The Weekly Wrap - May 1, 2014

Flood mitigation and prevention projects in southern Alberta could take years before the work is completed.

Risk Management News

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Flood mitigation projects will take years
Although the Alberta government has narrowed down the flood-prevention projects it will fund after last year’s devastating floods, Environment Minister Robin Campbell concedes it will be years before all the work is completed.

"I think we'll be very efficient on our timelines moving forward but again there're a lot of decisions that have to be made,” Campbell told reporters. “It's going to involve three levels of government and we want to make sure we get it right.”

The province has set aside $600 million over the next three years to pay for the highest-priority mitigation projects.

Alberta plans to move forward with preliminary designs, environmental reviews and community consultations on two water diversion and storage projects.

Initial approval has been given for an off-stream storage site west of Calgary that would divert and store water from the Elbow during flood conditions. A dry dam at the confluence of McLean Creek and the Elbow River would provide protection for the communities of Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows and Calgary.

A southern diversion on the Highwood River will direct flood water around the town of High River and provide options to store water that could be used for irrigation.

High River was the hardest hit area when torrential downpours dumped 350 millimetres of rain over a two-day period last June. The rain hammered Calgary and communities as far away as the Rocky Mountains to the west and Medicine Hat in the east.

The city of Calgary is still studying the merits of an underground diversion channel to take water from the Glenmore Reservoir to the Bow River. A feasibility study is expected at the end of June.


IBAO encourages fundraising for OSAID
Donation boxes will be appearing on checkout counters at more than 635 LCBO stores throughout Ontario, and the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario is asking everyone to do their part to help reduce impaired driving. (continued.)
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The boxes are in association with the Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID), and organization that has enjoyed a partnership of more than a decade with the IBAO.

“It is so important to spread the word across the province to students about the severe risks associated with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” says IBAO CEO Randy Carroll. “Through fundraising opportunities like this, OSAID can continue to tour schools and inform our children of these risks. You could possibly save a life by simply donating your extra change.”

The campaign runs until May 24.

OSAID is a longstanding student leadership program with over 300 chapters in high schools throughout Ontario. OSAID hosts events and activities that encourage students to make smart, sober choices to reduce driver risk and injury in the province of Ontario.

“Impaired driving is still the number one killer of teens,” said Matt Evans, Executive Director of OSAID. “It is estimated that every weekend, on average, 123 teens are killed or injured in traffic vehicle collisions. Support from organizations such as LCBO and IBAO are essential for our program to continue educating Ontario teens about the dangers of driving while impaired.”


Find out what your clients really want
Members of the Insurance Brokers Association of Hamilton will get a chance to learn how to build better client relationships on May 14.

Joe Micallef, the CEO of FIRST Insurance Funding of Canada, will be sharing his tactics on client retention factors, and what clients really want. The topic, ‘The Value of Building Better Client Relationships,’ promises to show yow brokers can enhance their value proposition to current and potential clients. As CEO of FIRST Canada, Micallef has over 20 years of global business banking experience.

The luncheon – for IBAH members only – will be held at the Waterfront Centre in Hamilton, Ont.

 

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