For many people, Labour Day weekend is a great time to kick back, relax and partake in various celebrations. It’s a wonderful time of year to unwind after an eventful summer; however IBAO wants to caution drivers of the dangers of driving while under the influence this long weekend.
Did you know that the average number of drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes during the summer months is about 70 percent higher than other times of the year?
Once again, IBAO and the Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) want to caution Ontarian teens especially to drive safe and sober this Labour Day weekend and spread the message on how tragic vehicle accidents can be avoided.
In Ontario alone, 235 drivers age 21 and under were killed in drinking and driving collisions between 1996 and 2006.
IBAO CEO Randy Carroll says that, "Ontario insurance brokers have a vested interest in serving communities across the province and keeping our neighbourhoods safe.Through our partnership with OSAID, we are committed to providing Ontario students with the necessary knowledge and information required to make wiser decisions when it comes to their transportation options."
Let’s not forget that our Ontario students are about to begin a new year of school and this long weekend is often a tempting time for new students to participate in hazardous activity. A few tips you can give your teens are to:
• Arrange for a designated driver;
• Take public transit;
• Arrange for a car or limo service;
• Call a cab.
New tough driving penalties for young and new drivers were put into effect by the Ontario government on August 1st. This new legislation states that all young drivers under the age of 21 and new motorists will be required to have a zero blood alcohol level when behind the wheel.
The hard consequences associated with the new legislation include an immediate 24-hour licence suspension , 30-day licence suspension and up to $500 in fines.
Stay safe and have fun this Labour Day long weekend!
IBAO applauds the recent announcement by the Ontario government on new changes coming into effect to protect Ontario’s young drivers, beginning August 1, 2010. The new law states that all young drivers under the age of 21, as well as new motorists, will be required to have a zero blood alcohol level when behind the wheel.
This new legislation was first introduced last year and particularly aims to protect young drivers, which statistics have shown, are most at risk for being involved in drinking and driving related incidents.
Encouraging safe driving has been and continues to be a central focus for IBAO and its members. Especially when you consider that the number one cause of death for people aged 16-24 in Ontario is still alcohol related automobile accidents. IBAO’s CEO Randy Carroll commented that the new legislation promises to diminish the number of fatalities in province significantly.
IBAO has been in proud partnership with the Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) for more than a decade. Together, they are committed to teaching Ontario students about the dangers of driving while under the influence.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation highlighted some of the following consequences associated with the new legislation.
All drivers 21 years of age and younger must have a zero blood alcohol level when they get behind the wheel or face:
• An immediate 24-hour licence suspension
• 30-day licence suspension
• Up to $500 in fines
You are encouraged to visit the Ministry’s official website, Ontario Ministry of Transportation for more information.
Students especially are encouraged to visit OSAID’s new interactive website, www.OSAID.org for more information on this youth driven organization.
IBAO also recently created a video to highlight other changes to drinking and driving laws in Ontario that affect all drivers.
Watch it here: Drinking and Driving Laws Are Tougher - Be Prepared
While no one is immune from cheque fraud, companies that maintain large cash balances and process a large volume of cheques, such as those in the insurance industry, are popular targets of fraudsters. Fraudsters seem to be well in tune with our industry and perpetrate fraud in a number of ways, including stealing blank cheques, or intercepting written cheques in transit and altering the amount or payee, or outright counterfeiting cheques.
In order to protect your brokerage, internal controls must form the first line of defense. Here are a few tips:
- Implement physical security by properly securing and restricting access to any computers used to issue cheques, especially ones with electronic signatures.
- Cheques, cheque order forms, and articles of incorporation should be treated as carefully as cash and kept locked up with restricted access.
- Ensure that cheques have serial numbers on the electronic codeline (commonly referred to as MICR). Most banks’ detection equipment relies on the MICR as part of their fraud detection systems.
- Reconcile accounts on a daily basis (confirming both correct amounts and payees) and separating accounts payable from accounts receivable roles can help minimize opportunities for fraudulent activity.
A secondary line of defense revolves around various industry products such as modern cheque printers with security features like watermarks. Also, there are a number of banking products and services such as positive pay, electronic reconciliation, and electronic payments direct to the payee can help mitigate the risk of cheque fraud.
If you believe that some fraudulent activity is at work, contact your banker immediately.
For more information, on how to minimize your brokerage’s fraud risk, visit the fraud section of the BMO website, or read the article on cheque fraud in the June issue of The Ontario Broker.
IBAO is delighted to present our members with the IBAO Marketing Design Centre (MDC) NOW LIVE ONLINE and ready for you to logon to create and customize your very own brokerage branded marketing campaigns!
The Marketing Design Centre will help you create marketing or advertising campaigns specific to the products or services in your office, with the ability to customize documents with your own brokerage logo, as well as contact information.
Within the MDC, you will find all three of the Auto Reforms Consumer Communication Materials we presented during the IBAO Auto Reforms Roadshow this past Spring. All of these pieces have been set up with customizable fields for you to add in your own brokerage logo and contact information.
The auto reforms communication pieces are available to IBAO members at no cost and you will only need to cover printing expenses.
Click here to logon to IBAO Marketing Design Centre under the 'Members Only' section of the IBAO website. Here you will find a link to the MDC. Your username and password are the same login credentials you use to logon to the Members Only section of the IBAO website.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO EFFECTIVELY SELL THE AUTO CHANGES AND NEW POLICY OPTIONS
This two hour webinar will help you develop the communication and sales skills necessary to effectively discuss the auto reform changes with your clients. We will provide coverage comparisons, real life examples and communication strategies. (RIBO CE: 2 Technical Hours)
PROGRAM OUTCOMES:
- Gain a firm grasp of coverage changes under the new Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule
- Develop effective sales and communication strategies
- Build confidence in explaining changes and options to clients
- Receive a bank of real life examples to assist you to demonstrate the need for buy up options
- RECOMMENDED for: Anyone dealing directly with auto policyholders
WEBINAR FACILITATOR: Jo Anne Mitchell, CIP
DATES & TIMES:
June 15: 2:00 - 4:15 pm
June 16: 9:30 - 11:45 am
June 22: AM Session: 9:30 -11:45 am or PM Session: 2:00 - 4:15 pm
June 24: AM Session: 9:30 -11:45 am or PM Session: 2:00 - 4:15 pm
FEE: $99.00 per person - Available to IBAO Members Only.
Space is limited!
Register online at www.ibao.org (Members Section - Online Event Registration)
Questions? Contact the IBAO School of Insurance at 416-488-7422 or toll-free (800-268-8845).
Ontario Brokers Urge Teens to Drive Safe and Sober during Graduation Season
As exciting and thrilling as Prom season can be, it can be very easy for some students to be peer pressured into certain activities that they wouldn’t normally participate in. This is why IBAO has partnered once again with Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) to remind Ontario teens about the dangers of driving while under the influence this graduation season.
IBAO CEO Randy Carroll cautions, “with prom season just around the corner, teens will be attending numerous BBQ’s, pool parties and grad events. IBAO and OSAID are committed to reminding Ontario students about the importance of staying safe, while having fun during this celebratory season.”
Encouraging safe driving has always been and continues to be a central focus for IBAO and our members. We urge teens to apply these simple alternatives to avoid any preventable tragedy associated with driving while impaired:
• Arrange for a designated driver
• Take public transit
• Arrange for a car or limo service
• Call a cab
We know that brokers are committed to informing and protecting members of their communities. Alcohol-related deaths are the number one cause of death for people aged 16-24 in Ontario. By educating the young people of this province, we are providing them with all of the necessary knowledge to prevent such tragedy that in turn may save their own lives and the lives of their friends and loved ones.
For more helpful information, encourage students to visit OSAID’s new interactive website, www.OSAID.org.
IBAO is excited to announce we have launched our consumer focused blog on the myinsuranceshopper.ca website. Check it out!
The blog will offer insurance tips and information for consumers, mostly in video format. A good portion of the content will cover the new auto regulations coming into effect on September 1, 2010. The blog will also offer an opportunity for consumers to post comments and questions that brokers or other consumers can answer directly on the page. The comments will remain on the blog, which might help other visitors looking for the same information in the future.
Earlier this year, IBAO began using social media as an additional means to connect with our members using some of the best social networking tools available today. We are moving at a great pace with developing an online community of brokers and industry peers, and our members are responding with comments and questions on our blog, 'retweets' on Twitter, and discussions on Facebook.
We encourage you to get involved in social media. The long term intention is for consumers and brokers to share conversations within this online environment. Plenty of IBAO members are already seeing the value of using social media as means to connect with industry peers, existing customers and prospects. What are you waiting for?
The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has released ‘Property and Casualty Bulletin A-04/10’ that sets out the transition guidelines for accident benefit claims under the upcoming auto reforms that come into effect on September 1 of this year.
The transition document lays out clearly how the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) will apply to auto accidents that occur after September 1, 2010, and for those accidents that occur prior to September 1, 2010.
During the IBAO Educational Auto Reforms Roadshow, we spent quite a bit of time covering off this section of the changes and now that FSCO has officially released this bulletin it is a Must Read by all licensed brokers.
In addition to the SABS Schedule, the bulletin also speaks to Coverages and Limits on Policies Already In Effect as of September 1, 2010.
The coverages and coverage limits that are available in accordance with the ‘Old SABS’ under any automobile insurance policy already in effect as of September 1, 2010 will remain unchanged until the policy expires or is terminated. The only exception is if the named insured and insurer agree otherwise in writing (New SABS s. 68). The OPCF 25A (Alteration) endorsement, amended to reflect the new coverage choices available under the New SABS, will be available for this purpose.
Again, this new bulletin is a must read for all licensed brokers, and remember if you have any questions related to Auto reforms please send them to autofaqs@ibao.on.ca.
Visit www.fsco.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/, for a full list of all the property and casualty – auto bulletins available on FSCO’s website.
For the past four years, a team of staff lead by Kelly MacDonald from The Standard Insurance brokers in Dryden, Ontario, have come together to run an Easter Food Drive for the local Dryden Food Bank.
During the month of March each year they team up with the local radio station, CKDR (92.7 FM), Subway restaurant and ‘The Centre’ in Dryden to make it happen. CKDR donates their airtime, and Kelly MacDonald launched the food drive by announcing an official challenge live on the radio to all local businesses or organizations to see who can bring in the most food by the end of March. The winners win a free lunch, courtesy of Subway restaurant, concert tickets, courtesy of ‘The Centre’ and an IPOD Nano, courtesy of The Standard Insurance brokers. There are three different winning categories.
This year, they had over 21 local businesses partake in the program this year, and raised almost 5000 food items plus over $100 in monetary donations.
Way to go!
Top (left to right) Tom Ledoux Standard Insurance, Keith Grand, Manager of the Dryden Food bank
Middle (left to right) Kelly MacDonald Standard Insurance, Gord McCool Standard Insurance, Donna Sandelli Standard Insurance
Bottom (left to right) Lisa Legros Standard Insurance, Nichol Wesley Standard Insurance