Insurable Interest Canadian Insurance Blog

As financial pressures continue to affect Canadians’ physical and mental health, group benefits remain one of the strongest ways employers can support their employees – yet their full value often goes untapped by those who need them most Toronto, ON (July 21, 2026) – Employee wellbeing in Canada has declined across every metric over the past year, according to poll results from RBC Insurance. The study shows that Canadians’ overall level of wellbeing rated as excellent or good has dropped by 9 percentage points to 56% in 2026 from 65% in 2025. This downward trend is consistent across all dimensions of wellbeing: Mental health dropped 7 points: 52% (2026) vs. 59% (2025) Physical health dropped 6 points: 53% (2026) vs. 59% (2025) Financial health dropped 2 points: 42% (2026) vs. 44% (2025) The largest declines are seen among workers aged 18–34 which saw its overall year-over-year wellbeing score drop by 18 points (from 67% to 49%) and mental health scores fall by 14 points (from 56% to 42%). However, challenges aren’t limited to younger generations: workers aged 55–65 – traditionally the most satisfied cohort – are also experiencing declines. Overall wellbeing fell 8 points and mental health dropped 11 points....

Toronto, ON (July 22, 2026) – More than two-thirds of Ontarians aged 35 to 54 say rising gas prices are affecting their day-to-day activities, as fuel costs continue to put pressure on household budgets and force many families to make difficult trade-offs in how they drive, spend and plan their daily lives, according to a new survey from CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO). The findings highlight how higher fuel costs are contributing to broader affordability challenges, with many families driving less, cutting back on discretionary spending and reducing everyday purchases such as takeout meals and coffee to keep spending in check. “For many Ontario families, higher gas prices aren’t just affecting how often they fill up the tank, they’re changing everyday decisions about where they go, what they buy and how they spend their money,” says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president, government & community relations for CAA SCO. Many households report driving less, cutting back on discretionary spending and reducing small but regular purchases such as takeout meals and coffee to manage rising costs. Affordability pressures are reshaping summer plans While summer is typically a time for travel and recreation, rising fuel costs are making it harder for...

New digital experience brings home insurance advice and education directly into Canada’s leading real estate platform TD Insurance and REALTOR.ca are launching an integrated digital experience to bring home insurance guidance into the home-buying journey Only one-quarter of Canadians review their home insurance policy annually, highlighting a gap in preparedness The collaboration aims to help Canadians better understand insurance needs earlier in the homeownership process Toronto, ON (July 28, 2026) – TD Insurance (TDI) and REALTOR.ca are introducing a new digital experience designed to bring home insurance advice directly into the home buying journey, helping Canadians make more informed decisions as they plan for homeownership. With more Canadians turning to REALTOR.ca than any other real estate platform in the country, this collaboration supports them at every step of their journey – from browsing listings to purchasing and settling in. By introducing home insurance considerations earlier, Canadians can better connect the home they want with the protection they may need. The announcement comes as TD Insurance research shows many Canadians avoid thinking about insurance altogether, with just one-in-four reviewing their coverage each year. This underscores an opportunity to make insurance more accessible – and easier to plan for – earlier in the...

“The 98% solution” — By Ming Kostuck, Senior Analyst, ReSource Pro — Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, conversations around AI in insurance agencies have accelerated at an unprecedented pace. What initially began as excitement around generative AI tools, chatbots, and content automation has quickly evolved into something much larger: a complete operational transformation across the insurance industry. Today, agencies are no longer simply experimenting with AI. They are actively investing in it. According to new research from ReSource Pro, 98% of insurance agencies are planning AI investments in 2026, signaling a major shift from cautious exploration to full-scale adoption. From workflow automation and document processing to customer service enhancements and operational intelligence, AI is becoming foundational infrastructure for the modern insurance agency. AI Adoption in Insurance Is No Longer Optional For years, many agencies viewed AI as a future initiative — something innovative but not immediately necessary. That mindset has now changed dramatically. The insurance industry is facing growing operational pressures, including talent shortages, rising customer expectations, increasing workloads, and the need for faster service delivery. Agencies are realizing that traditional workflows alone can no longer keep pace with market demands. As a result, investment in AI for insurance agencies is becoming universal. Whether it is...

Latest IBM Bob Updates Help Enterprises Deliver Production-Ready Software Fast IBM Bob is Built to Optimize the Cost of AI-Driven Development Beyond the Model IBM Bob Now Offers Pre-Built, Customizable Enterprise Workflows for IBM Z, IBM i, Plus Java Modernization New York, NY (July 16, 2026) – IBM is pleased to announce major updates to IBM Bob, its agentic software development platform, including new multi-agent capabilities, built-in AI cost and use analytics, and pre-built, specialized workflows for modernizing enterprise systems. Now that organizations are using AI to write massive amounts of code, their software development challenges have moved to other parts of the process with 85% of DevSecOps professionals surveyed agreeing that AI has shifted the bottleneck from writing code to reviewing and validating it.[1] IBM Bob is architected to bring AI capabilities wherever software engineering work happens. Rather than limiting AI to a single development interface for isolated tasks, Bob provides a unified foundation for teams to coordinate across the software development lifecycle. For example, engineers at Jack Henry, a leading financial services and banking technology provider, were facing challenges maintaining and evolving a large RPG codebase as its application portfolio expanded in size and complexity. “Using IBM Bob,” explained Kevin Sligar, Chief Technical Architect at...

Fully digital life insurance application experience with real-time underwriting decisions powered by advanced analytics, predictive modelling and AI-enhanced capabilities Provides personalized real-time decisions up to an industry-leading $5 million across Term Life, Universal Life and Whole Life policies, aligned with BMO Insurance’s full accelerated underwriting limits Helps clients move forward with coverage in the moment by eliminating traditional medical requirements for many applications Toronto, ON (July 16, 2026) – BMO is pleased to announce the launch of SmartDecision, an innovative underwriting solution that uses advanced analytics and AI-enhanced capabilities to deliver real-time decisions to clients and advisors. Available for eligible applications up to an industry-leading $5 million across its suite of life insurance products, SmartDecision represents a meaningful step forward in improving the underwriting journey. Leveraging advanced analytics, predictive modelling and AI-enhanced capabilities, the platform helps personalize client experiences and automate certain processes. SmartDecision also augments advisor capabilities, giving them more time to focus on client interactions. It evaluates risks and delivers decisions within seconds, reducing the traditional delays associated with underwriting requirements and follow-up meetings. “We’re fundamentally changing how underwriting is delivered,” said Katarina Nikolic, VP & Chief Corporate Underwriter, BMO Insurance. “SmartDecision equips advisors with immediate, high-quality decisions...