b'INSURANCEBUSINESS INTERRUPTION INSURANCE What sewer and watermain contractors need to knowBY BEV CLINES ewer and watermaininsurance policies right now arent contractors haveresponding because insurers are played a vital role instating there is no physical damage keeping our waste- to tangible property from the virus water and stormwateritself; but we have told our clients systems intact for us,that if you feel that your business especially during thesewas affected by COVID-19 and you challenging months of COVID-19,have business interruption coverage says Eric Osborne, President &and you feel that there is a claim CEO, Jones DesLauriers Insuranceyou should send it in to us. Management Inc. (JDIMI), a leading insurance and riskOsborne says thats because the management firm. JDIMI, a divi- issue of whether COVID-19 can sion of Navacord, is headquarteredtrigger business interruption in Mississauga with locationsinsurance is being tested in courts across the GTA, Eastern Ontarioin some countries, including and Quebec. These contrac- Canada, and is therefore an tors have been on the front lineevolving situation. continuing to do their work. ERIC OSBORNE, PRESIDENT & CEO,JONES DESLAURIERS INSURANCEIn the U.K. for example, a high Still, it has been a challengingMANAGEMENT INC. (JDIMI) court looked at the wording time. As construction sites shutfrom different insurers and the down last spring due to thedecision came back that in some cases there should coronavirusand, looking ahead to the possibilitybe coverage because there is some ambiguity in the that they could be shut in the futureits incumbentwording. Now obviously that ruling is being chal-on sewer and watermain contractors to review theirlenged and this is going to be in the courts for some insurance coverage. time, says Osborne. However, he says, legal decisions In fact, during the shutdown some contractors foundin other countries will not necessarily have an effect that, even given government-mandated closures duein Canada regarding Canadian claims. to COVID-19, the insurance they had purchased didLooking ahead, Osborne thinks we will see some not, or potentially did not, cover some scenarios.insurance companies that are creative and feel they One such area was business interruption (BI) insur- can underwrite and price pandemic-related products ance. Business interruption insurance is designedcorrectly. So, I expect pandemic-related products to primarily to cover losses due to property damage. Inbecome available in the future.most policies, for the coverage to take effect there needs to be physical damage, generally interpretedOTHER BI INSURANCE CONSIDERATIONSto be, as examples, flood or fire, or water, and inOsborne suggests sewer and watermain contractors some policies there is an exclusion that disease doestalk to their brokers about their overall business not constitute physical damage, says Osborne. interruption insurance, as there can be areas where Still, Osborne says his company is advising clientscoverage needs to be expanded or added.who feel they have a COVID-19 business interrup- These include: tion-related claim to send their claim in to JDIMI; the company has even set up an email COVID-19 hotline where JDIMI has their Claims ManagersBUSINESS INTERRUPTION AND EXTRA assigned to triage claims to the various insurersEXPENSE COVERAGE: With respect to business and keep clients apprised as to whats happeninginterruption insurance, contractors should consider regarding COVID-19 business interruption policyextra expense coverage. This coverage is usually on claims. Technically the business interruptionmost business interruption policies but sometimes the 24 H 2 OSWCAFall 2020'