Due to a miscommunication between the Office of The Superintendent of Insurance and The Royal Gazette, the 15 September edition of The Royal Gazette did not contain details of the changes coming 01 October in the wording of the SPF #1. It is expected the 22 September edition of The Gazette will provide details. In the mean time, the Superintendent's web site should have what we are looking for posted no later than 18 September. Go to: http://www.gnb.ca/0062/InsuranceBranch/index-e.asp.

The New Brunswick Superintendent of Insurance has announced new SPF #1 wording. Changes include elimination of the No Frills policy provisions as the No-Frills policy was eliminated back in April due to lack of interest. There will be new definitions of "accident", "common law partner of the head of the household", and "spouse". We do not have the new definitions yet however they will be published in the Royal Gazzett 15 September (Go to:  http://www.gnb.ca/0062/gazette/index-e.asp). Age limits related to "deemed employment" are to be removed and there will be an increase in the reimbursement amount for a substitute automobile after theft (not sure what the new limits are.....looking into that). The changes will come into effect on all existing SPF #1 policies as of 12:01 AM October 1.

Love it or hate it, Xactimate has woven its way into the fabric of the property claims industry in Canada. For years we resisted going the way of Xactimate because of its oppressive pricing policy. We had been using the more affordable Symbility program that allows for pay-as-you go rather than heavy fees that apply regardless of usage....which is the Xactimate model. With so many of our customers and their contractors using Xactimate we have taken the plunge and are now into 3 days of training on this program. Our colleagues from Marsh Adjustment Bureau in Nova Scotia and DeLong & Associates of Prince Edward Island have joined with us and by late Friday we will be good to go!!