We have also significantly reduced our rates for 1999! Our hourly rate for Appraisals is now $30.00. The industry standard for Appraisals is $40.00 per hour.

Our internet site first went on-line on March 17, 1997, though it wasn't advertised until June in the quarterly newsletter. Initial response has been excellent with many visitors to the site even before it was 'officially' open for business. Many visitors are not receiving music when they access our site; this can be corrected in most cases by downloading Crescendo music plug-in from www.liveupdate.com. Some types of browsers are not capable of receiving sound over the internet. The site is best viewed with a current version of Internet Explorer or Netscape with Crescendo. With Cresendo, a recorder will appear on the screen, allowing the viewer to control the music.

In June 1999, Michael Downer was elected to the position of Education Co-ordinator and Vice Chair Academic for the Georgian Bay Chapter of the Insurance Institute of Ontario. Michael has served as Secretary/Treasurer for the Chapter for the last two years.  This is a voluntary position which he will be serving from June 1999 to June 2000.

In November, 1998, Michael Downer received a Certificate of Continuing Professional Development from the Insurance Institute of Canada. Also in November, Michael completed an IIC Fellowship course, Strategic Management.

In October, 1997, Michael Downer completed the Teaching Techniques course for the Insurance Institute of Canada. This course is designed to enhance the teaching skills of IIC instructors.

In 1998, Brian Downer serves as a Director for the North Simcoe Development Corporation in Midland, promoting local small business growth.

In January, Michael Downer will be instructing one of two IIC Associateship courses in Barrie; this course will be either C35 Insurance Against Crime, or the brand new course, C39 Fraud Awareness and Prevention.  Over the couple of years, Michael has instructed several Insurance Institute of Canada Associateship courses, including C13 Insurance Against Liability in three locations (Barrie, Mississauga and Scarborough), C43 Specialty Lines (in Orillia), and C35 Insurance Against Crime (in Barrie). He also hosted a seminar on May 13, 1998, at the Investigative Research Group in Barrie. This seminar was on Boiler & Machinery Insurance with guest speakers from the Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company. Michael is quite active in teaching IIC courses throughout the year and proctoring IIC exams.

Downer & Associates has copies of Michael Downer's Summary Notes for Insurance Institute of Canada Associateship courses--available at no charge! These courses include C11 Principles and Practice of Insurance, C13 Insurance Against Liability, C35 Insurance Against Crime, C42 Principles and Practice of Marine Insurance, and C43 Specialty Lines. We also have copies of the Teacher's Edition Summary Notes for C13, available in computer format only. These notes are now also posted on the internet in their entirety in internet (HTML) format, and are available to anyone who wishes to use them.

Copies of The Associate Board Game, developed by our offices, are currently available for IIC Instructors for loan, with questions for several IIC courses! The Insurance Institute of Canada has recently produced this game, and sent copies to every institute chapter across Canada. Please contact us for more information about any of these free offers.