements as they have existed since the 1970s and how they have become increasingly restrictive. You will also examine the duty to defend and look at some of the most litigated exclusions in liability insurance policies -- the Care Custody & Control Exclusion and the Work Product Exclusion. This session is part seminar and part workshop, where you and your fellow participants will work your way through problems together.