Issues around advertising and referral agreements for personal injury lawyers continue to be in the spotlight as the Law Society of Upper Canada has an ongoing study into the issue and a Florida-based law firm has entered the Ontario market in association with a medical and legal referral business.

The working group examining the issue has found that clients of some personal injury firms do not always know about the existence of referral fees, or that they are being referred to another lawyer, even though the law society’s current rules require lawyers to disclose such information.

http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/legalfeeds/

Canadians are still generally unconcerned about auto insurance and spend on average 2.5 hours choosing their auto policy. According to a new study by LowestRates.ca, customers spend more time choosing paint color for a home, buying furniture, or deciding on a vacation destination.

https://www.shopinsurancecanada.ca/blog/news/canadians-put-more-importance-on-buying-furniture-than-shopping-for-auto-insurance/

TORONTO – Ontario’s attorney general is calling on the federal government to help speed up the justice system by appointing more judges and making specific changes to the country’s Criminal Code.

Yasir Naqvi made the requests Tuesday, saying they came in light of a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision on the constitutionally guaranteed right to be tried within a reasonable time.

http://www.advocatedaily.com/none-ontario-attorney-general-seeks-ottawas-help-to-speed-up-justice-system.html

Civil justice resources should be deployed so that there is a gravity-assisted, downhill run to the courtroom where disputes will promptly be judicially determined, if mediation fails. Unless the parties decide otherwise, failed mediation and the judicial determination step should be linked.

http://www.slaw.ca/2017/02/21/tweaking-mediation/

Canada is known for ranking among the top countries in the world by all sorts of measures, though it’s often edged out by Scandinavian countries with top-notch social, health, and transportation policies. The topic of today’s post is a great example of progressive Swedish thinking: the Vision Zero movement.

http://www.vandykelaw.ca/2017/02/what-is-vision-zero-and-how-can-it-prevent-traffic-injuries-and-fatalities/

In an important decision (PDF) by the Workplace Safety & Insurance Appeals Tribunal (“WSIAT”), bicycle and foot couriers have been held to be workers under the Workplace Safety & Insurance Act. This finding gives those individuals coverage for workers’ compensation benefits.

http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=6b6fab82-b69e-498a-8f04-cce8d8889055

Public information sessions are being held in Brantford and Brant County to help people understand what is being considered. As well, the sessions aim to gather input from people to get a sense of what kind of basic income plan they’d like to see locally and in Ontario.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2017/02/21/weigh-in-on-basic-income-pilot-project

In the recent case (Risling v. Riches-Glazema) the Plaintiff was inured in a motor vehicle collision and prior to trial made a formal settlement offer of $315,000.  The

Defendants rejected the offer and proceeded to trial where damages of $622,500 were awarded.  The Plaintiff sought and was granted post offer double costs.

http://www.ilstv.com/double-costs-awarded-trial-judgement-nearly-doubles-plaintiff-formal-offer/

ICBC said in a statement that while most claims are honest, insurance industry studies estimate that fraudulent or exaggerated claims make up about 10 to 20% of all claims costs. “Applying those estimates means that fraud and exaggeration is costing ICBC customers up to $600 million a year, or more than $100 a year for each ICBC policyholder,” the insurance corporation reported.

http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/icbc-launches-education-campaign-insurance-fraud-1004109125/