Day 1 - February 1, 2016
7:30 am
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8:45 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
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9:15 am
Welcome and Acknowledgements
Vice Chairman, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
and former EVP & Global Chief Strategy Officer, Crawford & Company
9:15 am
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9:30 am
Overview of Conference Objectives
9:30 am
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10:00 am
Speaker Presentation: Connecting the Dots
How can we connect the dots between industry, academia, and government in Canada? What lessons can we learn from communities, other countries, and globally? This session will examine what can be done to work together before, during, and after catastrophic events. Throughout the conference, each session will discuss aspects of how Canada can work toward building a network for resilience which will be discussed more in-depth in the closing panel.
Theme 1: Catastrophes (An Overview)
10:00 am
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10:15 am
CatIQ 2015 CATs in Review
The first theme, ‘Catastrophes (An Overview)’ will begin with just that, an overview of natural and man-made disasters which occurred in 2015. This comprehensive review will include geographic footprints, related media and insured loss estimates as provided by CatIQ. Additionally, CatIQs in-house meteorologist and Director of Catastrophic Loss Analysis, Carolyn Rennie, will provide some further insights into trends in Canadian catastrophes.
10:15 am
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10:30 am
Networking Break
Sponsored by
10:30 am
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11:30 am
Speaker Presentations: Lessons Learned from Recent Events
In order to learn how to prepare for catastrophes, we need to look back and review what did – and did not – work in past scenarios. This session will begin by talking about one of the most costly natural disasters that have yet to occur in Canada in recent history, a massive earthquake. Dr. Balz Grollimund will review the key loss drivers from the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes and discuss parallels to a Vancouver earthquake. The session will then continue with a story of personal experience from Mr. Chip Wilson who dealt with the devastating F3 tornado which struck the town of Goderich in 2011. The final presentation will be from Carolyn Bowen on Lessons Learned from the 2013 Calgary Floods.
11:45 am
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1:15 pm
Keynote Address
Lunch and Presentation
We are pleased to have David Phillips, Canada’s foremost weather expert, provide us with what promises to be an entertaining and educational presentation. David has been with Canada’s weather service for over forty-five years and by studying Canadian climates he promotes the importance of understanding weather and climate. He’s been called “a genuine Canadian legend” and “our unofficial weather guru”, but prefers to think of himself as a weather ambassador for Canada. He has published many papers and reports, including the book The Climates of Canada, and two bestsellers: The Day Niagara Falls Ran Dry and Blame It On The Weather.
Senior Climatologist
Environment Canada
Sponsored by
1:15 pm
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2:00 pm
View From on the Ground
The afternoon sessions will begin with a discussion from those who are on the ground after a catastrophe occurs. This panel of professionals, in the field of disaster restoration, independent insurance adjusting, and engineering will provide their first-hand experience and insight with a “View From on the Ground”.
Speaker
Sean Hobson
Vice President, National Commercial Accounts
WINMAR (Canada) International, Ltd.
2:00 pm
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2:45 pm
Speaker Presentations: Preparing for Man-Made Catastrophes
Although the focus of discussion related to catastrophic events tends to rest on natural disasters, in this session, man-made catastrophes will be explored. José Fernandez will present an overview of Cyber Risk which is quickly becoming a more pertinent issue to plan for. Paul Nony will also discuss Environmental Disasters, such as oil pipeline spills, and provide his insights into the Lac Megantic train derailment of 2013.
2:45 pm
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3:00 pm
Networking Break
Sponsored by
3:00 pm
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3:45 pm
Speaker Presentations: Dealing with Hail Risk
In Canada, and especially in the Prairies, frequent hail storms cause significant property, automobile, and crop damage. Hail is a hot topic in the insurance industry but little is discussed about the science behind hail. Experts from Environment Canada, Dr. Julian Brimelow, and Dr. David Hudak, will discuss different aspects of hail research in Canada. Dr. Brimelow, based in Edmonton, will discuss research used to improve hail detection and the prediction of hail along with how climate change might affect hail occurrence and size over North America. Dr. Hudak, a weather radar meteorologist, will discuss dual-polarized weather radar technology and how it can assist in improving hail identification.
Speaker
Julian Brimelow
Physical Sciences Specialist, Applied Environmental Prediction Science, Prairie & Northern Region
Environment Canada
Speaker
Dave Hudak
Head, King City Weather Radar Research Group
Environment Canada
3:45 pm
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4:45 pm
Floods: Where Do We Stand and What's Next?
The first day of the conference will conclude with a panel highlighting the cause of some of the costliest disasters in recent history – floods. Multiple viewpoints will be explored by the panels executive members. The discussion will include current initiatives such as Partners for Action (which is working to engage stakeholders on concrete action item relating to flood resiliency), the NSERC Canada FloodNet research program (which is working on flood monitoring and forecasting in Canada) and the Insurance Bureau of Canadas recent Financial Management of Flood Risk Report (which includes an international review). The panel discussion will then discuss the next steps required to deal with the ever-looming flood risk.
Speaker
Rob Wesseling
EVP, COO National P&C Product
The Co-operators Group Limited
4:45 pm
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5:00 pm
Speaker Presentation: Buoyant Foundation Project
Speaker
Elizabeth C. English
Founder & Director, Buoyant Foundation Project, and Associate Professor
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
5:00 pm
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5:30 pm
Student Delegate Presentations
5:30 pm
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6:30 pm
Cocktail Reception
Sponsored by
Day 2 - February 2, 2016
7:30 am
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8:30 am
Breakfast
Theme 2: Strategies and Tools in Catastrophe Management
8:30 am
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9:30 am
Modeling Catastrophes
The second theme of the conference, Strategies and Tools in Catastrophe Management, begins with a panel of experts who will discuss how catastrophes are modeled. Specific discussions will include pitfalls in modeling due to the availability of data, a discussion on existing models for Canada and the challenges of integrating climate science into risk analyses.
Moderator
Jason Thistlethwaite
Associate Professor of Environment and Business, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED)
University of Waterloo
Speaker
Andrew Castaldi
Head, Cat Perils Americas Hub
Swiss Reinsurance Company
9:30 am
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10:15 am
Who Pays the Bill?
As Canadian homeowners, business owners, insurers, reinsurers and all levels of government know, there is a high cost associated with catastrophic events. How are the total costs paid? Is this the right mix? Who currently pays the bill and who should? This panel promises to be a very interesting discussion of how the cost of catastrophes is dealt with in Canada, what mechanisms are currently in place and what action plans could be made going forward.
Speaker
Mazdak Moini
VP Commercial Lines & Reinsurance
Aviva Canada Inc.
10:15 am
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10:30 am
Networking Break
Sponsored by
10:30 am
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11:15 am
Are We Getting Through? Effective Communication
This panel of executives from industry, media and government will discuss the most effective tool to manage catastrophes – communication! This panel will provide insight into success stories and pitfalls of communication occurring before, during and after catastrophes – internally, between stakeholders, and externally to the public. Sharon Jeffers, of Environment Canada, will discuss an internal communication logique model; Sally Turney, of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), will describe IBCs internal emergency response program; and Chris Scott, from The Weather Network, will discuss media communication to the general public. This panel will also touch upon how to manage expectations with respect to communication platforms such as phone, email, web and social media.
Speaker
Sharon Jeffers
Acting Service Chief - Central Region, Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment Canada
Theme 3: Sector Perspectives
11:15 am
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12:15 pm
Resilient Cities
The final theme, Sector Perspectives, begins at the local level discussing resilient cities. A distinguished panel of representatives focused on municipal risk management and sustainability, will come together to discuss how cities can work toward being more resilient to catastrophes. Matthew Lynch, from the World Council on City Data, has worked globally to produce standardized indicators of resilient cities through ISO 37120. Ewa Jackson, of ICLEI Canada, works to connect local governments with leaders, accelerate actions related to sustainability and provide a gateway for these solutions. Barb Szychta, from Frank Cowan Company, is responsible for driving innovative risk management practices which support municipalities and the public sector. This engaging discussion will be moderated by Craig Stewart of the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Speaker
Matthew Lynch
Vice President, Global Partnerships & Initiatives
World Council on City Data
12:15 pm
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1:45 pm
Keynote Address
Lunch and Presentation
Our keynote luncheon speaker on the final day will be providing us with a global perspective. Butch Bacani is the Program Leader of the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative. The PSI is the largest collaborative initiative between the United Nations and the insurance industry. Its vision is a risk aware world, where the insurance industry is trusted and plays its full role in enabling a healthy, safe, resilient and sustainable society.
Moderator
Butch Bacani
Program Leader, The UNEP FI Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative
United Nations Environmental Program
Co-sponsored by
2:00 pm
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3:00 pm
Speaker Presentations: Public Sector Perspective
This session will provide a look into goals and initiatives related to catastrophes from the Public Sector perspective. At the national level, Stéphanie Durand will outline Public Safety Canada’s National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) and Diane Campbell will discuss the role of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC).
Speaker
Diane Campbell
Director General, Prediction Services Directorate, Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment Canada
3:00 pm
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3:15 pm
Networking Break
Sponsored by
3:15 pm
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4:00 pm
Claims Executives
Our final session of the Sector Perspectives theme will feature insurance claims executives. An overview of recent catastrophe claims experience will be discussed at all levels: the insurance adjuster level with Pat Van Bakel; the primary insurer level with Mathieu Lamy; and the reinsurance level with Rissa Revin. Our panel of claims executives, moderated by C4 2016s emcee Glenn Gibson, will discuss challenges, successes and ongoing issues to be addressed within the Canadian insurance industry.
Moderator
Glenn Gibson
Vice Chairman, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
and former EVP & Global Chief Strategy Officer, Crawford & Company
Speaker
Mathieu Lamy
Senior Vice President, Claims
Intact Financial Corp.
4:00 pm
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4:45 pm
Building a Framework for Resiliance
Our two-day conference will end with a panel discussion on how Canada can work toward building a network for resilience. This esteemed panel of representatives will address the challenges and leadership required, while drawing from professional experience and observations from the conference.
4:45 pm
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5:00 pm
Conference Wrap-Up
Who pays the bill?
Who pays the bill? - Brad Geddes
Who pays the bill? - Steve Johnson
Download CatIQ’s Canadian Catastrophe Conference 2016 Brochure
