NICC Golf Tournament at the Club de golf Hautes Plaines,
(Tournament begins at 11:00 A.M) Golf registration required.

Conference Registration Opens 4:00 pm
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Cocktail Reception

In these volatile economic times, the NICC is delighted to open its 2008 conference with one of Canada’s most respected economists, Don Drummond.Don will share his perspective on where the economy and financial markets are headed. His analysis will cover the interlinked economies of Canada, the US, the EU and Asia.

An update from OSFI on issues of importance to Canadian insurers and their partners. Julie Dickson will respond to questions at the end of her presentation.

Michael Donoghue will tap into talent and expertise from around the world as he delivers a luncheon address on the p&c insurance industry’s leadership role in Adapting to Climate Change. Mr. Donoghue’s remarks will focus on challenges faced by all stakeholders who must adapt to severe weather events on the horizon and he will include, “via-satellite”, input from internationally-accepted experts on this file.

Soft markets? Economic slowdown? Over-capacity? Cat Exposures? What’s areinsurer to do? What can primary companies expect? This panel of global reinsurance leaders will assess issues affecting the world’s reinsurance market, cycle management and their expectations in advance of the upcoming 2009 renewal season.

This panel will discuss the concerns of the sophisticated corporate insurance buyer. Including service, pricing, stability and risk transfer alternatives.

This panel of leading actuaries will debate auto pricing and reserving issues across Canada, including the Bill 198 review in Ontario, challenges in Alberta regime, FA repopulation and developments in eastern Canada.

Recent changes to Part XIII of the ICA mean that OSFI’s regulatory focus will shift to the location of the insurance transaction rather than the location of the underlying risk. If the ‘insurance’ is carried out in Canada, it will come under OSFI’s purview. If, on the other hand, the ‘insurance’ is carried out outside Canada, OSFI won’t regulate it – even if the risk resides in this country. The presenters will outline developments in interpretations and address issues that are arising as companies adjust to the complexities of this new regime which will come into effect in 2010. Q&A will follow the presentation.

Cocktail Reception sponsored by Standard & Poor’s
Gala Dinner sponsored by Guy Carpenter
Dinner Wine sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers
Entertainment sponsored by Guidewire Software Inc.

There is an ongoing argument between those who seek expanded latitude for litigation in the context of insurance claims and those who strive to limit tort access to prescribed circumstances. The arguments for the former centre on civil liberties, the freedom to seek appropriate compensation for injury and the ability to economically fund legal action. The latter assert that without tort restrictions, the court system would be further exposed to abuse. Moreover, claim costs would skyrocket, destabilizing the industry, driving costsup and enriching trial lawyers in the process. There’s no question that the debate will be vigorous.

The Canadian distribution landscape is currently in flux. While most personal lines insurance is still sourced through the broker channel, direct writers and agency writers are making inroads. In addition, some companies are actively involved in acquiring brokers and converting them to semi-direct agents. While the battles rage on here in Canada, the members of NICC’s advisory committee believed that delegates to the conference would benefit from a review of global trends in distribution. No one is better qualified to deliver this perspective than Nic de Maesschalck, Director of the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries (WFII).

In this session, the panelists will review the current commercial lines underwriting and claims landscape and provide an assessment of what industry participants can expect as the cycle plays out into 2009 and 2010.

Market forces are driving insurers to offer Guaranteed Replacement Cost (GRC) coverage on habitational risks. However, in many cases, whether due to intense competition or inattention, insured dwellings are underwritten well below their true replacement values. The consequences of this practice are amplified further in regions prone to skyrocketing reconstruction costs such as Alberta and B.C. This eminent panel will analyze the issues from various perspectives. Q&A will follow.

Andrew Coyne is National Editor of Maclean’s magazine. A frequent commentator on television and radio, he is seen regularly on CBC’s The National, and was a co-host of the CBC public affairs show Face-Off.
He is the winner of two National Newspaper Awards and the Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism. Andrew will share his views on the volatile Canadian and U.S. political scenes.

The 2008 NICC will close with a panel of regulators from Canada’s most populous provinces. Claude Dussault and the panelists will discuss the main issues affecting consumers, insurers and brokers in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Areas of discussion will include the review of Bill 198 in Ontario, initial findings from the HCAI system, the challenges to Alberta’s auto regime and market conduct/distribution issues in all three jurisdictions. Q&A will follow time-permitting.

Conference concludes 3:15PM