Aviva Fraud Report 2018: Majority of Ontarians believe 25% of claims are fraudulent

TORONTODec. 4, 2018 /CNW/ – Ontarians, who pay among the highest auto insurance rates in the country ($1,428 per driver), are aware of insurance fraud and supportive of initiatives to fight it, according to the second annual Aviva Fraud Report, released today. 
 
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Yonge St. van attack lawsuits face hurdles with insurance claims

If a drunk driver veered onto a sidewalk, killing 10 people and injuring 16, his auto insurance policy would typically pay damages awarded to the injured parties in a lawsuit.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/12/03/van-attack-lawsuits-face-hurdles-with-insurance-claims.html______________________________________________________________

JURY AWARDS $188,000; COURT FORCED TO REDUCE IT TO $5,800

If ever there was any doubt about the carnage wrought by the Ontario legislature for the benefit of the Insurance industry, look no further than the recent case of A.B. V Waite (2018 ONSC 2151), a decision by Justice C McLeod of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. 
 
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Key questions to ask providers about legal expense insurance

When considering legal expense insurance, there are a handful of questions law firms should be asking insurance providers, say Dominique Zipperand Joanna Milnes, both with legal expense insurance company DAS
 
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Judge says AI could have been used

A judge capped the costs award in an occupier’s liability personal injury costs judgment, writing that the use of artificial intelligence should have “significantly reduced” counsel’s preparation time. The decision in Cass v. 1410088 Ontario Inc., 2018 ONSC 6959 reduced the starting point for disbursements by $11,404.08, citing both research fees as well as other aspects of the lawyers’ bill, and awarded a total cost award against the plaintiff of $20,000. 
 
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Law Society Accountability for the Access to Justice Problem 

Law societies are not trying to solve the A2J problem, but instead provide “alternative legal services”[1] that merely help that majority of the population that cannot afford legal services learn to live with the problem. That is inevitable because of the operative concept of a bencher[2] and the institutional culture of our law societies, i.e., they do only that which is compatible with that concept and with what they have always done, which does not include the affordability of legal services. 
 
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TD denies woman’s insurance even as she awaits bone marrow transplant

Bianca Williams needs chemotherapy, radiation and a bone marrow transplant. She’s already on a treatment regime that includes frequent blood transfusions. 
 
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Is Ontario’s patient ombudsman next on the Ford government chopping block? 

Ontario’s health minister Christine Elliott says she takes patient care seriously but won’t say whether her former job —Ontario’s patient ombudsman — will be kept or cut by her government. 
 
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Spotlight on Ontario’s Caregivers 
 
The Change Foundation has worked with family caregivers since 2015 to understand what it is like to be a caregiver. Specifically, we look at the experience caregivers have with the healthcare system. We have launched an annual “Spotlight on Caregivers” survey in partnership with the Patient Advisors Network to better understand the family caregiver in Ontario. 
 
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Number of Ontario seniors who used food banks jumped a ‘staggering’ 10% last year

The number of seniors across Ontario who turned to food banks for emergency support jumped by a “staggering” 10 per cent last year, according to a new report.