Case Insurance Brokers Inc.
336 Millwood Road M4S1K1 Toronto, ON, Canada

Pop Quiz: Cyber Crime Threat or Legitimate Employment Request? I received an email this morning with a Resume and another Doc attached. Before opening the Word Docs I did a LinkedIn Search to see if this was a real person. I found a profile with no photo, 6000+ contacts, 5 jobs and a 2010 Grad. Real or Not Real? Please comment and I will share the results and what is really going on here.

Happy Hallowe'en. Take care and stay safe wherever you are this evening. Best to all from the Case Insurance Team - Chris, Sarah and Scott.

Happy August Long Weekend. Welcome to my "Remote Workspace". Back to my Home Office on Tuesday. In case of Emergency, email, call, text or FB msg. Take care and stay safe.

Happy August Long Weekend. Welcome to my "Remote Workspace". Back to my Home Office on Tuesday. In case of Emergency, email, call, text or FB msg. Take care and stay safe.

Risk Management at Home - Tip # 1 Do not leave your car keys near your front door... unless you want your vehicle to get stolen. This happened to a client of mine at 6 AM in mid-April from her home in Toronto. Luckily, she got her car back when an Airport Customs Officials inspected a Container bound for Africa which included her vehicle and 7 others just like it! I think her next purchase was a Lottery Ticket. Please watch your tech!

On Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting BNI Business Connection One's Charity of Choice and my wonderful client, U for Change Movement. They provide an amazing Arts-based Program in Fashion, Photography, Dance and DJ Arts. I have met a number of the young people participating in the Program and have left impressed with the skills U for Change is helping them to develop. I will be providing support to U for Change today, and I hope you will too.

Landlords, Tenants and Small Business Relief... Thank you Ottawa for listening and supporting Small Businesses with: - Canada Emergency Business Account up to $25 B available for Interest-free Loans... - 75% Wage Subsidy and GST/HST Payment Deferrals - Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Loan and Guarantee program that will provide up to $40 billion for companies who need more support I am sure you will be busy this weekend, ironing out the details for release on Monday! TENANTS and LANDLORDS: One question and two sides of the coin. Tenant - what if I can't pay my rent? Landlord - what if my Tenant can't pay their rent? TENANTS: determine what you CAN pay and communicate this to your Landlord. It is not an all or nothing game. Landlords I have spoken with are understanding and willing to be flexible; to a point. Remember, Landlords are also under pressure and have to deal with Mortgage Payments, Property Taxes, Maintenance and and other obligations that have limited flexibility. LANDLORDS: understand that Tenants DO want to pay their rent, they are just not sure how they are going to do it. Federal Government support will not come in time to help rent on April 1st. My recommendation to Landlords is to speak with their Banks and Suppliers and others to see what flexibility can be provided. If they are granted any concessions, see how you can pass that along to your Tenants where possible. Both side should be aware that COVID-19 is not going to be a "free ride" for anyone. If the costs cannot be paid today, they will be paid in the future, so the more you can do now, the better you off will be later. Here is the latest Media Release dated March 27th from the Prime Minister's Office regarding the NEW Support for Small Businesses.

To all of my Clients,Associates and Friends in the Music, New Media and Event industries. Please see this important announcement from Ontario Creates to Industry Stakeholders regarding a COVID-19 Response Plan. If you require support from a Risk Management or Insurance perspective, Case Insurance Brokers Inc. is open for business and available to assist you.

Carfty Tip of the Day: Becoming Wise in the Use of All Resources For any of you that spent time as a Scout in Canada as an 11-14 year old, you may recall this phrase as part of the Scout Promise: A Scout is: Helpful and trustworthy, Kind and cheerful, Considerate and clean, Wise in the use of all resources.... Given a COVID19 World, I believe this is a very good and positive message to share. All of it! Thank you BP. If you need help, regardless of what it might be, please send me a private message on FB and I will respond as quickly as I can. I have a wide network of people who can assist you with personal, business or just about any other need. To my clients and associates, watch for a personal email from me over the weekend with a "week in review" message. For Parents and others that have time on their hands to fill, COVID19 is providing an unparalleled appetite for entertaining education, which brings me to my "Wise in the Use of All Resources" theme. Here are links that have been made available to me, that can help you for Education, Training and Preparing for an Emergency. Thank you Lea at UforChange and Louis C Trahan and my Scout friends around the world. 1. Education: https://virtualschoolactivities.com/ 2. Training: http://eliquo.ca/en/events/ 3. Family Emergency Preparedness: http://wiki.scouts.ca//Cubs_Jumpstart_-_Emergency_Prepared The hard truth is that COVID19 will not be a short term problem. Predictions range from a 3 month to 12 month disruption. The picture will only become clearer as we work through it. In the future, I predict "2020" will become an oxymoron. It will become the year we wish we had HAD 20/20 vision to plan for what was coming. The positive spin is that with every tragedy there is opportunity and it is never too late to learn, it is never too late to change. I hope that you have a fantastic weekend and we will catch up with you on Monday. Stay safe and take care of yourself and each other. Crafty Tip for Music Monday: "GarageBandLive: How to become a OnePersonBand in 3 Steps"

Crafty Tip of the Day: "Explore the Natural World" and... Say hello to my new Assistant! Batman has the batphone, but I have Mickey! So, even if the power goes down, you can reach me thanks to Mickey. In an Emergency, you can call my faxline at 416.485.5885 and Mickey will ring. PS. You can also send me a fax too! I am extremely grateful and fortunate to be part of an amazing business network www.bnibusinessconnections.com ... We had an informal Zoom check-in this morning and the mind-share was fantastic. Personal and Business issues were discussed in a factual, positive way, but there is just so much information to digest. My advice is to actively think how you can Respond vs. simply React. Seek out the Facts and have faith in and reach out to the people around you for help. Be positive. For those of you with Youngsters at home, congrats you made it past the hump. My suggestion today is to explore the natural world - watch the birds from your window, notice the buds on the trees, and the grass and small plants which are starting to come up. If you really want to explore and connect with modern explorers, visit www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids. They have a ton of resources that will keep young minds active and engaged. I am very proud to say that I am a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and receive Canadian Geographic. I cannot say enough about the fantastic resources they offer and amazing people I have met over the past 6 months. Even though you might be stuck inside, you can still plan your next great adventure! Crafty Tip for Tomorrow: "Becoming Wise in the Use of All Resources"

Crafty Tip of the Day: Putting the FUN in Emergency Planning for Parents Working from Home! Tip 1. Make it FUN to wash your hands. Stop using the Dishwasher and Do the Dishes in the Sink!... I have been a Scouter for 15 years. One of my biggest surprises has been, and continues to be, how much younger children like to WASH DISHES at Camp! They would argue to wash the dirtiest pot or frying pan. The picture says it all. Here is a way to ensure that the whole family gets their hands REALLY clean at least 3 times per day. Tip 2. Make a Family Emergency Plan In December 2013, I was a Volunteer with a Scout Group in Toronto for Cubs aged 8-10. The Leadership Team was looking for a program we could run to get us to the Holiday Break. We decided to do an Emergency Preparedness Session. Who could have guessed that just before Christmas there was a massive ice storm in Toronto, and many of the families had to dig in to the 72 Hour Survival Kit they had made at our weekly meeting! We had a very insightful "Review" Session in January 2014! COVID-19 is not an Ice Storm, but it is a Disaster. Here is a link to the Program we used back then. There are games, activities and tools to create an Emergency Plan for your Home. Consider sharing this with your Children, in a calm, thoughtful way. Help them to make sure they understand what an Emergency is, what is happening now, what they need to be able to do or contact, and what you need to have on hand. Ask them to help make a shopping list for any supplies they might need. Why 72 Hours? Because that is how long the Government of Canada expects Citizens to be able to manage on their own But what do you REALLY need to manage for COVID-19? Take a minute and think about it: 14 Days is 72 Hours x 5. 30 Days is 72 Hours x 10. See what you have. Make a list of what you need. Get what you need to be safe... And have fun doing it. I will leave you with a sobering thought. RIght now, we are very connected online. Have you considered if you are ready in the event that power is disrupted or you cannot access the internet. What then? Please dig up a radio and make sure you have batteries. "Old School" may very well become "the New School". Tomorrow's Crafty Tip: Taking a Family Trip without Leaving Home!

Crafty Tip of the Day with Children at Home: Learn to Play Guitar Ok, this is not pretty, but I have to admit it was pretty fun. In this challenging environment, I believe it is very important to help people engage their creative side. Music is an amazing way to do that and this video provides you with the basics to play a song on guitar in 5 minutes. No previous experience required.... All you need is: 1. a guitar to play 2. Tuning App or a way to tune to an Open G tuning 3. 1 finger, a piece of metal or a glass for a slide 4. a sense of humor No guitar, no problem. Check out GarageBand or a Guitar App to play virtually. To see how it is really done check out and try jamming along to Elmore James, the the Rolling Stones, George Harrison and the Tragically Hip. Just Google "Songs in Open G. Share your inspiration and I would enjoy seeing a full rendition of "Yellow Submarine" better than mine! That should be a piece of cake. Stay safe and enjoy. Tomorrow's Tip is "Emergency Planning Made Fun".

No school for the next 3 weeks and you are working from home! Here are 5 suggestions for things to do with your kids along with a fantastic schedule courtesy of Cathy Burns. 1. Wash the dishes in the sink after every meal. As a Beaver and Cub Scout Leader it amazed me how much the kids like to wash the dishes at Camp. Here is your chance to make sure they are getting their hands REALLY clean at least 3 times daily and you save wear and tear on the dishwasher!... 2. Plan meals and cook together. Since you have some extra time in your schedule, engage your kids and bring them into the meal prep and cooking. It will pay big dividends when they head off to college! 3. Limit device time to manage your Network and Emotional bandwidth. Even in the age of highspeed internet, lots of users will slow things down. To manage everyone's stress and expectations, schedule internet time for your youngsters. 4. Break out the Board Games and Card Games. They are inclusive, elicit conversation and let's face it, they are pretty fun. 5. Read out loud, get crafty or learn something new. How about guitar? I will share a tip tomorrow that will give you and your kids something in common with the Rolling Stones! Make the best of the situation. You will ALL feel better for it!

Eventful day. My car developed a slow leak overnight. Thank you, Mr. Nail, so I got to spend some quality time at Canadian Tire. Which in turn allowed me to people watch and think. My thoughts turned to "COVID-19: Threat or Opportunity"?, and I decided I wanted to take the positive view and look for the opportunities. The big opportunity is for change in a positive way. Here as 5 things to consider for all the people who will be home-working for what may be the first time. 1.... Check Your Tech! Make sure you are secure, get a private VPN if you don't have one, and back-up frequently in case something unexpected happens. Do you have everything you need to do your job? If not, make a list and deal with that ASAP. Free delivery is an awesome thing right now! 2 Communicate what is happening with everyone in your household in a positive, inclusive way. If you have kids, they may not understand what is happening and what "working from home" means when it is a 24-7 thing. Include them in your planning. 3. Make a schedule and stick to it. If you are a Commuter or Road Warrier, you may find you have a lot more time at home. Think about how you will use the time you have to get your work done and spend time with your family in a way that makes the best of the situation. 4. Manage your Bandwidth - Personally and Online. Think about it. If everyone is online at the same time working, streaming, gaming, and whatever else, will your Internet hold-up? As a Dad with a Gamer Son, I know that playing an intense game and watching Netflix, can cause a slight lag even with High Speed Fibre. At the same time, everyone needs to take a breath and not lose it because the whole world is online. Just breath and appreciate this is a unique-never-been-here-before moment. 5. Be Positive and Supportive. We are all in this together, so let's make the best of it. Smile - easily and often. I look forward to hearing your stories about the cool things that came out of this experience. Last but not least.. How creative can you get with toilet paper? Share your best Toilet Paper Craft with me and I will post it to a Special Gallery on FB and Instagram. PS. Thanks Janet Cann for the great message, which I am sharing in the post. Til tomorrow.

We are entering an unprecedented time in the history of the world. We have never been as able as we are today to stay connected and do business without actually seeing someone in person. Technology is an amazing thing and is something that will help us through a very unsettling couple of months. Or cause us to act irrationally. I urge you to stop and think. Panic is not your friend. For most Canadians there is access to all of the resources we need. If not immediately, with...in a few hours. Be calm. Be friendly at a safe distance. Remember to support your local shop owners, merchants and businesses who will suffer immeasurably if everyone stays home. Remember you can always order in! Be informed. Here are a number of links to key sites for information on Being Prepared and Working from Home. Tomorrow we will offer some suggestions about what you can do to make a Homestay more constructive! Coronavirus Disease: Being Prepared for Individuals, Employers, Communities, Schools and Daycares. Working from Home: https://www.theloop.ca/working-from-home-heres-how-to-do-i/

[Live Webinar] Best Practices for Working From Home with Zoom - Get on the Guest List! It is an understatement to say this has been an incredible week. As an Insurance Broker, I believe we should be doing our best to help Clients with the advice and support in challenging times. Over the coming days and weeks, I hope to share information that is of benefit to you, whether you are a Client, Prospect, Friend, Associate or Family Member. If you are new to working at home and ne...ed to connect with clients, prospects and others, ZOOM can be a very effective tool. It is device agnostic and people you invite to a Video Call or Meeting do not need to download any apps or software. There is a free version with unlimited video / dial in conference calling for 2 people. For three or more people, you are limited to a 45 minute video call but this can be upgraded at a low cost for a single user. It is a great way to collaborate and screen-share with others. Watch for updates on a daily basis on this page and at Case Insurance Brokers on LinkedIn.

This is a great article and a scarey reminder. Please read and act accordingly.