Industry Expertise

Shelley Khan, Vice President, Claims Legal Counsel, Litigation and Special Risks at Desjardins Group shines a spotlight on advances in technology that are enabling better fraud detection and prevention. Desjardins Group is the largest cooperative financial group in North America and has been named one of Canada's Best Employers by Forbes Magazine and Mediacorp.

Équité and the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC), Ontario’s motor vehicle regulator, have collaborated on this article to look at who is stealing these vehicles, why they are being stolen, and where they are ending up. This awareness will help drivers and car buyers understand scams and how to avoid becoming a victim.

Elliott Silverstein, Director, Government Relations at CAA Insurance brings focus to the auto theft crisis in Canada and shares how they are working to protect clients and the communities they live in. The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), established in 1903, has a long history of advocating for its members. CAA insurance was the first to offer a discount for using winter tires and introduced CAA MyPace, Canada’s first pay-as-you-go auto insurance program.

Chris Vinall, Senior Leader, SIU & Triage, Verify Fraud and Financial Crime Investigative Services at Aviva Canada, shares insights into the trending fraud of staged collisions and how technology has been a game-changer when working to identify fraud and protect customers and communities. Aviva Canada is the second largest property and casualty insurance group in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.5 million customers.

Etienne Berlinguet, Senior Vice President of Claims Canada at Intact, shares insights around emerging fraud trends and working to keep their customers and communities safe. Intact Insurance is Canada's largest home, auto and business insurance company, with over four million customers.

Équité Association and the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) are both committed to protecting Canadians on behalf of the insurance industry. This is why we are collaborating to increase public awareness about the seriousness of insurance fraud and how ghost brokers facilitate that fraud.

When it comes to insurance crime, Équité Association investigators and data analysts are aware that identity (ID) theft is used to perform deeply complex insurance scams, and may be connected back to organized crime networks. ID theft starts when a criminal purposefully gains access to the victim’s personal information – stealing physical documents or tricking victims into divulging personal information through various schemes, such as phone scams or deceptive online ads.

Équité Association is pleased to announce the appointment of two exceptional leaders to its Board of Directors: Geneviève Fortier and Suzanne Courtlander.

As the national authority on insurance crime and fraud prevention, Équité Association is a not-for-profit organization, supporting Property and Casualty (P&C) insurers in Canada to fight fraud by using advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and coordinated investigations. At Équité, we recognize that the cornerstone of our collective success is rooted in our unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of our members to meaningfully reduce insurance crime. In 2023, our continued commitment to deliver value to our member insurers while protecting Canadians against insurance crimes drove the following notable successes.

Équité Association was born out of social purpose, understanding that insurance crimes disproportionately affect the most disenfranchised and marginalized communities.