by Lyle Adriano
Bad news, brokers: The Edmonton Catholic School District and the Calgary Catholic School District have announced they will cancel all plans for international field trips in light of the terrorist attacks grabbing headlines in Europe and closer to home.
The Edmonton Catholic School District had 20 trips planned from between December 7 and the end of May. Each has been relegated to the dustbin along with the opportunity for coverage they represent to both commercial brokers but also those selling individual travel policies. The fear is those two school boards are only the first in a long line of educational institutions prepared to yank plans for international travel.
That kind of trend would have an immediate impact on the surprising number of brokers with schools, both public and private, on their client books. Traditionally, the winter and spring terms are prime selling seasons for institutional and private travel insurance coverage.
The obvious culprit is the shooting in San Bernadino, but the school officials are also citing cautionary noises coming from the insurance industry itself.
“"With recent events in Paris and California, and heightened concerns in other cities, we feel it best to limit our travels to within Canada for the remainder of this school year," the board announced in a statement,” Lori Nagy, a board spokesperson for the Edmonton Catholic School District, told the CBC, pointing to consultation with the insurance program of the Alberta School Boards Association..
Plans for international trips for the next school year will be made at a future date.
