Author Archives: Admin4

In June 2016 the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule will change again.  I say “again” because in my relatively short sixteen year lifespan working in auto, the industry has gone through some major plastic surgery.  It is becoming less and less recognizable as it is nipped and tucked once more, becoming almost unrecognizable as the mandatory product we all purchase to be covered in the event of an accident.

On June 1, 2016, in an effort to reduce insurance premiums in Ontario, the Provincial government has mandated changes to accident benefits. These changes include a $1 million dollar reduction to coverage for the catastrophically injured.

With all disputes regarding accident benefits making their way to the Licensing Appeals Tribunal (LAT) instead of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) as of April 1, London personal injury lawyer Maia Bent tells Law Times that her biggest concern is claimants’ loss of the choice to proceed through the courts.

In last week’s case (Kallstrom v. Yip) the Plaintiff was involved in a total of 6 collisions which gave rise to indivisible injuries of chronic pain and depression.  While dealing with the consequences of her injuries the Plaintiff also made a claim with WorksafeBC and received some compensation.  The Defendants argued that damages must be reduced to the extent of the workplace incident’s contribution to the Plaintiff’s condition.

The 7 Foundations Principles of Privacy by Design provided CANATICS the framework to avoid (or resolve) the dualism challenge.² Several studies by the federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner show that Canadians highly value their privacy. But they are also very concerned about the costs to society of auto insurance fraud. A study by KPMG estimates that auto insurance fraud costs as much as $1.6 billion every year in Ontario alone. In addition to higher premiums for all drivers, organized fraud rings reduce road safety and endanger innocent drivers when they stage collisions to fraudulently collect claims money. And these organized fraud rings include numerous participants – policy holders, relatives, health care providers, paralegals, tow truck operators, body shops etc.

The June 1st accident benefits changes will substantially reduce available funding for accident victims and will cause lengthy “catastrophic impairment” designation delays.

As autonomous cars come to market it is increasingly likely the auto manufacturers themselves will assume liability for accidents, as Volvo has stated it will for all cars involved in its testing phase. The Swedish auto maker announced in April that it would take responsibility for all accidents that occur when their cars are on “autonomous” mode.

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals are moving forward with political fundraising reforms with a ban on union and corporate donations and lower contribution limits for individuals.

In the wake of a Star probe in March that revealed Liberal cabinet ministers had secret annual party fundraising targets of up to $500,000 apiece, Wynne pledged to revamp Ontario’s lax laws.