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Ontario’s Top 10 Costliest Cities for Auto Theft in 2025: IBC 0

Ontario’s Top 10 Costliest Cities for Auto Theft in 2025: IBC

Insurance Bureau of Canada releases new ranking based on auto theft claims Ottawa, ON (May 13, 2026) – Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is releasing its latest list of the top 10 costliest cities in Ontario for auto theft claims. Toronto, Brampton, and Mississauga have maintained their respective top three rankings since the last report from IBC. Ottawa has moved up two places in the rankings to the fourth spot. Hamilton moved up a staggering four spots from ninth to fifth. And Vaughan now occupies the seventh spot, down from fourth. “While IBC applauds the efforts of provincial and municipal governments, law enforcement and insurers in helping to curb the auto theft crisis, there is still more work to be done by all stakeholders,” said Amanda Dean, Vice-President, Ontario and Atlantic, IBC. “Ending auto theft requires a sustained, coordinated and whole–of–society approach.” According to newly released data, claims costs for auto theft in Ontario reached $485 million in 2025, down from $723 million in 2024. However, auto theft in Ontario remains well above historical levels, with the number of auto theft–related claims up 97% and losses up a staggering 330% since 2017. Table 1: Top 10 Costliest Cities in Ontario...

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USDOT Rescinds ‘Disparate Impact’ Civil Rights Regulation

Article 0 Comments The U.S. Transportation Department said Wednesday it is rescinding part of its long-standing civil rights regulations that prohibit conduct that has an unintended “disparate” impact. In April 2025, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies not to enforce laws that prohibit policies and practices with discriminatory impacts that are often unintended. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the department is making clear its regulations “prohibit only intentional discrimination, not conduct or activities that have a disparate impact,” and added USDOT will not take action on disparate-impact liability. Curbing so-called disparate impact liability, which is common in employment-related cases, removes a tool the government has used for decades to also police discrimination in housing, education, lending and other areas. Federal Discrimination Laws Date to Civil War On June 9, the Justice Department said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s legal guidance to deter disparate impacts on protected groups of workers is wrong because it focuses solely on outcomes with no regard for an employer’s intent. Numerous federal laws, some dating back to the years after the Civil War, prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, religion and other protected traits. Courts long understood discrimination to be an intentional act, but that...

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Australia Insurance Broker Steadfast Gets Offer From Amwins, PE Firm Dragoneer

Article 0 Comments Australian insurance broker Steadfast Group Ltd. received an indicative offer from US specialty insurance distributor Amwins Group Inc., and private equity firm Dragoneer Investment Group LLC, that sent its shares surging by a record 36%. The conditional, non-binding cash offer of A$6 per share ($4.21) announced Wednesday is a nearly 52% premium to the stock’s Tuesday closing price, giving the company an enterprise value of about A$7.7 billion, including debt, according to Sydney-based Steadfast. The move follows two lower offers from the consortium for the company, Steadfast said. Dragoneer intends to take ownership of Steadfast’s retail brokerage business, while Amwins plans to acquire the firm’s underwriting agency business, according to a statement. Steadfast said its board “has determined that it is in the best interests of Steadfast shareholders,” to explore the deal and it agreed an eight-week due diligence period with the would-be purchasers. The company’s shares surged to A$5.38. The offer follows a share price slump that wiped out around 40% from Steadfast’s market value from a high last year until Tuesday. The decline began in late October with the biggest-one day slump after the firm said that Chief Executive Robert Kelly would take temporary leave...

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MMA Alleges Broker Patriot Poached 11 Surety Team Members

Article 0 Comments Marsh & McLennan Agency has filed suit against brokerage Patriot Growth Insurance Services and eight former members of a surety team over an alleged poaching scheme. Filed early June in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and since remanded to state court, the lawsuit names former employees Keith Wallace Harrelson, Ryan McClendon, Albert Bowen Evans, Jeffrey Cutshall, Rebecca Burrus, Hailee Wesson, Hunter Harper, and Jennifer Barranco—who had each worked at MMA’s Birmingham, Alabama office. The group made up about half of the surety team in Birmingham, said MMA, and most resigned on May 18 by leaving letters on top of their laptops and cellphones, according to the lawsuit. During the days that followed, Barranco resigned as did two others from the team, Michelle Hicks and Kayla Loyd. Eleven in total resigned to join Patriot, doing business under the brand Turner Insurance & Bonding Co., MMA alleged. Each defendant is in violation of employment contracts, said MMA, which pointed out in the suit that several of them immediately filed for declaratory judgement in Alabama to make their MMA agreements unenforceable. Since the team left, MMA said it has received no fewer than 71 broker-of-record...

Sun Life Essentials™ brings workplace savings plans to Canadian small and medium-sized employers 0

Sun Life Essentials™ brings workplace savings plans to Canadian small and medium-sized employers

Nearly eight in ten working Canadians (76%) want employers to play an active role in building their financial security Less than half are currently receiving workplace savings support at work (41%) Working Canadians list financial stability as the most important aspect of employment Toronto, ON (Jan. 21, 2026) – Sun Life is pleased to announce Sun Life Essentials™ and Sun Life Essentials Plus™, new digital-first workplace savings solutions designed specifically for small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs). The plans are built to be simple and accessible, helping business owners better support their employees in building long‑term financial stability and confidence. Amid rising uncertainty and cost pressures, building a stable and loyal workforce is a priority for businesses of all sizes. Workplace savings plans can be a practical way for employers to invest in their people without adding complexity. Recent research conducted by The Harris Poll for Sun Life, underscores why this support matters right now. More than a quarter of working Canadians say financial stress is impacting productivity and engagement at work. And 87 per cent believe employers that help workers save earn greater loyalty. “Small business owners are the backbone of our economy, and we know how much they’re carrying...

Cyber risk tops the list as businesses seek greater resilience: new Marsh business risk report reveals shift in priorities 0

Cyber risk tops the list as businesses seek greater resilience: new Marsh business risk report reveals shift in priorities

London, UK (May 11, 2026) – According to a new report by Marsh Risk, a business of Marsh, and the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor, cyber risk is, for the first time, the top concern among UK business leaders. It is cited as the leading concern for 46% of business leaders, up three percentage points from 2024, and up from 20% in 2023. Marsh Risk’s UK Business Risk Report – which surveyed more than 2,000 business leaders, from sole traders to businesses of with over 250 employees across the UK – provides industry level insight and practical recommendations to help organizations prioritize actions, allocate capital and engage with insurers more effectively. The report underscores the need for businesses to adopt flexible risk management approaches that can adapt as threats evolve and interact across domains. The top risks include cyber threats (46%); economic and financial (44%); compliance, legal and regulatory (40%); and people (39%). According to the report, high profile attacks, greater digitalization and supply chain vulnerabilities have elevated cyber risk to board level, due to widespread operational disruption, potential regulatory exposure and reputational harm. Respondents also highlighted the growing interconnectedness of threats, signalling a move by organizations to...

Canadians say they’re cautious about AI, but many are already letting it decide 0

Canadians say they’re cautious about AI, but many are already letting it decide

EY study shows adoption is outpacing sentiment as AI takes on greater responsibility 13% of Canadians are already using autonomous AI, allowing systems to act on their behalf AI is embedded in daily life, with up to 78% using it in energy and mobility and 67% in customer experiences Trust remains fragile, as 71% fear AI system breaches and only 39% trust companies to protect AI‑used data Toronto, ON (May 11, 2026) – Canadians may describe themselves as cautious about artificial intelligence, but new findings from the 2026 EY AI Sentiment Study suggest a very different reality. While concerns about security, accountability and control remain high, Canadians are already embedding AI into everyday decisions, often in ways that extend beyond simple assistance into early autonomy. “What we’re seeing is less about blind trust and more about conditional permission,” says Biren Agnihotri, EY Canada Chief Technology Officer. “Canadians are comfortable with AI in familiar, low‑risk moments, and that everyday experience is reshaping how trust actually develops.” A ‘meaningful minority’ is already letting AI decide The study shows 13% of Canadians have used autonomous AI in the past six months, systems that go beyond recommendations to act on a user’s behalf. While...

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Iran and Israel Trade Missile Attacks, Straining Peace Talks

Article 0 Comments Israel and Iran exchanged missile strikes on Monday despite President Donald Trump’s calls for both sides to stop fighting and give peace talks a chance. Iran launched a fresh wave of attacks just hours after firing ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday. Israel responded with strikes on military targets in western and central Iran, while Iranian state media reported multiple explosions in the capital, Tehran. Israel also struck Iran’s Karun petrochemical company in Mahshahr in a fresh offensive early Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iran’s offensive is a rare example of Tehran coming to Hezbollah’s defense and the most serious challenge yet to a ceasefire that took effect on April 8, halting a war that began in February when the US and Israel started bombing Iran. The conflict left thousands of people dead across the Middle East, disrupted global energy flows and spurred a rally in oil prices that’s stoking fears of a surge in global inflation. The latest bout of violence continued despite Trump on Sunday warning that a renewed escalation could derail efforts by Tehran and Washington to secure a new, 60-day truce. That would pave the way for negotiations on a broader...

Messagepoint Announces MARCIEAssist™, First Agentic AI to Automate CCM 0

Messagepoint Announces MARCIEAssist™, First Agentic AI to Automate CCM

Messagepoint announces launch of MARCIEAssist™, the first agentic AI capability to automate the work of Customer Communications Management Toronto, ON (June 4, 2026) – Messagepoint, a leading customer communications management (CCM) solutions provider, is pleased to announce the launch of MARCIEAssist™, the first agentic AI capability that automates the work of customer communications management. With MARCIEAssist, Messagepoint is introducing a fundamentally new model for customer communications management (CCM)—one where users no longer need to manually execute complex tasks. Instead, users simply describe what they want to accomplish, and MARCIEAssist intelligently plans and executes supported actions across content, rules, data, and templates—while keeping users fully in control. Organizations operating in regulated industries face increasing pressure to deliver accurate, compliant, and highly personalized communications across channels—yet CCM platforms still rely on manual processes that are time-consuming, complex, and dependent on specialized expertise. MARCIEAssist was specifically designed to address these challenges by leveraging agentic AI to do the heavy lifting of CCM work, dramatically reducing the time and effort required to manage communications. The first release of MARCIEAssist supports three core functions in Messagepoint: Automating key content operations such as creating, editing, and refactoring content objects Providing insights into content, rules, and communications...

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Texas Children’s Hospital to Pay $10M as Part of Detransition Settlement

Article 0 Comments Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has to create a detransition clinic for transgender patients later this year and keep a list of “potential” gender affirming care patients, according to new details released Monday by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. According to a 10-page list of settlement terms, requested by The Texas Tribune, Texas Children’s has 90 days from the effective date of the settlement to set up the detransition clinic. The attorney general announced the settlement two weeks ago but because a final settlement has not been signed there is no effective date agreed upon yet. The clinic must provide multiple services including access to endocrinology, surgery, primary care, fertility counseling, psychiatry and psychotherapy. Also, the clinic must provide obstetrics and gynecological services to adults who have undergone gender transitioning procedures, although it’s unclear if all adult transgender people who want to seek these services must do so through the detransition clinic. The $10 million settlement, first announced on May 15, is the result of a 2023 investigation by the attorney general’s office into Texas Children’s. That same year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 14 that bars transgender children from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapies....