Category: CatIQ Connect

Toronto, August 18, 2020 – CatIQ and MSA Research are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the first of the Canadian catastrophe conference’s online webinars. The upcoming CatIQ Connect quarterly webinar series will be held in October and December of 2020 and February and June of 2021.

“Given the uncertainty of the global pandemic, we made the decision to host an online quarterly series from October 2020 to June 2021,” said Joel Baker, CEO, of CatIQ and MSA Research “As we all know, catastrophes do not stop for a pandemic, and this year has already been memorable with the impactful Fort McMurray flooding and Calgary hailstorms.” CatIQ Connect is a platform where industry, all levels of government, and academia come together to discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies, technological advancements, and sector perspectives around catastrophe management.

Registration is now open for:

October 14, 2020 – The Financial Sector on Catastrophes & Climate Change

“This forum will examine how banks, insurers and institutional investors are subject to the evolving threat of physical climate change. For those working in the capital markets, the forum will provide practical guidance to limit risk that might otherwise prove challenging to the financial services sector,” says Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo.

The half-day will be capped off with a keynote discussion between Mike Pedersen, Chair of the Business Development Bank of Canada, and Blair Feltmate, Head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. The pair will focus on the threat of physical climate risk, and how Canada’s banks can provide stability to the Canadian economy.

Session highlights for October 14:
Risks and Opportunities for the Capital Markets with Alyson Slater, Global Risk Institute. Moderator: Andrew Castaldi, PERILS AG

Innovative Insurance Strategies from Low to Middle Income Countries and How to Apply Them in Canada with Kathy Baughman McLeod, Adrienne Arsht–Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Atlantic Council. Moderator: Marjorie Brans, School for Social Entrepreneurs Canada

Evolving Perspectives on the Impacts of Physical Climate Risk for Canada’s Housing Sector with Steve Mennill, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Moderator: Joanna Dafoe, Insurance Bureau of Canada

Save the dates for the full webinar series line up:
December 3, 2020 – New in Catastrophe Technology & Modelling
February 11, 2021 – Pandemic: One Year Later
June 10, 2021 – Collaborating to Mitigate Loss to Catastrophes and Climate Change

As always, the conference Steering Committee brings together leading organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

Jim Abraham President, ClimAction Services Inc.	Caroline Floyd Assistant Director of Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ	Anthony Black National Catastrophe Manager, RSA Insurance Group
Karen Francis Vice President, Guy Carpenter	Marjorie Brans Director of Ecosystem Impact, School for Social Entrepreneurs Canada	Paul A. MacDonald EVP, Registrational Insurance, Economical Insurance
Michael Butler Senior Business Development Manager-Commercial, ServiceMaster Restore	Glenn McGillivray Managing Director, ICLR	Andrew Castaldi Representative Consultant, PERILS AG
Dwayne Torrey Director, Construction & Infrastructure, Standards, CSA Group	Lindsey Collins Senior Catastrophe Analyst, Aon	Laura Twidle Managing Director, CatIQ
Joanna Dafoe National Director of Climate Change, Insurance Bureau of Canada	Rebecca Wagner Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada	Dipika Deol Head of P&C Underwriting, Canada and English Caribbean, Swiss Re
Kyle Winston Co-founder & President, CRU Group Inc.	Dr. Blair Feltmate Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaption, University of Waterloo	Anna Ziolecki Director, Partners for Action

Toronto (September 11, 2019) – CatIQ is pleased to announce that registration for its fifth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, is now open. CatIQ Connect is being held February 3-5, 2020 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  CatIQ Connect will kick off with a review of the events from 2019, which is sure to be interesting, given the weather activity in 2019 so far.

Canadian insured catastrophic losses have reached nearly $900 million thus far in 2019 and these do not include the impacts from Post-Tropical Storm Dorian according to CatIQ (Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc.). Impactful weather events are on the rise, and government and industry must look to implement solutions to mitigate the increasing cost of catastrophes.

CatIQ Connect is a content-driven conference designed to foster collaboration between sectors relating to resilience and recovery in the face of catastrophes. “We are thrilled to be hosting the fifth annual catastrophe conference and, once again, our steering committee has put together a phenomenal agenda,” said Laura Twidle, Managing Director of CatIQ. “The 2020 event will focus on solutions; we want attendees to leave with information on how they can take the next step in mitigating risk and planning.”

CatIQ Connect is designed for:

• Insurance/Reinsurance Professionals
• All Levels of Government
• Academia/Researchers
• Risk Managers
• NGO’s
• Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Keynote:

• Roy Wright, President & CEO, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

The CatIQ Connect 2020 Agenda features 30+ expert speakers. Highlights include:

• Interactive Workshop
• Leadership and Financial Solutions to Climate Change
• Financing Climate Resilient Infrastructure
• The War Story – 48h Post-CAT
• Resilience: The Whys and Hows
• Mental Health and Disasters
• The Fort McMurray Rebuild
• Different Views of Earthquake
• Communication Tools for Preparedness and Recovery
• Flood Resilient Design for New Residential Communities
• Governmental Views on Moving Out or Staying Put
• Risk Assessment – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  

Save $100 by registering early and save a further $100 per person by registering three or more at https://connect.catiq.com  

Once again, this year’s Steering Committee includes leading organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

Jim Abraham 2020 Co-emceeand President, ClimAction Services Inc.	Glenn McGillivray Managing Director,ICLR
William Belzile GIS Advisor, Desjardins General Insurance Group	Ryaz Mohamed Director, Corporate Reinsurance, The Co-operators Group
Alister Campbell CEO, PACICC	Shawna Peddle 2020 Co-emcee and Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
Claudette Cantin SVP, Chief Actuary and CRO, Munich Re Canada	Sean Russell Managing Director, Guy Carpenter
Paul Cutbush SVP Catastrophe Management,Aon Benfield Analytics	Craig Stewart VP, Federal Affairs, IBC
Esaie Djossou AVP of Reinsurance, CAT Underwriting, International Underwriting and Data and Insights functions, Aviva Canada	Genevieve Thouin Project Director, MCIP, FCM
Dr. Blair Feltmate Head, Intact Centre onClimate Adaption,University of Waterloo	Dwayne Torrey Director, Construction & Infrastructure,Standards, CSA Group
Dr. Maryam Golnaraghi Director, Climate Change and Emerging Environmental Topics, The Geneva Association	Rebecca Wagner Associate Director,Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Sean Hobson VP, National Programs, WINMAR (Canada) International Ltd.	Kyle Winston Co-founder & President,CRU Group Inc.
	Anna Ziolecki Director, Partners for Action>

Toronto (February 7, 2019) – The fourth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, was held over three days this week at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. More than 270 delegates attended the event, including catastrophe risk professionals and emergency managers from across Canada, the United States, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The number of participants at this event has increased by more than 35% year-over-year and signals the importance and relevance of catastrophe planning in Canada.

Delegates participated in a workshop developed with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) on Day One. FCM will be able to use the valuable insights from the diverse attendees to support municipalities as Canada experiences more frequent disasters. Climate change information and how it can be used practically in the capital markets, building codes, and risk management were featured prominently in the conversation as well. “CatIQ Connect is the leading forum where public and private sector leaders meet to discuss action to better manage flood, earthquake, wildfire and other catastrophic risks in Canada,” said Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, ICLR. Further discussion included how different sectors prepared for and responded to recent disasters, such as the May windstorm, British Columbia flooding, and Ontario wildfires.

“As the frequency and severity of extreme weather events increases, Canadians are bearing the financial, social and emotional impacts. As risk experts, we understand the issues and have a responsibility to act,” said Barbara Turley-McIntyre, Vice President of Sustainability & Citizenship at The Co-operators. “Events like CatIQ Connect allow us to gather across sectors, share insights and work collaboratively to help build more resilient communities.” Jim Abraham, President, ClimAction Services Inc. added, “It is only through a collective effort that we can ensure our communities are resilient. CatIQ Connect enables the collective conversation and relationship building needed to make this happen.”

Nearly 25 organizations participated as sponsors or partners of the event, including CRU Group, The Co-operators, IBC, and Wood as Platinum Sponsors. Other sponsors included major reinsurance brokers, reinsurance companies, flood risk organizations, cat modelers, imagery specialists, and restoration companies.

The success of the 2019 CatIQ Connect event was driven by the oversight of an outstanding Steering Committee. Representation included:

• Jim Abraham, 2019 President, ClimAction Services Inc.
• Kris Bagchi, AVP, Reinsurance, TD Insurance
• Ron Biggs, National Claims Director, RSA Insurance Group
• Teresa Burgess-Ogilvie, Partnership Engagement Committee, IAEM Canada and Manager, Office of Emergency Management, City of Mississauga
• Paul Cutbush, SVP Catastrophe Management, Aon
• Jim Eso, SVP, Property and Casualty, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
• Deirdre Laframboise, Senior Manager, Knowledge and Sector Development, Green Municipal Fund, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, ICLR
• David McGown
• Megan Meaney, Executive Director, ICLEI Canada
• Shawna Peddle, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
• Alison Porter, SVP, Treaty, SCOR Canada Reinsurance
• Alexa Reedman, Research Program Coordinator, MEOPAR
• Kimberly Roberts, VP & Senior Meteorologist, JLT Re
• Dwayne Torrey, Director, Construction & Infrastructure Standards, CSA Group
• Laura Twidle, Director, Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
• Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Kyle Winston, Co-founder & President, CRU Group Inc.

CatIQ Connect will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre February 3-5, 2020.

Toronto (October 15, 2018) – On the final day of summer, 6 tornadoes tore across eastern Ontario and western Quebec. Among the tornadoes was an EF3 which caused extensive damage and injuries from Kinburn, ON to Gatineau, QC. In addition, there was an EF2 that severely damaged a hydro station and many homes in Nepean, ON. Extreme weather can happen anytime and anywhere and, since over 80% of Canadians live in municipalities, major impacts can be felt when a disaster strikes in these populated areas.

CatIQ is thrilled to announce that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) will host an interactive workshop at CatIQ Connect on February 4, 2019. This engaging workshop will provide diverse participants the opportunity to learn about how municipalities are mitigating, adapting and responding to the impacts of climate change related to natural disasters. Participants will also get the chance to work together and develop ideas to support capacity-building resources for FCM and others to help Canadian municipalities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

“Through FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, we encourage municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change. We welcome the opportunity at this year’s CatIQ workshop to engage the stakeholders on this topic, and advance capacity-building resources for municipalities to help them address climate-related natural disasters,” said FCM President Vicki-May Hamm.

CatIQ Connect is designed for:

• Insurance/reinsurance professionals
• All levels of government
• Academia/researchers
• Engineers/builders
• Risk managers
• NGOs
• Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Keynotes:

• Howard Kunreuther, Professor and Co-Director of the Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, will present The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters
• Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will sit down for a fireside chat with Rob Wesseling, President & CEO, The Co-operators
• Ed Struzik, a Canadian author and photographer, will present a view of how wildfires will shape the future

CatIQ Connect 2019 Agenda Highlights:

• Interactive Workshop hosted by FCM
• Translating Climate Change and Extreme Weather into Practical Application for the Capital Markets
• Lessons Learned on Hurricanes
• Nuclear Emergency – Onsite and Offsite
• Recent Catastrophes
• Are Critical Services at Risk and Are They Adapting?
• Risk Communication and Personal Action
• Codes and Standards
• Mortgage Impairment Due to Earthquake Loss
• New Technologies and Techniques
• Climate Change: From Science to Actionable Insight

Once again, this year’s Steering Committee covers organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

• Jim Abraham, 2019 Emcee and President, ClimAction Services Inc.
• Ron Biggs, National Claims Director, RSA Insurance Group
• Kris Bagchi, AVP, Reinsurance, TD Insurance
• Teresa Burgess-Ogilvie, Partnership Engagement Committee, IAEM Canada and Manager, Office of Emergency Management, City of Mississauga
• Paul Cutbush, SVP Catastrophe Management, Aon
• Jim Eso, SVP, Property and Casualty, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaption, University of Waterloo
• Deirdre Laframboise, Senior Manager, Knowledge and Sector Development, Green Municipal Fund Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Glenn McGillivray, Managing Director, ICLR
• David McGown, SVP, Strategic Initiatives, IBC
• Megan Meaney, Director, ICLEI Canada
• Shawna Peddle, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
• Alison Porter, SVP, Head of Treaty, SCOR Canada Reinsurance
• Alexa Reedman, Research Program Coordinator, MEOPAR
• Kimberly Roberts, VP & Senior Meteorologist, JLT Re
• Dwayne Torrey, Director, Construction & Infrastructure Standards, CSA Group
• Laura Twidle, Director, Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
• Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Kyle Winston, Co-founder & President, CRU Group Inc.

To register for CatIQ Connect 2019, or to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit www.catiq.com/connect or follow CatIQ on Twitter at @CatIQ_Inc or via the hashtag #CatIQConnect.

Download the full PDF press release.

About CatIQ

As Canada’s loss index provider, CatIQ delivers detailed analytical and meteorological information on Canadian natural and man-made catastrophes. Through its online subscription-based platform, CatIQ combines comprehensive insured loss indices and other related information to meet the needs of the insurance/reinsurance industries, public sector and other stakeholders.
www.catiq.com
CatIQ also hosts the annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect. www.catiq.com/connect/ which will next run February 4-6, 2019.

Toronto (July 23, 2018) – Significant flooding, damaging winds, and ice storms have made for widespread community impacts and large insured losses across Canada in the first half of 2018. For example, May’s windstorm became the costliest event in Ontario since the 2013 Toronto floods. With this summer’s “CAT” season only at the mid-point, 2018 has the potential for catastrophic losses for many stakeholders.

CatIQ is pleased to announce that registration for its fourth annual Canadian catastrophe conference, CatIQ Connect, is now open. CatIQ Connect 2019 is being held February 4-6, 2019 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. CatIQ Connect will kick off with a review of the events from 2018, which is sure to be interesting, given the weather activity in 2018 thus far.

CatIQ Connect, formerly C4, is a content-driven conference designed to foster collaboration between sectors relating to Canadian catastrophes. David McGown, SVP, Strategic Initiatives at IBC says “the upcoming 2019 CatIQ Connect conference follows on the heels of successful C4 conferences organized by CatIQ. The shift to focus this year beyond insurers is an important step in broadening the conversation to include other important stakeholders. As always, the conference will provide a good variety of topic areas aimed at improving knowledge and sparking conversations. We look forward to the opportunity to learn and connect with others in February 2019.” Catastrophes impact many different organizations, stakeholders, and, above all, Canadians citizens.

CatIQ Connect is for:

• Insurance/Reinsurance Professionals
• All Levels of Government
• Academia/Researchers
• Risk Managers
• NGO’s
• Other sectors/organizations dealing with resilience to catastrophes

Keynotes:

• Howard Kunreuther, Co-Director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, University of Pennsylvania, will present The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters
• Henk Ovink, Special Water Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of Netherlands in a fireside chat with The Co-operators’ President & CEO, Rob Wesseling
• Ed Struzik, a Canadian author and photographer, will present a view of how wildfires will shape the future

CatIQ Connect 2019 Agenda Highlights:

• Interactive Workshop
• Climate Concerns in Financial Services
• Lessons Learned on Hurricanes
• Meltdown: A Nuclear Catastrophe
• Local Perspectives on Recent Events
• Are Critical Services Adapting?
• Risk Communication and Personal Perception
• Codes and Standards
• Mortgage Impairment Due to Earthquake Loss
• New Technologies and Techniques
• A Scientific View of Climate Change

Once again, this year’s Steering Committee covers organizations concerned with adaptation and management related to Canadian catastrophes, including:

• Jim Abraham, 2019 Emcee and President, Climaction Services Inc.
• Kris Bagchi, AVP, Reinsurance, TD Insurance
• Ron Biggs, National Claims Director, RSA Insurance Group
• Teresa Burgess-Ogilvie , Partnership Engagement Committee, IAEM Canada and Manager, Office of Emergency Management, City of Mississauga
• Paul Cutbush, SVP Catastrophe Management, Aon Benfield Analytics
• Jim Eso, SVP, Property and Casualty, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Dr. Blair Feltmate , Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaption, University of Waterloo
• Deirdre Laframboise , Senior Manager, Knowledge and Sector Development, Green Municipal Fund Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Glenn McGillivray , Managing Director, ICLR
• David McGown, SVP, Strategic Initiatives, IBC
• Megan Meaney, Director, ICLEI Canada
• Shawna Peddle , Director, Partners for Action, University of Waterloo
• Alison Porter , SVP, Head of Treaty, SCOR Canada Reinsurance
• Alexa Reedman, Research Program Coordinator, MEOPAR
• Kimberly Roberts , VP & Senior Meteorologist, JLT Re
• Dwayne Torrey, Director, Construction & Infrastructure, Standards, CSA Group
• Laura Twidle, Director, Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
• Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Kyle Winston, Co-founder & President, CRU Group Inc.

To register for CatIQ Connect 2019, or to keep up to date on the latest announcements, visit www.catiq.com/connect or follow CatIQ on Twitter at @CatIQ_Inc or through the hashtag #CatIQConnect.

Toronto (October 19, 2017) – With the help of the CatIQ′s Canadian Catastrophe Conference (C4) expert Senior Advisory Committee, CatIQ announced that registration is now open for C4 2018. The three day event will provide attendees with a content driven platform to foster collaboration before, during and after catastrophic events.

Jim Abraham, Director, Canadian Climate Forum and President of Climaction Services Ltd reprises his role as C4 2018 Emcee.

C4 is geared towards:

• Industry executives, including the Canadian Insurance & Reinsurance Industries, as well as other sectors impacted by catastrophic events
• The academic and professional community conducting research related to natural or man-made catastrophes, engineering, and emergency management
• All levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) tasked with preparedness and resiliency from catastrophes
• Policy makers and risk managers

The full program is now available online at www.catiq.com/c4 featuring over 36 outstanding speakers from industry, academia and government. C4 2018 sessions centre around three main themes: Catastrophes (An Overview), Strategies and Tools in Catastrophes Management and Sector Perspectives. Additionally, attendees will hear from keynote luncheon speaker: Maryam Golnaraghi, Director, Extreme Events & Climate Risk, Geneva Association

Sessions include:

• INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP: Canadian Disaster Mitigation Workshop
• 2017 CATs in Review
• Flood Risk Management All Over the Map: Bringing Some Cohesion
• Public Communication in Times of Crisis
• East vs. West – Understanding Macro-Economic Impacts of Earthquakes
• Lessons from Emergency Management Plans
• Building Back Better
• Coping with Canada’s Hottest Peril – Wildfire
• Ensuring the Viability of The Alberta Property Insurance Market
• Democratizing and Improving CAT and Hazard Models

Delegates who register before November 30th receive a discount of $100 and an additional $100 discount if three or more delegates from the same company register. Additionally, C4 2018 features a discounted Academic Rate available to students and professors at Academic Institutions.

Current partnerships include:

• Platinum Sponsors: IBC and CRU Group
• Gold Sponsor: Aon Benfield
• Silver Sponsors: Guy Carpenter, Swiss Re and RMS
• Community Partners: CWRA, Canadian Climate Forum, ICLR, CMOS, Conservation Ontario, ICLEI, Ouranos, Partners for Action & Toronto and Region Conservation

To register, visit www.catiq.com/c4, and obtain more conference information overall and information on partnerships.

C4 2018 Advisory Committee Members:

• Jim Abraham, Director, Canadian Climate Forum
• Heather Auld , Principal Climate Scientist, Risk Sciences International, Inc
• Nathalie Bleau, Coordinator, Built Environment Program, Ouranos
• Matthew Godsoe , Manager, Research Unit, Public Safety Canada
• Balz Grollimund , Head Treaty Underwriting, Swiss Re
• Stacey Johnson, Reinsurance Specialist, Wawanesa Mutual Insurance
• Glenn McGillivray , Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
• David McGown, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, IBC
• Megan Meaney, Director, ICLEI Canada
• Shawna Peddle , Director, Partners for Action, University of Waterloo
• Anne Ruel, Senior Actuarial Advisory, Risk Management, Desjardins General Insurance Group
• Sean Russell , Managing Director, Guy Carpenter
• Jason Thistlethwaite , Assistant Professor, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, University of Waterloo
• Laura Twidle , Director of Catastrophic Loss Analysis, CatIQ Inc.
• Pat Van Bakel, President & CEO, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Rebecca Wagner, Associate Director, Prediction Services Operations – Central Region, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Kyle Winston , President, CRU Group Inc.

Toronto (May 12, 2017) – CatIQ’s Canadian Catastrophe Conference (C4 2018) issues a call for topics to help shape the agenda for the third annual conference. Responses are being collected via an online survey. The aim of C4 is to facilitate content-driven discussions to help foster collaboration before, during and after catastrophic events. C4 2017, which took place last February, brought together a very diverse crowd of catastrophe experts and stakeholders from industry, government and academia; proceedings for the conference have been made available online for more information.

The community of experienced, passionate and forward-thinking delegates who attend C4 have offered guidance and presented many suggestions over the past two years. Canadians are not strangers to catastrophic events but the frequency and severity of these events is increasing and the current risk management efforts are no longer working.

The newly convened C4 2018 Steering Committee strongly believes that a multi-level stakeholder discussion on better flood mitigation and forecasting is not only needed but is essential! Last year, wildfire was the topic of conversation but the current flooding situations across Canada in B.C., Ontario, Quebec and in the Atlantic Canada highlight the obvious need for collaboration and discussions specific to flooding. Most catastrophic events are discrete, localized occurrences but floods are an issue that impact every province and territory in Canada. In an ideal world, a catastrophic flooding event occurs and a homeowner would be assisted, but whose responsibility is it to assist them?

“Property owners deserve to know what a flood could mean for their families and homes to be empowered to act,” said Shawna Peddle, Director of Partners for Action, based in Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment. “Governments and stakeholders, such as realtors and insurers, must meet homeowner demand for more information.”

Although there will be a strong focus on flooding, the C4 2018 Steering Committee would like to get additional feedback on specific topics of interest under the general themes of:

1. Natural & Man-Made Catastrophes
2. Catastrophe Response, Communication & Mitigation
3. Data, Technology & Standards
4. Additional Perspective & Impacts

Those interested in providing feedback and topic suggestions are invited to complete the brief survey by May 26, 2017: C4 2018 Call for Topics Survey

C4 2018 will take place January 31- February 2, 2018 at the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau-Ottawa. Organizers will be working hard over the next several months to finalize the conference program and open registration in September. To learn more and view archived information, such as past conference proceedings, photos and agendas, visit: www.catiq.com/c4.

C4 2018 is being organized by a Steering Committee of subject matter experts including:

• Jim Abraham Director, Canadian Climate Forum & C4 2018 Emcee
• Balz Grollimund Head Treaty Underwriting, Swiss Reinsurance Company
• Megan Meaney Director, ICLEI Canada
• Anne Ruel Senior Actuarial Advisor, Risk Management, Desjardins General Insurance Group
• Pat Van Bakel President & CEO, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Nathalie Bleau Coordinator, Built Environment Program, Ouranos
• Stacey Johnson Reinsurance Specialist, Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
• Shawna Peddle Director, Partners for Action, University of Waterloo
• Sean Russell Managing Director, Guy Carpenter & Company
• Rebecca Wagner Associate Director, Prediction Services Operations – Central Region, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Matthew Godsoe Manager, Research Unit, Public Safety Canada
• Glenn McGillivray Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
• Carolyn Rennie Managing Director, CatIQ
• Jason Thistlethwaite Assistant Professor, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, University of Waterloo
• Kyle Winston President, CRU Group Inc.

Toronto (May 11, 2016) – Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) is pleased to announce that after a very successful inaugural conference in 2016, CatIQ’s Canadian Catastrophe Conference (C4) will be returning as an annual event. The goal of the conference remains the same, to bring together Industry, Academia, and all levels of Government to discuss natural and man-made catastrophes.

Taking into account the feedback received from delegates, there will be improvements made to ensure that the conference can continue to provide engaging sessions, speakers and a diverse crowd with multiple networking and learning opportunities. Breakout sessions and workshops at C4 2017 will provide delegates with further engagement and discussion on key topics of interest.

The recent devastating wildfire in Fort McMurray has highlighted the need to discuss strategies and preparation before, during and after a catastrophic event. The resiliency, strength and courage of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the Alberta Government, the public, and the insurance industry have reframed our discussions at work, at home, and here at C4.

In order to create a dynamic conference which touches upon topics of most interest to past and prospective delegates, CatIQ is providing an Open Call for Topic Suggestions.

Overall themes for C4 2017 will include:

1. Natural & Man-Made Catastrophes
2. Catastrophe Response & Communication
3. Data, Technology & Standards
4. Additional Perspective & Impacts

Past participants and those with interest in attending C4 2017 are invited to share their opinions on Topic Suggestions using the following survey link: Call for Topic Suggestions Survey no later than June 3, 2016.

Additionally, topic suggestions and additional feedback can be sent directly to CatIQ’s Managing Director, carolyn.rennie@catiq.com.

C4 2016 Emcee Glenn Gibson, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be returning again for C4 2017. Feedback from delegates included his positive energy, the very interesting relation of football to Catastrophe Management, updates on Groundhog Day forecasts and the creation of the “Best Sock” competition for speakers.

2017 Steering Committee

• Jim Abraham Director, Canadian Climate Forum
• Paul Cutbush SVP Catastrophe Management, Aon Benfield Analytics
• Paul Kovacs President & CEO, PACICC and Executive Director, ICLR
• Shawna Peddle Director, Partners for Action (P4A), University of Waterloo
• Pat Van Bakel President & CEO, Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
• Nathalie Bleau Coordinator, the Built Environment Program, Ouranos
• Glenn Gibson President & CEO, The GTG Group
• Megan Meaney Canadian Director, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
• Carolyn Rennie Managing Director, CatIQ
• Rebecca Wagner Manager, Prediction Services Operations – Central Region, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change
• Claudette Cantin SVP, Chief Risk Officer, Munich Re of Canada
• Steve Johnston Director, Reinsurance The Co-operators Group
• Mazdak Moini VP Commercial Lines & Reinsurance, Aviva Canada Inc.
• Jason Thistlethwaite Director, Climate Change Adaptation Project Canada,
  University of Waterloo
• Kyle Winston President, Catastrophe Response Unit (CRU) Group Inc.

C4 2017 will take place on February 1-3, 2017 at the Allstream Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The full conference program will be released and registration will open in September. Additionally, CatIQ will also continue the C4 2017 Student Delegate Program which will award five students with the opportunity to share their research related to natural & man-made catastrophes at the conference.