TD Insurance establishes climate change advisory board

With the goal of better addressing the issue of climate change, TD Insurance has created an Advisory Board on Climate Change – a first for the Canadian insurance industry.

The board will be comprised of experts from Engineers Canada, as well as from five leading Canadian universities with expertise in fields related to climate change, severe weather, and its effects on people and the planet, a release said.

Board members include:

• Dr. Wiktor (Vic) Adamowicz, Professor, Vice Dean, Agriculture Life and Environmental Sciences, Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta
• Dr. Eric Kennedy, Assistant Professor, Disaster and Emergency Management Program, York University
• David Lapp, P.Eng., Manager, Globalization and Sustainable Development, Engineers Canada
• Dr. Damon Matthews, Professor and Concordia Research Chair in Climate Science and Sustainability, Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University
• Dr. Heather McShane, Program Director and Catalyst-in-Chief, McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative, McGill University
• Dr. Walter Mérida, Associate Dean, Research and Industrial Partnerships, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia
• Dr. Peter Ricketts, President, Acadia University

The Advisory Board, together with TD Insurance executives, assembled March 28 for the group’s inaugural meeting.

“Our employees, customers, and partners have increasing expectations that the corporations they deal with are at the very least active, if not leaders, on issues that are of importance to them,” said TD Insurance executive vice-president Kenn Lalonde. “TD’s environmental leadership is a source of pride and we are building on this great legacy to inspire confidence in our future for our customers, our colleagues, and our communities.”

A release from TD Insurance said that Canada last year saw $1.9 billion in insured damage from severe weather.

Lalonde commented that TD Insurance has “an incredible opportunity . . . and responsibility” to take action to address how to better protect and insure Canadians, as well as to better support the insurance industry as severe weather events continue to increase in frequency and severity.