Life in Canada has its perks, but energy bills certainly isn't one of them. Every year Canadian residents pay through their teeth just to keep their homes warm, but high energy bills seem to just come with the territory when you live this far North. What if there was a way to reduce some of those costs without sacrificing comfort? These 6 simple tips can, over time, help to reduce your winter and year round energy costs.

Thank-you for all of the submissions, this photo contest was such a success that we'll be announcing another one soon! See all submissions here.

Lee Wilkinson is the grand prize winner with Whoop Up Drive at Sunset.

Some may already understand the true benefit of working with an insurance broker, but based on what I've seen over the past few years, there is still some mystery surrounding our role in the insurance process. Understanding this simple fact could help you save money and time spent shopping your insurance policy around.

In a bulletin released today, Aviva Insurance has stated that the have mobilized their CAT team in Central Alberta. They have dispatched a number of appraisers and set up two drive-in appraisal centres in Airdire in an effort to expedite the appraisals of vehicles damaged in the August 7th hail storm.

In a bulletin released Wednesday, Intact Insurance announced that they are mobilizing their team to better handle the large volume of hail claims that have come in over the past few weeks.

We all know that getting struck by lightning is rare. In Canada, 150 people are injured by the over 2 million lightning strikes per year, but what you may not know is that it is far less rare to have your home struck by lightning. Often, there isn't much damage to the home, but if there is a considerable amount of damage... is a lightning strike covered by your home insurance?

UAV's or Drone's are becoming increasingly popular for commercial and non-commercial use in Canada and in the United States. This is despite the fact that it is illegal to operate rotary UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) for commercial purposes in the US. It is however legal to fly drones for commercial and personal use, but Transport Canada has some strict regulations surrounding this.

Summer is finally in full swing! This time of year, people across the country are spending their weekends relaxing by the lake, and getting back to nature at their cabins and vacation properties. These vacation properties hold some great memories and have a lot of sentimental value for those who use them, but they can also be more at risk for theft and other perils.

So what do you have to do to make sure you're vacation property is covered in the event of a loss or damage to your property? Does your regular home insurance policy cover this property as well?