The hidden cost of Ontario auto accident injuries
“At the end of the day, unpaid claimants don’t just go away. They end up on public support,” said Rhona DesRoches, chair of the board of FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform, in a recent interview with Canadian Underwriter.
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Doug Downey reveals strategy of new lawyer regulation, legal aid plan
An expansive list of changes to the justice system will require more accountability from lawyers — but will also hopefully ease some regulatory burden, says Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey.
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Class Actions Changes In Ontario: You’d Better Hurry Up
Ontario’s Attorney General has proposed a bevy of changes to the provincial justice system in Bill 161, the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, 2019. Changes are being proposed to 20 statutes, amongst them the Class Proceedings Act, 1992, the statute that governs class actions in Ontario.
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Is there a doctor in the court? Psychologist’s evidence is not good enough for verbal threshold, court rules
When a driver is sued by an accident victim, a psychologist does not qualify as a “physician” under Ontario’s verbal threshold, a judge said in a ruling released Wednesday in favour of Aviva.
See: Mundinger v. Ashton, 2019 ONSC 7161 (CanLII), <http://canlii.ca/t/j3w6c
Not at all what the Court of Appeal said only a few months ago in Rodrigues v. Purtill, 2019 ONCA 740 (CanLII), <http://canlii.ca/t/j2hbh
Rodrigues v. Purtill, 2018 ONSC 3102 (CanLII), <http://canlii.ca/t/hsqbn
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Ontario needs to fix the ‘dooring’ loophole
The Toronto police keep statistics on it, and insurance companies consider “dooring” — a crash caused by a driver opening a car door into a cyclist — to be a traffic collision covered by accident insurance.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2019/12/16/ontario-needs-to-fix-the-dooring-loophole.html
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Canadian healthcare services provider acquires AssessMed
Lifemark Health Group (LHG) has acquired AssessMed, an independent medical examination services provider for auto insurers, as part of its strategy to diversify its medical assessment services across Canada.
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BC attorney general puts a stop to ICBC rate application
Attorney general David Eby asked the insurer to delay its rate application until February of next year. The official explained in a statement that the delays are necessary in order to allow more time for two planned reforms to be implemented.
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Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Mandate Letter
It is more important than ever for Canadians to unite and build a stronger, more inclusive and more resilient country. The Government of Canada is the central institution to promote that unity of purpose and, as a Minister in that Government, you have a personal duty and responsibility to fulfill that objective.