Industry Expertise

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada – a day where we honour the survivors and those who never returned home from residential schools, as well as their families and communities. As an organization whose values are centered around social justice, Équité Association will be devoting this day to learning more about Indigenous history in Canada, treaties, land claims, and the heart-breaking residential school system.

It is estimated that, each year, thefts of cargo alone cost the Canadian economy several billions of dollars. In fact, Équité Association recovered $16.8M worth of stolen cargo last year alone through its cargo program, the highest amount to date. “We're on track to break records in all categories for theft,” says Wayne Hummel, a cargo and auto theft investigator with Équité. More than half of Canada’s cargo thefts occur in Ontario – Mississauga and Brampton have some of the highest losses for North America.

Équité Association is pleased to announce our first Annual General Meeting (AGM),which will be held online on June 23. This pivotal event is an important opportunity for us to engage with members, hear from Équité’s esteemed Board Chair, Jason Storah, CEO of Aviva Canada, and a very special guest, Ben Fletcher, Chief Customer Officer, MIB and Executive Director, from the Insurance Fraud Bureau in the United Kingdom.

At Équité Association, social justice is foundational in all that we do. We are committed to improving the lives of all Canadians, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression. Equality is not only implied in our name, we have integrated it into the very fabric of our organization, our culture, and our business practices.

Last week, Équité Association presented the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) each with a plaque to commemorate the record-breaking year between the tri-party partnership. Over 1,000 stolen vehicles, valued at more than $40 million, were recovered from the Port of Montreal in 2021.

Auto theft is a persistent problem across Canada. In the first quarter of 2022, the number of reported vehicle thefts in Ontario has increased 41 %, according to Canadian Police Information Centre. It’s a complex problem, and one that requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to solve. Perhaps no one understands this better than Mike Keizerwaard, Auto Theft Investigator with Équité Association.

As the Canadian insurance industry’s new, independent, national organization dedicated to reducing and preventing insurance crime and its impacts on honest, hardworking Canadians, Équité Association is examining several of the alarming fraud trends you and our members are facing.

Équité Association went to market in October 2021 and our Investigative Services division brought over 100 years of proven investigative acumen along. Insurance fraud is as old as insurance itself and, along with other industries, fraud has evolved with major technological and societal trends. With so many organized crime and violent criminals committing insurance fraud schemes, the industry responded by creating a new organization with the ability to use advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and coordinated investigations. You can read about some of our latest accomplishments here. Équité is new but we come with deep experience and a mandate to help.

At the Global Fraud Summit on November 15, a new report was issued by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, created with their partners, IBM and Luxoft.

It takes a community to fight fraud and law enforcement professionals need as much information as possible to solve and prevent crimes. At Équité Association, we appreciate tips from the public to help us share insurance fraud information with our investigation partners and help find trends to detect criminal activity.