Auto

Which province will allow digital pink cards next?

If George Hodgson’s crystal ball is working as well as he hopes, it may not be too long until Alberta drivers will be able to use digital insurance pink cards. The chief executive officer of the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta is thinking changes will happen this year, “sooner rather than later,” he told Canadian […]

By Adam Malik | August 6, 2019

3 min read

Auto

How old Ontario auto cat claims affect Intact’s bottom line

Canada’s largest P&C insurer has been taken by surprise by the number of old Ontario auto claims in which accident victims are trying to get benefits for catastrophic impairment. Ontario changed its catastrophic impairment definition for accidents occurring on or after June of 2016. Intact Financial Corp. still has claims open from before the changes […]

By Greg Meckbach | July 31, 2019

2 min read

Auto

Allstate ponders appeal in $700,000 lawsuit over Brampton auto insurance allegations

Allstate officials are considering appealing last week’s Ontario court judgement that rejected the company’s $700,000 counter-suit against a former employee. “Our legal counsel is reviewing the decision and we will decide whether to appeal in the next few weeks,” Angie Morris, vice president of legal and general counsel for Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, wrote […]

By Greg Meckbach | July 30, 2019

4 min read

Auto

How SGI’s expansion into Ontario auto fared last year

Saskatchewan’s government-owned insurer has been blindsided by its Ontario auto line. Regina-based Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) reported Tuesday that SGI Canada’s 2018-19 loss ratio in Ontario was 91.9%, up 16.5 points from 75.4% in 2017-18. That increase was “largely due to unfavourable auto results,” SGI said in its annual report. SGI runs both the Auto […]

By Greg Meckbach | July 12, 2019

2 min read

How auto accident defendants who admitted liability were awarded $61,000 in costs

TORONTO – A woman awarded $50,000 by a jury for injuries suffered in a car crash will have to pay more than $61,000 to cover the costs of the two men she sued, even though losers in a lawsuit are normally on the hook for the winner’s legal bills. In upholding a lower court ruling, […]

2 min read

How auto manufacturers could write insurance in Canada

If a vehicle manufacturer wants to write auto insurance in Canada, it would need to have a subsidiary that is approved by the government to write insurance, says Ottawa’s insurance regulator. Asked whether an auto manufacturer can insure P&C risks in Canada, a spokesperson for the federal Office of the superintendent of Financial Institutions said […]

2 min read

Does anyone still believe that $200,000 is enough auto liability coverage?

Although Ontario motorists can legally put their vehicles on the road with as little as $200,000 in liability coverage, brokers likely wouldn’t want one of those motorists for a client. “There is no way you can justify why you sold someone a $200,000 [auto] liability policy,” Rick Orr, Stratford-based owner and account executive at Orr […]

2 min read

Why LAT’s first catastrophic impairment case must be re-heard

The Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal [LAT]’s first ruling on a disputed catastrophic impairment claim is now officially quashed, the province’s appeal court confirmed in a decision released Friday. As it stands, the disputed claim now has to go before a different LAT adjudicator. Mary Shuttleworth, who was insured by Peel Mutual, was injured in a […]

4 min read

What cabinet upheaval means for auto reform progress

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has made drastic changes to his cabinet just months after including auto reforms in its first budget. Taking over as finance minister – and in effect, the auto insurance file – will be Rod Phillips. The former finance minster, Vic Fedeli, has been moved to the ministry of economic development. For […]

By Adam Malik | June 24, 2019

3 min read

A ‘creative’ way of rolling out vehicle sharing insurance

Insurance for the recreational vehicle sharing economy is now available in Nova Scotia, RVezy Inc. announced Tuesday. Ottawa-based RVezy operates RVezy.com, a website that matches owners of recreational vehicles with renters. There are more than two million RVs in Canada and they are typically used four weeks out of year, RVezy founder Michael McNaught said Tuesday […]

2 min read