Insurable Interest Canadian Insurance Blog

Nearly half of Canadians say accommodation eats up over 30 per cent of their vacation budget, and 28 per cent are open to home swapping to cut costs Vancouver, BC (Aug. 29, 2025) – A new national survey from HomeExchange reveals that in 2025, Canadians are travelling differently, driven by economic uncertainty and a desire to make their vacation budgets go further. With nearly half (46 per cent) choosing to stay within Canada and 22 per cent saying the Canadian dollar doesn’t go far abroad, travellers are getting creative to avoid rising costs – and for many, that includes rethinking where they stay. Accommodation remains one of the biggest travel expenses, with almost half of Canadians reporting that lodging eats up more than 30 per cent of their total vacation budget. For 17 per cent, that figure rises to over 50 per cent. In response, more travellers are looking beyond hotels and vacation rentals to find affordable, value-based alternatives. Twenty-eight per cent of Canadians say they would consider using a home-swapping platform with no nightly fees, such as HomeExchange, to make travel more accessible without sacrificing comfort or experience. HomeExchange, the world’s largest and most established home-swapping community with over...

Charlottetown, PEI (Aug. 21, 2025) – GUS, Canada’s largest 100% Canadian-owned and operated network of property restoration professionals, is proud to announce its expansion into Prince Edward Island with the addition of DJC Construction to its group. This marks a significant step for GUS in strengthening its presence in Atlantic Canada, bringing trusted restoration services to the Island, backed by a team deeply rooted in the community. DJC started out small, with founder and owner Declan Shiels following his passion for creating and building. Working evenings and weekends to bring customer visions to life, Declan quickly built a reputation for quality and reliability. In 2019, he officially launched DJC Construction, incorporating the company and expanding it to a small crew of four. In 2021, Brett Newcombe joined the company, bringing entrepreneurial experience from Nova Scotia. In 2024, Kaylah Gormley came on board full time, contributing operational expertise and a strong community focus. Together, the leadership team has driven nearly 1000 percent growth and earned the Emerging Business Award from the Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce. “As a trusted company here on Prince Edward Island, we believe our community deserves a dependable partner in restoration, someone who shows up, does it right,...

Ottawa, ON (Sept. 3, 2025) – Recent disasters such as the Lytton wildfire in 2021, Hurricane Fiona in 2022, the wildfires in the Northwest Territories in 2023, and the intense wildfire seasons of 2024 and 2025 have highlighted how challenging recovery can be. Planning for recovery early, ideally before a disaster even happens, can make a big difference. It helps communities rebuild faster, get businesses back up and running sooner, and include measures to reduce future risk during reconstruction. The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Paul Kovacs, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), are pleased to announce the launch of the Canadian Centre for Recovery and Resilience at ICLR’s Disaster Resilience Display Centre in Toronto. By leveraging their complementary expertise in disaster recovery, risk reduction, and resilience, Public Safety Canada and ICLR will work together through the Canadian Centre for Recovery and Resilience to help communities plan for recovery so they can recover more quickly and rebuild in ways that make them safer and more resilient in the future. It offers: Dedicated experts to help communities plan for recovery, overcome...