But the specificity of the farm is the amusement park that has been built there over the years: little train, hebertism, slide, slides, swings, nothing has been spared to entertain parents and children.
<q data-attributes="{"lang":{"value":"fr","label":"Français"},"value":{"html":"Au début, on avait juste des tables à pique-nique, mais on a rajouté plein de choses parce que les gens qui viennent ici – dont des CPE – font de longs trajets en autobus. Ils ne viennent pas pour dix minutes. Ça prend de la chair autour de l’os parce qu'un enfant, au bout de 15minutes, that wants to do something else “,” text “:” At the beginning, we just had picnic tables, but we added a lot of things because the people who come here – including childcare centers – make long journeys by bus. They don’t come for ten minutes. It takes flesh around the bone because a child, after 15 minutes, wants to do something else “}}” lang = “fr”>At the beginning, we just had picnic tables, but we added a lot of things because the people who come here – including childcare centers – take long bus trips. They don’t come for ten minutes. It takes flesh around the bone because a child, after 15 minutes, wants to do something else, explains Guy Genest.
The star activity with children was the Jumping Pillow, an inflatable game in the form of a giant trampoline.
The “Jumping Pillow” was the main attraction of the playground.
Photo: Ferme Genest
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The children were jumping on it. They could be 25, 30 at a time because it was thirty feet by sixty. A million children have been there for ten years. But they don’t want to anymore.
They are the insurance companies. Starting with Promutuel, which did not renew the farm’s liability insurance in 2019.
I do not want to comment on a particular file, but our subscription and our prices are made for the risks that are normally found on a farm.
, explains Guy Lecours, Senior Vice-President at Promutuel. We become a little more cautious when there are activities that involve the safety or health of visitors to the farm.
<q data-attributes="{"lang":{"value":"fr","label":"Français"},"value":{"html":"Il n'est jamais arrivé d’accident sur notre Jumping Pillow. The only accident that happened on the farm was a child who sprained himself “,” text “:” No accident has ever happened on our Jumping Pillow. The only accident that occurred on the farm was a child who sprained himself “}}” lang = “fr”>There has never been an accident on our Jumping Pillow. The only accident that happened on the farm was a child who sprained himself, retorts Guy Genest. Nevertheless, the Genest farm had to turn to another insurance company which forced it to dismantle the Jumping Pillow.
Mr. Genest’s insurance premium, which was $ 7,190 with Promutuel, has increased to $ 98,708. An increase of 1200% in two years.000$. It means that we will never make a complaint. It costs me 8000$ per month of insurance. Think about it! It breaks a budget! “,” Text “:” That’s 13 times my old premium, plus my deductible is $ 25,000. It means that we will never make a complaint. It costs me $ 8,000 per month of insurance. Think about it! It defeats a budget! “}}” Lang = “fr”>That’s 13 times my old premium, plus my deductible is $ 25,000. It means that we will never make a complaint. It costs me $ 8,000 per month of insurance. Think about it! It defeats a budget!
Guy Genest now pays his insurance premium 13 times more than before.
Photo: Radio-Canada
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Insurance companies argue that, over the past two years, the context in which they operate has changed.%, that does not allow to accumulate the necessary capital to follow the evolution of agriculture. The farms are getting bigger, some are worth 20, 30million dollars, including dairy farms. When it burns, it takes capital to ensure that “,” text “:” When we have reached the point of making investments in savings bonds at 1.7%, it does not allow us to accumulate the capital necessary to follow the evolution of agriculture. The farms are getting bigger and bigger, some are worth $ 20-30million, especially dairy farms. When it burns, it takes capital to ensure that “}}” lang = “fr”>When we have made investments in savings bonds at 1.7%, that does not allow us to accumulate the capital necessary to follow the evolution of agriculture. The farms are getting bigger and bigger, some are worth 20, 30 million dollars, especially the dairy farms. When it burns, it takes capital to ensure that, explains Stéphane Bibeau, president of the Estrie-Richelieu group, one of the three insurers of the agricultural world in Quebec.
Not to mention the climate change which complicates the situation. The number of complaints and the size of complaints are on the rise. It mainly comes from two types of losses, either electrical fires or building collapses. We’ve had a lot of them over the last few winters
, explains Guy Lecours, senior vice-president at Promutuel, which insures 40% of Quebec farmers.
According to Guy Lecours of Promutuel, the scale of claims in agriculture has increased for two years.
Photo: Radio-Canada
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The UPA, which is crumbling under appeals from producers, conducted a survey to quantify the problem. She was shocked to learn that 20% of its members have had premium increases of over 14%. Worse still, 6% of farmers in Quebec are without insurance. It is very worrying when we know the value of the assets of our agricultural producers. So for us, it was a bit of a wake-up call
, explains Marie-André Hotte, lawyer at the UPA.
The alarm bell, Samuel Bouchard, dairy farmer in Saint-Pascal in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, heard it in 2020. A few months earlier, he had begun to expand his barn to allow the cows to rest. move more easily. The work was carried out with his father, a carpenter-joiner, which did not have the good fortune to please Promutuel, the insurer of the farm for three generations.
The company asked him to hire a general contractor and then a master electrician. Samuel Bouchard, however, insisted on doing some of the electricity himself. In agriculture, there are a lot of self-construction projects, it is very common. Here, we had always done it that way
, he explains.
Samuel Bouchard regrets that the standards allowing self-construction have changed.
Photo: Radio-Canada
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After months of tense negotiations between the two parties, Promutuel sent him a notice of non-renewal. I don’t want to comment on a particular file, but self-made work is not something we favor, that’s for sure. We can build ourselves, but we still have to respect the standards
, explains Guy Lecours, senior vice-president at Promutuel.
The catch is that this opinion snowballed. No other insurance company wanted to take over. Samuel Bouchard has been living with a sword of Damocles over his head for a year. The building, its contents, the animals, I no longer have any protection. If there is a disaster, I lose everything. It’s a big stress. If the farm disappears, we are in the street.
The only hope for the dairy farmer is that a company will agree to reopen its file now that it has practically completed the expansion work.
The UPA is obviously looking for a solution. She first tried to convince Quebec insurers to share the risk and pick up those left behind. The reception was cold. Faced with the looming impasse, it is now trying to recruit other insurers abroad to set up a new insurance program.
The report by Julie Vaillancourt and Stéphane Gravel is broadcast on the show Green week Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on ICI TÉLÉ. At ICI RDI, it will be Sunday at 8 p.m.
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