Ontario Government Abandons Auto Accident Victims

TORONTO, May 28, 2015 /CNW/ - Last week the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs met with the public and industry stakeholders to consult on Bill 91, Building Ontario Up Act.

Our legislators chose not to invite auto accident victims to the consultation process and instead opted to look at empty chairs rather than look auto accident victims in the eye and listen to their concerns.

Ontario already has the highest premiums in Canada and the lowest coverage with 80% of claims capped at $3500 for med/rehab. As pointed out by the Ontario Auditor General in 2011, about half of all claims are turned down by insurers and this means that our benefits are also too difficult to access.

Our government is proposing to cut $1 million dollars in coverage from catastrophically injured auto accident victims who currently have $2 million in coverage. Seriously injured victims will see their coverage drop from $86,000 to $65,000.

It appears that our government hasn't considered the recent study that revealed that Ontario drivers were overcharged by their insurance companies by $840 million in 2013 and that we have overpaid insurers by $3-4 billion dollars since 2001.

It is unacceptable to be giving away money to wealthy insurance companies who are already using some very shady business practices to deny a record number of claims.

Victims are downloaded to OHIP, Ontario Works (OW), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and CPP disability. These programs are already overburdened and don't offer the specialized treatments that many victims require so they will simply be left to fend for themselves.

Our government is giving insurers a financial gift by allowing insurers to pay injured victims less and simultaneously download the cost of victims to the unsuspecting taxpayers who are also the same drivers looking for a break on insurance premiums.

So what are we going to do about it?

We invite the public and Ontario's auto accident victims to join FAIR and the Accident Benefit Coalition on Wednesday June 3rd, 2015 from 12 pm- 1:30 pm at Queen's Park at the #Rally4AccidentVictims.

We hope you will sign the petition asking the Government to Stop Reducing Accident Benefits.

FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform is a not-for-profit organization of MVA victims and their supporters. http://www.fairassociation.ca/

SOURCE FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform

Media Contact: Rhona DesRoches, 705 543-0574, [email protected]