Today, we were joined by Dan Lewis, Director of Executive & Specialty Risk at Acera Insurance, for an important discussion on cyber risk, cyber liability insurance, and the responsibilities of directors and officers in today’s digital landscape.

As more business operations move online, cyber threats are no longer a technical issue alone but a strategic and governance issue. Cyber attacks are global, increasingly sophisticated, and frequently result in ransomware demands paid in cryptocurrency. Notably, 68% of ransomware intrusions impact companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, proving that small and mid-sized organizations are often prime targets. Risk exposure exists at every level of the organization, from frontline staff to executive leadership. With the rapid advancement of AI, threat actors are leveraging more sophisticated tactics, including highly convincing phishing campaigns and deepfake-enabled social engineering attacks.

Beyond the initial breach, the real damage often lies in the aftermath. Post-incident recovery can lead to significant operational disruption, financial loss, reputational harm, regulatory scrutiny, and even personal liability concerns for directors and officers. Organizations must have a clearly defined and tested incident response plan that outlines roles, communication protocols, and immediate action steps during a crisis. For directors and officers, cybersecurity must remain front of mind. It is not just an IT responsibility; it is a governance priority. Active oversight, risk mitigation strategies, and proactive prevention measures are key to protecting the organization, its stakeholders, and leadership.

 

In today’s Virtual Breakfast Forum, Kristen Stinson, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Regency Fireplace Products, shared powerful insights on the importance of organizational culture—and how a strong change-management strategy can directly improve the health and safety of a workplace.

One of the most impactful initiatives Kristen has championed is the implementation of a comprehensive Safety Management System. This framework establishes standardized structure, clear expectations, and consistent processes across all departments. Together with several complementary programs, this system has driven remarkable results. Regency has significantly reduced its lost-time injury frequency rate, strengthened employee morale and engagement in safety, and lowered claims costs by over 70%.

Kristen’s transformation journey reinforces a key message: meaningful and sustained improvements in safety culture are only possible through strong leadership commitment, structured systems, robust training, defined accountability, and genuine workforce engagement.

This session was recorded and added to the video library for members to review at a later date.

 

Many lessons learned at recent Virtual Breakfast Forum
Thank you to Angelique Prince, Director, Prevention Programs & Services at WorkSafe BC for presenting last week on “What no one told you about leading in Health and Safety.”  Starting with a strong theme of “Getting Safety on the Agenda”, Angelique shared what she wished she knew then that she knows now.

Following the primary presentation, Angelique gave a short update on some of the project that WorkSafe is currently consulting on, including psychological health and safety, and how to better apply the Canadian Standard in British Columbia. 

This presentation was recorded for EHSCBC Members who were unable to attend to review at their leisure.

A big thank you to Anna-Maria Parente, a EHSCBC board member and Chief Human Resources Officer at SureWerx for her presentation on Sick day management.  Over the course of the presentation, she covered many strategies, policies, and opportunities to better manage sick days, absenteeism, work from home and proactive ways to help prevent abuse of sick days. 

 

By sharing how her company deals with many of these issues others were able to learn new methods and how to better track sick days and build strong polices.  Additionally, Anna-Maria identified some of the behaviours that could indicate potential misuse of sick days.  During the conversation other issues, like differences between unionized workers and nonunionized workers, KPI bonuses, doctors’ notes, and encouraging people to stay home when they are still contagious were discussed.

This forum was recorded for members to review at a later date.