Provincial governments across Canada are constantly looking for ways to reduce auto insurance rates. To do this, they have tried public and private insurance regimes, changed coverage and benefits, or instituted tribunals to streamline legal systems. British Columbia’s latest changes could tempt other provinces to significantly reduce injured plaintiffs’ access to justice. In 2020, BC’s NDP government introduced Bill 11,
For several years, personal injury lawyers representing plaintiffs have told us many reasons that cases take too long. Litigious insurance companies, requests for overly detailed medical reports, centralization of adjusters, armies of experts, and defence counsel delaying tactics have all been mentioned. In addition, the court systems in many provinces have suffered systemic problems for years. In British Columbia, a
Two provinces now have tribunals to handle some aspects of insurance disputes involving MVA personal injuries. British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) was set up in 2016 to remove some small claims from the provincial court and some disputes from the B.C. Supreme Court. In 2019, the Attorney-General also moved minor personal injury claims (up to $5,000) out of court
A plaintiff has already suffered serious personal injury and endured the financial hardship that accompanied it, not to mention the stress of a daunting court case. Your client should not also have to absorb litigation loan costs, which are clearly the responsibility of the insurance company. Insurance companies use delaying tactics, not to accumulate more information about the file to
There has been some confusion about how the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CSRB) income programs will affect the income of Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients during the COVID-19 crisis. For all ODSP applicants and recipients, CERB and CSRB payments must be reported, and are treated similarly to employment earnings: CERB: The first $200,
With the resurgence of COVID 19, the Ontario Superior Court has suspended jury selection in the “hot spots” of Toronto, Ottawa, and Brampton for one month. All settlement conferences will be conducted over Zoom. Whether to continue jury trials in progress will be decided by the trial judge. In-person non-jury trials and other in-person proceedings (including civil matters) in these
Despite Canada’s vaunted medical “safety net”, our hospital system is not very safe, and injured patients seeking redress face a years-long battle with little chance of winning. On top of that, plaintiffs – as taxpayers – often pay the defendant’s bill. Canada’s patient safety performance is below the OECD average of 37 developed countries. Canadian Institute for Health Information
We have interviewed many Ontario personal injury lawyers over the years, and there is a strong sense that auto insurance companies are increasingly likely to fight plaintiff claims. In earlier articles, we reported several factors driving this perception, including: Ontario legislative changes over the years allowed insurers to “bully” plaintiffs Adjusters used to be independent but now tend to
In recent months, Canada’s paralegals were hit by new rules from the federal government. And Ontario’s paralegals have been hit by provincial budget cuts. Bill C-75 In June, federal Bill C-75, designed to streamline and modernize the criminal justice system, received Royal Assent. The federal government is shifting some caseload away from Superior Court by increasing the maximum penalty for
On October 17, 2018, cannabis sale and use became legal across Canada in a regulated market. To prepare for this, new federal legislation passed in June 2018 to deter and detect those who drive while impaired, by alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs. There are three new offences of having prohibited blood drug concentrations within two hours of driving. There is
