Category: Law Blogs

Auto insurance premiums continue to rise in Ontario at the same time, benefits are being reduced and limited. In today’s Toronto Star, Ellen Roseman outlines how since September 1, 2010, automobile insurers are classifying 80 percent of all injuries as “minor injuries” which automatically limits all medical and rehabilitation benefits available to an injured victim to $3,500. This $3,500 limit also includes the costs for travel to appointments, administration costs and assessments. The $3,500 is completely inadequate and does not

Insurance inquiry needed | Columnists | Opinion | Toronto Sun. Great article by Alan Shanof. He provides a detailed critique of the biased report from the Ontario Auditor General. If you drive a car in Ontario you need to read this article to understand how the insurers are lying to the public.

Canada News: Ontario needs to corral auto insurance premiums – thestar.com. The insurance companies are always referring to the high cost of claims and fraud for the reason why auto insurance premiums are so high BUT what you don’t hear is that the rates approved by the government include a 12% profit for every policy. I wish I could get a guaranteed return of 12%!

The Ontario Court of Appeal released a decision on October 18, 2011 which ought to serve as a warning to automobile insurers that unfairly deny necessary benefits to their injured clients. In McQueen v Echelon http://www.ontariocourts.on.ca/decisions/2011/2011ONCA0649.htm, the Court was asked to consider whether or not an award of damages for mental distress in the amount of $25,000.00 ought to be upheld. It is noted that the award for mental distress caused by the insurer actually exceeded the value of benefits that

In a recent exit interview conducted by the Globe and Mail, Justice Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada was asked to talk about some of his favourite or most momentous cases, while sitting with Canada’s highest court. Justice Binnie recalled the case of Whitten v. Pilot Insurance, a civil case about punitive damages. The case was in front of the Supreme Court on appeal by the plaintiffs, whose 1 million dollar punitive damages award by a jury at the

Last year, on September 1, 2010, changes were imposed on Ontario’s no fault benefits regime that drastically reduced the benefits available to individuals involved in car collisions. The changes were largely a result of vigorous lobbying on behalf of the insurance companies. Perhaps the most devastating change had been the reduction of medical and rehabilitation benefits. Now, if an individual has sustained what the new legislation refers to as a “minor injury”, no more than $3,500.00 in medical and rehabilitation