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I

n the past few years it has become increasingly difficult to find insurance for homeowners who have a cottage in the Laurentians (or for that matter anywhere in Canada) but do not live in Canada the rest of the time. Time and again, when confronted with this problem, Laurent Paquette of Groupe Lyras Insurance in Ste. Agathe has come to our rescue. It has recently become even more difficult and when we came to a total impasse Laurent, once more, negotiated an understanding for certain, but not all, cases. Even though the claims rate for these homes is lower than for the whole market, they fall through the cracks because the company standards dictate that an owner's principal residence should be in Canada.

Another problem in obtaining insurance is that properties that are not on the aqueduct system and are further than five kilometres from the fire station are at a greater risk of serious damage in the event of a fire. Even if the lake is right in front of the house, the time it takes to get the firefighting equipment to the fire is crucial in terms of saving the house. This may eventually cause all of us who are not on the city services to have more trouble getting insurance, whether we live out of Canada, in Montreal or even full-time in our country homes.

This may not have an impact on you yet, especially if you are coming up to your chalet every weekend from your nearby city house, but we have an increasing number of non-resident buyers, and these buyers are helping us maintain a more stable market. It is in all of our interests, therefore, to solve this problem. To that end, we are trying, with Laurent Paquette's help and guidance, to set up a buyer's group for country house insurance in the hopes of creating a significant enough volume to keep the insurance companies interested. The buyer's group would stipulate that, should the owner of the chalet have a principal residence in Canada, she will insure both with the company, but if she owns no such residence, that would not be a reason to refuse to insure her country property.

In the next Ballyhoo, we will give you a progress report, but in the meantime, if there is any development that cannot wait, we will post it on our website. If you are willing to be a part of the buyer's group or if you have any professional advice to offer in this matter, please let us know.

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