News and Views

FAIR Response to KPMG Survey

The 91,818 claims were that denied and ended up in the DRS mediation system between 2010 and 2013 represents a shocking number of people unable to access the benefits they need to recover.  The public is becoming aware that they are not getting what they paid for and that our government appears to have a greater interest in the health of our auto insurers’ bottom lines than they do for the health of the citizens of Ontario.

OTHER STAKEHOLDER SUBMISSIONS

Ontario Rehab Alliance ORA Response to KPMG Survey

Ontario Trial Lawyers Association OTLA KPMG Submission. July 2014

OPA Response to KPMG PDF re Auto Insurance-July 30

On February 27, 2014 I requested information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the Social Security Tribunal appeal statistics.

9027 Income Security Appeals are waiting to be heard (these are CPP appeals)

The SST heard 21 CPP appeals in 2013 and 155 appeals in 2014 in the General Division.

The SST heard 38 CPP appeals in 2013 and 40 appeals in 2014 in the Appeals Division.

As of February 2014 a total of 2,802 appeals were received at the Income Security Division of the SST which includes CPP and OAS appeals.

There are 292 Income Security Appeals waiting to be heard at the Appeal Division of the SST.

67 Appeals were heard in person, 82 appeals were by teleconference, 26 were by videoconference, 3 were by way of question and answers.

There were 592 appeals allowed and 134 appeals dismissed at the General Division (interesting because the SST only heard 176 appeals so most of these were CPP driven). http://www.dcac.ca/blog/?page=1

We would like to think that the well-being and recovery of Ontario’s accident victims is priority one for Ontario’s government. The constant erosion of coverage, the abuse of Ontario’s vulnerable accident victims by insurers and their experts tells us that this isn’t so.

FAIR response to FSCO Draft Statement of Priorities 2014 May 30 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xREEBK6QrfA

Why is there no effort on the part of our government to fix this dishonest insurance system that at best can be described as run by insurance companies who are incompetent at handling the claims of their own customers and at worst as a dysfunctional corrupt system that is harming vulnerable injured Ontarians. Bill 171 further entrenches the existing abuses and then makes it more attractive to insurers to increase their rate of denials by rewarding them financially for doing so. By reducing the prejudgement interest insurers owe on payments to MVA victims that they failed to make in the first place, it is the insurers who will benefit.  Bill 171 rewards those unscrupulous or incompetent insurers.

How does that fit in with an elected official’s duty to protect the best interests of Ontarians?

FAIR Submission on Bill 171 April 30 2014

TORONTO, April 28, 2014 /CNW/ – The Standing Committee on General Government will meet to consider Bill 171,An Act respecting insurance system reforms and repair and storage liens.

The Committee intends to hold public hearings in Toronto on Wednesday, April 30, 2014.

Interested people who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation on Bill 171 should contact the Clerk of the Committee as soon as possible, as witnesses will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those who do not wish to make an oral presentation but wish to comment on the Bill may send written submissions to the Clerk of the Committee at the address below by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2014.

An electronic version of the Bill is available on the Legislative Assembly website at: www.ontla.on.ca.

For further information: Telephone/Téléphone: 416-325-3515, Facsimile/Télécopieur: 416-325-3505, TTY/ATS: 416-325-3538, E-mail/Courriel:sylwia_przezdziecki@ontla.ola.org

Changes to auto insurance legislation in Bill 171 are beginning to get the discussion and attention in the legislature that Ontario’s MVA victims deserve after years of being maligned and labelled as ‘fraudsters’ by their insurance companies.

Ensuring that Ontario has a working insurance system that provides good coverage and an honest system of justice for accident victims is part of the bargain and the responsibility of the government. There is also a responsibility that accident victims are not harmed by the process itself by way of the lack of regulations and the harmful practices of some of Ontario’s medico-legal assessors during the course of a claim. We look forward to that issue becoming part of the debate.  Media Release – BILL 171 – CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ACT April 16 2014

FIGHTING FRAUD AND REDUCING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE RATES ACT, 2014

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/house-proceedings/house_detail.do?Date=2014-04-08&Parl=40&Sess=2&locale=en#P905_216221