Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letters Feb. 8: ICBC overhaul; Dallas Road camper's view

Insurance Corp. of B.C. changes will help crash victims Re: “ICBC to curb lawsuits, sees 20% rate cuts,” Feb. 7.
a11 02082020 underpass.jpg
Traffic flows along the Trans-Canada Highway without having to stop at McKenzie Avenue, thanks to a new underpass. Dec. 19, 2019

Insurance Corp. of B.C. changes will help crash victims

Re: “ICBC to curb lawsuits, sees 20% rate cuts,” Feb. 7.

Finally, after all the tweaking, tinkering and half-way fixes, the government has found the political backbone to really come to grips with the financial woes at ICBC.

Yes, the trial lawyers will scream bloody murder. And who can blame them? This is, after all, their livelihood and a good livelihood it is. But in the final analysis what is really important is the well-being of the victims of automobile crashes. This no-fault system will provide them with the care and the means to get well and return to being productive members of our community.

The present system has been proven to over-compensate those with relatively minor injuries and under-compensate those with catastrophic injuries.

The no-fault system will eliminate that and provide the right level of care and compensation regardless of the severity of injuries. If the legislation will accomplish that and, at the same time, fix the financial problems at ICBC and save us all some money, then we will all be winners.

J.W. Bardua
Nanaimo

No-fault car insurance is just another NDP tax

Attorney General David Eby has repeatedly been telling us that increasing legal costs make ICBC unsustainable. He complains about legal fees to lawyers who represent injured claimants.

ICBC does not pay any of the legal fees of lawyers who represent injured claimants. Claimants pay those fees. Legal fees paid by claimants have never cost ICBC one red cent.

ICBC pays for lawyers it hires to defend claims, and in the spring of 2019, under Eby, ICBC quietly gave those lawyers raises in the order of 40 per cent.

Contrary to what we were previously assured, the latest proposed solution is a “no-fault” system.

“No-fault” means just that: Fault is not a factor in determining compensation, and is taken out of the equation.

The negligent driver who causes an accident gets the same compensation as the innocent person he injures. You don’t need a lawyer because there is not much compensation for anyone.

The idea is that to save money we dramatically cut compensation. Instead of a lump-sum damage payment, an injured person will be able to look forward to modest monthly welfare-type payments after grovelling to an insurance adjuster and with no legal assistance.

No-fault insurance is just one more NDP tax. This time it is a tax on driving, disguised as insurance coverage.

If the NDP government gets its way, British Columbia will be the only province with a government-run auto insurer that has the benefit of a monopoly and offers virtually no coverage in return for some of the highest premiums in the country.

Roxanne P. Helme, Q.C.
Green and Helme
Victoria

Occasional Dallas Road camper wants a job and a place to live

How many employers are going to hire somebody without even meeting them?

I moved here and had $6,000 for a place to pay in advance, enough to cover about six months rent so that I can find a job.

Do you think anybody would rent a place to me? No. They say if you don’t have a job, we can’t rent you a place.

How am I supposed to get a job if I don’t have somewhere to go to shower and sleep and eat?

Kelly Galbraith
occasional camper,
Dallas Road

Send us your letters

• Email: letters@timescolonist.com

• Mail: Letters to the editor, Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, B.C. V8T 4M2.

Letters should be no longer than 250 words and may be edited for length, legality or clarity. Include your full name, address and telephone number.