Bill Hartley Insurance Services, a familiar brokerage at the corner of Bay and Douglas streets, has been sold to the Co-operators General Insurance Company. Founder Bill Hartley began his insurance career in 1950 as an agent for a predecessor of Co-operators Life Insurance Co., and the two businesses have maintained a long relationship. Current clients of the brokerage will be notified of the change and their existing insurance coverage will remain in effect with no changes to premiums or coverage for the term of their policies. As current policies expire, clients will be offered comparable policies from Co-operators, a statement said. Co-operators is a Canadian-owned firm with $37 billion in assets under administration. It offers insurance and investment products.
Crozier leads VREB board
Guy Crozier, a Re/Max Camosun agent and fifth-generation Victorian, is the new president of the Victoria Real Estate Board, succeeding Tim Ayres. The 2015 board also includes Wendy Moreton, Ara Balabanian, Kyle Kerr, Mike Nugent, Marijane Smith, Tony Wick and Cheryl Woolley.
Publisher now a coach
Paul Abra, the former publisher of Island Parent magazine, has earned a graduate certificate in executive coaching from Royal Roads University and launched a new business, Motivated Coaching Service. He’s working with executives, business owners and entrepreneurs in reaching goals. Visit motivatedcoaching.ca. Abra sold Island Parent Group Enterprises last April to Mark Warner, former president of Black Press on Vancouver Island.
UVic’s resident Wikipedian
The University of Victoria has appointed Christian Vandendorpe as its first Honorary Resident Wikipedian. A respected scholar, former magazine editor and author of From Papyrus to Hypertext, his role will involve remote visits from his home base in Kingston, Ont. He will visit this month as a speaker at a Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Vandendorpe is an expert in digital humanities, social knowledge creation, book history and electronic publishing. A University of Ottawa professor emeritus, he provides perspective on the historical role of encyclopedias and on Wikipedia in the context of peer-reviewed scholarship versus open access.
