Canada Insurance Law Review

Four corners of the Cyber legal regime

In Canada, several federal and provincial laws and regulations govern cybersecurity and data protection, each addressing a particular issue. Due to its complex nature, businesses should ensure they understand what legislation applies to them and identify what their obligations are under the applicable legislation, as failure to comply can result in significant financial and reputational harm. By understanding this governing framework, organizations can be proactive and implement the necessary procedures to ensure they properly protect their business and clients. This article will provide a brief overview of the relevant statutes, regulations and case law relating to data protection and cybersecurity.

This article is authored by Ephraim Stulberg for MDD Forensic Accountants.

Introduction

Mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) can be a double-edged sword. When done right, M&A can allow acquirers to scale their businesses and create value through synergies. When done poorly, M&A can result in drastic overpayments for assets that are not nearly as valuable as believed and for economies of scale that are very difficult to achieve.

One of the main risks in M&A is information asymmetry: simply put, the vendor knows much more about its business than the acquirer. While the acquirer is able to perform due diligence, time pressures to close the deal mean that this process can sometimes be imperfect; issues are sometimes missed.  This is where Representations and Warranties (R&W) insurance can come into play.

In the recent decision, Tokio Marine & Nichido Insurance Company v. Security National Insurance Company, 2019 ABQB 622, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench (the “Court”) heard an appeal of a Master’s of an application for an order declaring that another insurer had a duty to defend a motorist involved in an accident. This is an important decision for insurers as it provides an examination of a unique factual scenario where there was overlapping insurance coverage.

The Facts

On June 4, 2016, Ms. Sran drove a vehicle owned by Mr. Gill (the “Gill Vehicle”), to an Acura dealership in Calgary, Alberta (the “Dealership”), for servicing.

The provincial government of Ontario has chosen an insurance industry executive as one of four people who will be posted overseas to attract investment and grow international trade.

Taylor Shields, currently assistant vice president for marketing at Chubb, will be sent to London as an agents-general to help create opportunities for Ontario companies and close investment deals. Her appointment is for a period of three years and carries a salary of $185,000.

Read more: Ontario government provides Ottawa with $1.5 million in tornado assistance funding

An agents-general serves as Ontario’s primary international representative in their locations, working with the province’s existing network of 14 trade and investment offices.

In the 2006 case Childs v. Desormeaux, the Supreme Court of Canadaprovided initial clarification on the law of social host liability, finding that hosting a party at which alcohol is served does not, without more, establish the degree of proximity required to give rise to a duty of care. However, Childs v. Desormeaux left open the possibility of a positive duty of care in a number of scenarios, including cases of “paternalistic relationships of supervision and control, such as those of parent-child or teacher-student” (at para 36). It is a live question of concern to insurers and hosts alike to determine how far such a duty might extend.