August 19, 2009

Special Hail Claim Centre opening
Up to 250 customer appointments daily

In order to provide the best service possible to those Winnipeggers whose vehicles sustained hail damage last week, Manitoba Public Insurance is establishing the special hail claim centre beginning today (Wednesday, August 19).

The hail claim centre – located at 1981 Plessis Rd. – will be dedicated to ‘hail only’ estimating appointments. Appointments for the centre can only be booked through the Manitoba Public Insurance call centre. The special centre will be capable of taking 250 appointments daily, open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and operating 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The centre will also open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

Affected vehicle owners are reminded they must have booked an appointment prior to arriving at the special hail centre. To report claims, Winnipeg area customers can call the Autopac line at 985-7000. The line is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“In order to respond to the extraordinary number of new claims, it was decided to establish this special centre,” said Marilyn McLaren, CEO and President, Manitoba Public Insurance. “We realize many people are concerned about their vehicles. Providing the best service possible to our customers has always been the number one priority of MPI.”

After last week’s hailstorm swept through the southern regions of Winnipeg, Brandon and Steinbach regions, Manitoba Public Insurance has received more than 5,000 claims.

This is the not the first time in Manitoba Public Insurance history that a special hail claim centre has been established. On July 16, 1996, Manitoba Public Insurance was hit with the single largest catastrophic event in the Corporation’s history. A hailstorm struck Winnipeg and outlying areas, resulting in 24,494 hail-related claims. The total cost of hail damage was $53 million.

In August of 2007 a special hail centre was opened in Dauphin after a catastrophic storm ripped through that community and 12 surrounding communities. In total, 14,029 hail claims were opened, with 5,331 vehicles written off. Total losses incurred was $52 million.

―30―

Contact: