CPP not Considered a Policy of Insurance by Supreme Court of Canada

  Canada Pension Plan  (“CPP ”) disability benefits are not considered part of a “policy of insurance” says the Supreme Court of Canada ( click here for Sabean v. Portage La Prairie Mutual Insurance Co., 2017 SCC 7) as CPP is a mandatory government program. This is an important decision for injury claimants in Nova Scotia. However, this decision…

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ICBC Adjuster Got Pleasure Causing Difficulty for Injury Claimant

The government of BC may be preparing to back ICBC in an appeal of a $350,000 award against ICBC for malicious prosecution. Transportation Minister Todd Stone indicated that ICBC may be considering an appeal. This is in a case where employees of ICBC were found to be getting enjoyment out of causing difficulty to innocent accident victims. When…

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ICBC Dial-A-Claim Operator Notes Used Against Claimant With no Lawyer

This ICBC claimant was involved in a motor vehicle accident while driving a vehicle which was insured by  the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC. The claimant reported the accident to ICBC without a lawyer and in so doing made a number of statements regarding the circumstances of the collision. ICBC refused to pay the claimant for his vehicle, alleging the…

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ICBC Doctor Examinations and the Requirement to Attend

ICBC  Medical Examinations Medical assessments and examinations conducted for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, will have profound implications on any personal injury claim. Here are some important requirements that must be in place before an injury claimant must attend at an ICBC doctor: 1. Being an ICBC Insured Being insured with ICBC is defined…

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Maximum Amounts For ICBC Injury Claims

Part of my job as a personal injury lawyer often is to help claimants understand how much money they are entitled to receive from ICBC after a car accident injury.  The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia is a Province wide government created insurance company responsible for compensated victims of personal injury on behalf of their…

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ICBC and the New Duty of Honesty in Contractual Performance

After a car accident the injured expect ICBC to act honestly when administrating accident insurance benefits under the universal auto insurance coverage. However the law in Canada  has never imposed a duty on the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to perform the terms of the contract of insurance honestly, until now. In the ground breaking…

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Important Tips when Reporting a Car Accident in BC: Online and On Time

In British Columbia reporting a motor vehicle accident is different than anywhere else in Canada. The Insurance Corporation of BC, ICBC, is the only insurance company in the Province that is permitted, upon notice, to provide accident benefits to people injured in motor vehicle accidents. As a personal injury lawyer in Vancouver since 1995 my…

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Cyclists Causing Personal Injury and Death Not Insured

If a pedestrian is hit by a British Columbia car, ICBC accident benefits can provide up to $150,000 in medical rehabilitation expenses and disability benefits of up to $300 per week. If the same pedestrian was hit by a bicycle, she would get nothing. The  Chinese tourist pedestrian killed by a cyclist in Stanley Park…

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ICBC Rate Increase 2014: The Truth About ICBC Injury Claims

Being a personal injury lawyer in Vancouver since 1995 gives me the benefit of some experiential knowledge when it comes to what ICBC says publicly about bodily injury claims and how they behave in private litigation. The recent attempt of ICBC to obtain an insurance rate increase is the latest example of a government corporation…

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ICBC Medical Examinations Change for Accident Injury Litigation

When a person is injured in a motor vehicle accident and has already attended a medical  assessment set up by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, does ICBC have a further right to require the claimant to attend  more medical assessments in the personal injury lawsuit against the other driver? Supreme Court Civil Rule 7-6(2)…

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