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Canadian Bar Association Comes Out Swinging Against Proposed Law Stripping Judicial Access For British Columbians

Written by admin on . Posted in ICBC Minor Injury Caps.

The current BC Government talks tough about impaired and distracted driving.  Instead of taking action against poor drivers, however, the Government has inexplicably introduced a Bill targeting the rights of those injured by negligent drivers.  Not only does the Bill take away the judicial rights of British Columbians, it also takes away their common law compensatory rights.
In a move that is medically baffling the proposed law calls a host serious medical conditions including major depression, PTSD, Anxiety Disorders and Chronic Pain Symptoms “minor injuries“.
The BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association is the latest to speak against this proposed law.  In a press release issued today the CBABC raises the following concerns.  Hopefully the Government is listening.

CBABC President Bill Veenstra calls on Attorney General David Eby and Premier John Horgan to withdraw provisions in proposed new legislation introduced yesterday that restrict the rights of citizens to receive full and fair compensation and create new, exclusive resolution processes for disputes outside of the Courts.
“The approach that the government is taking punishes victims of negligence and does not reflect the many ways that our members and others have identified as data-driven, innovative solutions to address the Corporation’s multiple years of over-extending its liabilities while providing profits to government,” said President Veenstra.
“ICBC for many years was extremely profitable, resulting in government taking funds out of ICBC that never should have been taken out. The shift from very profitable to very unprofitable has many reasons beyond an increased number of collisions. ICBC will not be moved to a profitable or self-sustaining model without addressing these systemic reasons.”
“Of significant concern are the proposed changes to the ability of an insured person to resolve disputes about what is fair and adequate for their injuries through the courts. The Civil Resolution Tribunal is a relatively new organization with very little experience in personal injury matters. Its adjudicators have short tenures and thus limited independence from government, and the Tribunal is responsible to the same Minister as ICBC,” said Veenstra. “The proposed threshold of $50,000 is substantially greater than the CRT’s current threshold of $5,000 for small claims. Our courts do a good job of resolving disputes fairly, and trial dates are available within a few months for those plaintiffs who have straightforward claims and whose injuries have resolved. The government’s emphasis on speedy resolution through the CRT fails to account for the importance of ensuring that injuries have resolved before any decision is made on compensation.”
“There is no question that change needs to happen at ICBC, to make it accountable and ensure that its business management decisions are made in a transparent way. Providing the Corporation with an open avenue to limit how much someone can receive to cope with the impact of their injuries only punishes BC citizens without any consequences for the Corporation not improving its own management practices. The people of BC deserve better from their insurer, and from their Government,” said Veenstra.
 

NDP Introduces ICBC Bill Saying "Psychiatric Conditions" Are "Minor Injuries"

Written by admin on . Posted in ICBC Minor Injury Caps.

Today the BC Government introduced their so called ‘minor’ injury Bill strippng the judicial rights of collision victims.
Despite their media soundbites to the contrary, the Government is calling many serious injuries “minor” even those that can have permanent consequences.
Included in their open ended list of “minor injuries” are “Psychological Conditions, Psychiatric Conditions and Pain Syndromes“.  Pain Syndromes by definition are long lasting and debilitating mental health conditions.
On its plain reading this definition of “minor” captures

  • Chronic Depression
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Conversion Disorders
  • Chronic Pain Syndromes
  • Chronic physical injuries
  • Disabling physical injuries
  • All psychological “conditions”
  • All psychiatric “conditions”

The Bill, if passed into law, will strip the judicial and compensatory rights to everyone in BC who suffers a “minor injury” at the hands of a careless driver after April 1 2019.  All this so careless drivers can pay less for their insurance.   Below is the government’s open-ended list of everyone who will be captured by this bill designed to beef up ICBC’s bottom line.  Note they can grow it whenever they want by ‘prescribing’ more injuries to the list and by prescribing criteria to call even permanent injuries minor –

“minor injury” means a physical or mental injury, whether or not chronic, that

(a) subject to subsection (2), does not result in a serious impairment or a permanent serious disfigurement of the claimant, and

(b) is one of the following:

(i) an abrasion, a contusion, a laceration, a sprain or a strain;

(ii) a pain syndrome;

(iii) a psychological or psychiatric condition;

(iv) a prescribed injury or an injury in a prescribed type or class of injury;

“permanent serious disfigurement”, in relation to a claimant, means a permanent disfigurement that, having regard to any prescribed criteria, significantly detracts from the claimant’s physical appearance;

“serious impairment”, in relation to a claimant, means a physical or mental impairment that

(a) is not resolved within 12 months, or another prescribed period, if any, after the date of an accident, and

(b) meets prescribed criteria.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) and the regulations, an injury that, at the time of the accident or when it first manifested, was an injury within the definition of “minor injury” in subsection (1) is deemed to be a minor injury if

(a) the claimant, without reasonable excuse, fails to seek a diagnosis or comply with treatment in accordance with a diagnostic and treatment protocol prescribed for the injury, and

(b) the injury

(i) results in a serious impairment or a permanent serious disfigurement of the claimant, or

(ii) develops into an injury other than an injury within the definition of “minor injury” in subsection (1).

(3) An injury is not deemed, under subsection (2), to be a minor injury if the claimant establishes that either of the circumstances referred to in subsection (2) (b) would have resulted even if the claimant had sought a diagnosis and complied with treatment in accordance with a diagnostic and treatment protocol prescribed for the injury.

(4) For the purposes of this Part, a minor injury includes a symptom or a condition associated with the injury whether or not the symptom or condition resolves within 12 months, or another prescribed period, if any, after the date of an accident.

 

What Will ICBC's "Minor" Injury Caps Look Like?

Written by admin on . Posted in BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, ICBC Minor Injury Caps, Uncategorized.

As previously discussed, ICBC and the insurance lobby are on the cusp of persuading the BC Government to pass laws capping ‘minor’ injuries and reducing judicial remedies for those caught by the cap.
Assuming the insurance lobby get their way what will ‘minor’ injury caps look like?  The details are incomplete but this is what is known right now.
Who gets stuck with a cap?
If you are injured by the negligence of a distracted, impaired or otherwise careless driver you are having your judicial rights for non-pecuniary damages (pain and suffering) substituted with a government created artificial cap.  In a bizarre twist the Government is proposing to increase the benefits available to the careless driver if they are also injured at the cost of stripping some of the faultless party’s rights.
How much is the minor injury cap?
It is proposed that the cap will be set at $5,500.
How much of a reduction is this from my current legal rights?
A cap already exists across all of Canada (BC included) for non-pecuniary damages in negligence cases.  This cap was set by the Supreme Court of Canada in the late 1970’s at $100,000 and is indexed for inflation.  In today’s dollars non-pecuniary damages can be assessed up to, approximately, $370,000.
What is a “minor” injury?
I put the word “minor” in quotations because the definition will likely capture many claims most people would never consider to be minor.  It is not a medical term, rather, it is a phrase invented by the insurance industry.
The Government has been silent on the exact definition they will use however BC’s Attorney General has stated that the defininon will include “sprains, strains, mild whiplash, cuts, bruises and anxiety and stress“.  These all sound minor but the devil is in the details.  What if injuries become chronic problems?
ICBC hints that chronic injuries can get out of the cap however there’s a catch.  Not only will the injuries need to be chronic but also significantly disabling.  ICBC notes that “if the injury impacts your life for more than 12 months – for example, you’re still not able to go to work or school, have to modify your work hours or duties, or you’re unable to care for yourself – it will no longer be considered minor.”.
So, if ICBC gets their way “minor” will include injuries which can totally disable you for over 11 months.  They will also include permanent injuries so long as you can continue to “go to work or school“.
Who decides if my injury is “minor”?
The Government has been silent on this other than stating  “a medical professional” will decide if your injury is “minor“.  It is unclear exactly who this medical professional will be.
Is ICBC Foolproof in Designating Injuries as “minor”?
Of course not.  In ICBC’s own words they consider many injuries minor that are, in reality, complex and costly.
What if I want to challenge the designation?
The BC Government has noted that disputes over “the classification of an injury” will be funneled to the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal.
This means that if ICBC (or whatever ‘medical professional’ the government designates as the decision maker) says you have minor injuries you will not be able to have this challenged in court.  Instead you will be forced into a tribunal system.  The tribunal is not presently equipped to handle cases of medical complexity.  They currently only deal with strata fee disputes and very minor small claims.
As of now this Tribunal does not allow people to be represented by lawyers with s. 20 of the law creating the tribunal stating that the default position for hearings is that “the parties are to represent themselves“.
The Tribunal also does not have the ability to make binding judgements in Small Claims cases with s. 56.1 of the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act allowing a losing litigant to simply ‘object’ to the result.  The law states that “A party that is given notice of a final decision in relation to a tribunal small claim may make a notice of objection…..If a party makes a notice of objection under this section the final decision is not binding on any party“.
The above are just a few of the shortcomings the BC Government will have to overhaul if they stick to their plan to funnel ‘minor’ injury claims to the Tribunal.
When will the cap come into force?
The BC Government is proposing that people injured by negligent drivers on or after April 1, 2019 will be caught by the cap.
Can I do anything about this?
Yes.  It is not too late to take action and tell the government ‘no to caps’ if you think this is a bad idea.

Government Plans to Strip Rights for Insurance Company Profits; ICBC Targeting Psychological Injury

Written by admin on . Posted in ICBC Minor Injury Caps, Uncategorized.

Today the BC Government held a press conference where widespread changes targeting the rights of British Columbians to save ICBC money were announced.
In short the Government is creating an artificial cap on what they call ‘minor’ injuries.  As previously discussed even ICBC admits that the term minor injury catches injuries that are ‘complex and costly’.  The pain and suffering cap will be set at $5,500 and is set to kick in in April 2019.
The Government did not provide a full definition of what they call ‘minor’ but ICBC is already noting that in addition to soft tissue injuries that can disable you for up to a year the cap will also target psychological injuries with the insurer publishing a press release saying mental health issues such as ‘anxiety‘ will be caught by the cap.
The Government stated that “a medical professional” will decide if your injury is “minor“.  It is unclear exactly who this medical professional will be.  If you wish to dispute this designation the government is limiting your rights here as well.  The press release notes that certain ICBC claims will be forced to be adjudicated, not by the courts, but by the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal.  Disputes over “the classification of an injury” will be funneled this way.
As of now this Tribunal does not allow people to be represented by lawyers with s. 20 of the law creating the tribunal stating that the default position for hearings is that “the parties are to represent themselves“.
Lastly, if you wish to not have your rights stripped by caps the Government is asking that the victim of bad drivers, not the bad drivers themselves, pay more stating that “Drivers will have an option to purchase additional coverage for a higher limit in pain and suffering compensation. The limit will be set at $75,000 and will cost approximately $1,300 a year, on top of the cost of their basic and other optional insurance. Charging for this optional coverage means the customers who stand to benefit from increased coverage will pay for it, rather than every B.C. driver.”
You read that right – if you don’t want your rights stripped you need to pay $1,300 more per year, not the distracted and impaired drivers on our roads!
As Yogi Berra said, It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over!  If the above strikes you as unfair please  contact your MLA and tell the government plainly and clearly ‘no to caps’.

ICBC Admits Lobbied "Minor" Injury Caps Will Impact "Complex and Costly" Claims

Written by admin on . Posted in ICBC Minor Injury Caps, Uncategorized.

As discussed last month, after years of record profits ICBC is experiencing a bout of financial hardship.  In turn the government is considering stripping your rights if you are injured by a distracted or impaired driver.  Stripping judicial rights to save bad drivers and ICBC money.  A poor trade-off.
Today ICBC published a press release noting they “are working hard alongside government to take the steps necessary to bring about long-term solutions which will put ICBC back on a stable financial footing, one that will create a sustainable auto insurance system for B.C.”
The “work” is persuading government to pass a law placing a cap on what they call ‘minor’ injury claims.
ICBC’s own press release, however, advanced the best argument why caps are a defective idea that target seriously injured victims.
In ICBC’s own words
“older claims – some dating as far back as 2010 – which were initially presented as minor injury claims have since emerged as more complex and costly, large loss claims. Over the past 12 months, we have experienced an unprecedented 80 per cent growth in large loss claims which have an average cost of $450,000 per claim.”
I could not make the argument better myself.   You can be injured by a bad driver and suffer “complex and costly” injury that initially presents as minor.  ICBC knows a “caps” law will catch claims worth hundreds of thousands dollars and instead result in victims receiving pennies on the dollar for long term pain and disability.  They want victims to shoulder the shortfall so bad drivers and the insurance industry can benefit.
If this seems unfair to you contact your MLA and tell the government plainly and clearly ‘no to caps’.

Tell the BC Government "No!" To Stripping Rights Of Those Injured By Impaired and Distracted Drivers

Written by admin on . Posted in ICBC Minor Injury Caps, Uncategorized.

The Government is flirting with the idea of stripping your rights if you are injured by a distracted or impaired driver.
If you think this is a bad idea tell the government no.
If you want your voice to be heard here are some quick steps you can take to stand up for your rights.

  • Follow ROADBC, a coalition of British Columbians committed to protecting the rights of anyone injured on our roads
  • Contact your MLA.  Tell them “No to caps” and to keep British Columbians rights intact when injured by careless drivers
  • Join ROADBC’s Facebook Page and share this page with those that share your views

Here’s some background on the current situation.
ICBC is under financial pressure.  That has not always been the case.  In recent years the public insurer was so profitable that the past government scooped nearly $1.3 billion from the crown corporation.
Instead of putting this money back into ICBC or taking less drastic solutions the Government has publicly mulled stripping victim rights to save the insurer money.  When the government strips you of your rights it rarely gives them back.
This is done with talk of “caps”.  In short this means restricting the rights of those injured by careless drivers.  Caps are not new and are the creation of the insurance lobby as product to increase profits.  Caps exist in many jurisdictions across Canada and the US and are proven not to be effective in stabilizing insurance rates.  Insurers, even after successfully persuading governments to limit victim rights, look for ever increasing premiums.
The root cause of ICBC’s financial issues are collisions caused by distracted drivers.  Instead of targeting victims of crashes the focus is better placed on bad drivers.

  • Efforts to make our roads safer by reducing speeding, distracted and impaired driving
  • Higher risk drivers should fairly pay higher premiums reflective of the risk they cause.
  • Embracing safe driving technologies projected to cut down collision rates
  • Returning the $1.3 Billion of past profits taken from ICBC

If you want to say no to the Government stripping your rights to benefit bad drivers contact your MLA and tell them no to caps.