Volume 52, Number 2, 1984

EN:

Mr. Yves Brouillette looks at how well the Quebec Régie d’assurance automobile has carried out the tasks defined in the no-fault legislation. He notes that private enterprise might well have produced the same results, but on the whole the new system has been beneficial, even if the management costs have been considerably above those forecast. The Régie has been able to take advantage of an unusual situation in the field of automobile insurance, resulting from a substantial decrease in the number of accidents together with high investment returns. According to the author, on the whole the automobile insurance reform has given a positive result.

EN:

Mr. Paul Noiseux looks at the qualities required by a manager. He considers in particular a firm of chartered accountants. The qualities he describes are, in general, needed by any commercial enterprise hoping to improve its situation and avoid stagnation or decline. For this, managers need to be intelligent and dynamic, and develop in particular efficiency, aggressivity and a high quality of service. The author is well placed to discuss this subject, in view of the large volume of business handled by his firm, in Canada and abroad.

FR:

Dans son article, M. Angus H. Ross traite de la Bourse des assurances dont il est question à Toronto, c’est-à-dire The Ontario Insurance Exchange. Sa conclusion est intéressante. Il se dit que l’industrie de l’assurance, déjà encombrée, risquerait de l’être davantage, même si l’on doit admettre que le nouvel organisme rendrait service. Pour en arriver à une conclusion définitive, il faudra avoir plus de détails. Pour l’instant, il faut s’en tenir au texte présenté par la Commission chargée d’étudier le problème et les solutions.

EN:

It is still difficult to say exactly what measures should be taken to prevent computer theft. Mr. Yves Giard's article indicates that a complete solution is very far away. Much more research on computer information will be needed, and solutions will probably emerge gradually, as we become more familiar with computer operations. For the moment, we can only discuss general ideas, and trust to luck, rather than science, to prevent theft or information leaks, or at least to detect them when they reach a certain scale. Currently, we have the impression of being, if not totally disarmed, at least with very little power of control over the numerous problems that can arise in the field of computer security. The author gives some ideas of accounting practices which are used in certain cases.

EN:

Mr. Dumais considers the importance of advising insurers of possible professional liability insurance claims. The policy is quite precise on this question: if the insured does not wish to lose his rights of indemnity, he must advise his broker, who in turn will give notice to the insurer of the possibility or probability of a claim. It is not up to the insured to judge whether notice is necessary or not. If there is the least doubt, he must inform his broker, who will act on his behalf to give details to the insurer.

EN:

The notary of today possesses the same legal education as a lawyer, except that after obtaining his diploma, the notary is offered specialized courses. A wide variety of refresher courses are currently being offered to notaries and are designed to keep them abreast of their profession. It is interesting to compare the present-day notary to his counterpart of yesterday, namely, the notary of the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century who obtained the right to exercise his profession by forwarding a request to the Governor General seconded by three eminent citizens.

EN:

The author looks at patient's psychology in Quebec hospitals. There was a time when it was rare for a physician to be sued, and even rarer for action to be taken against a hospital. Mr. Douville believes that claims by dissatisfied patients will be more and more common, both against the doctors and the hospitals, and possibly against both together. He considers the situation in England, France and the U.S.A., and concludes that we will not be able to avoid for long the tendancy of certain people to claim, unless they have been convinced that the best knowledge and methods were used. We have already had several articles on the question of liability itself. This time, we have the view of a hospital manager who sees, in his hospital and in others, the gradual rise of claims for indemnity, both justified and unjustified.

EN:

To respond to concerns Canadians have about the uncertainty of future mortgage costs, the last Federal Budget proposed different measures to give protection to homeowners and prospective home buyers; one of them is entitled the Mortgage Rate Protection Program (MRPP). This program will give an opportunity to purchase protection against sharp increases in mortgage rate. The author comments on the eligibility of homeowners, on the type of residence admissible, on the cost of protection, on the renewal, on the transfer possibility and describes how it will work and how long will the program apply.

EN:

A research team set up by the Chaire en Assurance of Laval University has produced a paper on an unusual subject. With the permission of those concerned, here is the text with its conclusions: "Word of mouth publicity seems still to be the best way to convince someone to take out life insurance. However, the professional competence and training of salesmen are essential, not only because it is the salesmen who are the ultimate influence on a decision, but more especially because a satisfied client is a fine advertisement. The effect of formal advertising is still very limited. Possibly it is badly directed and, rather than mention the risk of disease or accident, stress should be put on the professional training of the agents and the importance of financial planning".