In 2018, more than 1.4 million Canadians were employed in construction trades and professions and their combined work was worth $241 billion a year, according to BuildForce Canada (1). In this diverse industry, contract workers may be involved in construction, renovation, maintenance, plumbing, or landscaping - or a combination of those jobs, depending on the project and type of contractor. In each case, contractors are often required to remediate and haul hazardous materials.

Unforeseen circumstances can put strain on resources in any industry, and the demands created by COVID-19 have put the security industry under considerable pressure.

New threats from the rapid changes in the media/multimedia industry are outpacing traditional insurance policies. In this market, coverage needs are constantly shifting as new trends emerge; meanwhile, Canadian rules and regulations struggle to keep up.

In December of last year, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the forest-product company Resolute was liable for damages from a mercury-contaminated waste disposal site near Ontario’s Grassy Narrows First Nation. A pulp-and-paper facility dumped toxic materials from chemical processing into the waste disposal site, which contaminated the nearby river system in the 1960s. And though the property had changed ownership several times over the last six decades, the federal government denied Resolute’s bid for indemnity and held the company liable for covering the costs of maintaining the disposal site. (1)

By the end of 2019, there were 2,283 licensed private investigators in Ontario, according to stats from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, (1) and over 70,000 working in Canada.

Collection agencies are establishments that exist for the sole purpose of collecting overdue payments for claims and remitting these payments to their clients. The agency essentially takes over the responsibility of contacting the debtor to make, or enforce, payment arrangements.