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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1989-05-03, Page 7No faint system urged to cut insurance ED rile`` OTE: This is the fourth in a ,t ; •l mr les on Ontario's ear insurance system A. >ntr , motorists ponder the recent confusion u- undfng tat a insurance system . the - iced... —ent is pushing rhea.. with studies of no-fault cove 'e — a fundamental reform it hopes • . a L in the rapidly rising costs of ac- cident claims. T. surprise move, the t earn ent said pia i major cbang.' it ear insurance ran ysterr y. r.;ec r .,tke effect by June 1 h"' x e.. put ur. hold. The an - noun • incelled the planned elimina- tion of agc, sex and marital status as rating criteria. The changes had been expected to result in lower insurance prices for many your male drivers but higher rates for most others. At the same time the government ruled that car insurance companies cannot in- : ease drivers' premiums by more than 7.6 per cent. Financial Institutions Minister Murray Elston said changes in the rating system will be held up pending a decision on no- fault. The Ontario Automobile Insurance Board (OAIB) ope.,1 . , ,folie hearings April 17 on t a , . orm < of n& -fault insurance. The Board, a government agency, regulates the ear in- surance system run by the private in- surance industry. Under the present system, people hurt in car accidents can receive accident benefits to a maximum of only $140 a week. To receive additional compensation they must sue and prove another driver was at fault. More and more Ontario accident victims have been launching lawsuits to settle claims, and average court awards have been rising. The cost of bodily injury set- tlements has nearly tripled over the last eight years to about $1 billion annually. Insurance industry officials say two things are needed to bring these skyrocketing costs under control. One is in- troduction of some form of no-fault in- surance to compensate those injured in car accidents. The other is reform of the civil justice system as it relates to car insurance settlements. Under no-fault insurance, r ..r accident victims receivt benefits almost automaticalli — at higher levels than the present sytt m provides — regardless of whether the) caused the accident. In ex- change for higher and quicker compensa- tion, their right to sue for additional com- pensation is restricted or eliminated. The OAIB is exploring the costs and ad- vantages of three systems — two forms of so-called "threshold no-fault", plus a "choice" system that would give motorists the option of purchasing either no-fault coverage or the traditional fault -based in- surance now in effect. Under threshold no-fault, injured persons are paid set amounts by their own insurance to cover economic losses, including lost wages. Funds are also available to pay medical, rehabilitation and funeral costs. Victims can sue to recover additional economic costs not covered by their no-fault benefits. But they can't sue for non- economic damages such as pain and suffer- ing unless the seriousness of their injuries meets a certain level or "threshold". The OAIB study is considering two threshold definitions including one used in the New York State. Generally, threshold no-fault restricts pain and suffering lawsuits to cases involving severe injuries causing death, dismemberment, significant loss of body function or disfigurement. Under the "choice" system being studied, motorists would be required to choose bet- ween no-fault and fault -based personal in - Fight over principal transfer still on The fight to keep three Huron County Secondary School principals from being transferred is not yet over. The local branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation has filed a grievance with the Huron County Board of Education in regard to the transfers. The Huron board would not confirm that a grievance has been reveived by the board, but John Gnay, the OSSTF district represen- tative, has stated that the grievance was filed. Neither the Board nor the OSSTF is mak- ing any comment about the situation, but HCBE Superintendent of Personnel, Gino Giannandrea did comment on what the pro- cedure for dealing with a grievance is. Mr. Giannandrea, while not commenting on whether or not the board has received a greivance, said if . a greivance is received the board has five days to respond. The OSSTF can either accept the explanation (for the transfers) and drop the grievance, or ask for arbitration. If the grievance goes to arbitration a representative for each of the teachers and the Board would be selected, and a third party agreed upon by both parties would round out the board of arbitration. The board of arbitration would hear arguments from both sides, call witnesses, etc. much like a court case. The entire procedure, Mr. Giannandrea says, could take as long as two years, and in the meantime it's business as usual, and the board's decisions are carried out. Board trustees decided last February that Joe Wooden, of Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton, will go to Exeter's South Huron Secondary School, and be replaced by Jim Moore. Exeter's principal and that town's mayor, Bruce Shaw, is to be transfer- red to Goderich District Collegiate Institute to fill the position of Herb Murphy. Mr. Mur- phy is to replace the retiring Ken Wood at F.E. Madill in Wingham. The move by the teacher's union comes after students and the public failed to sway trustees into changing their decision in mov- ing the principals. Scott produces best medium eggs The best eggs in Ontario were all under during the official trophy presentation on one roof at the Poultry Industry Conference the first day of the Exhibition. and Exhibition, held April 12-13 in London. Judging of the 89 entries from across On The eggs were there to compete for top tario was done by officials from Agriculture honors in eight categories in the Ontario Canada. According to Contest organizers, Egg Producers' Marketing Board's 9th An- entries this year were among the highest m nual Egg Quality Contest. quality ever received. The Egg Quality Con - Scott Poultry Farms of Seaforth won the test is held each year to promote egg quality Contest's Grade A Medium category and among Ontario egg producers and were awarded the New Life Mills Trophy consumers. Dinner benefits Wawanosh Nature Centre A fund-raising dinner to benefit the Wawanosh Nature Centre for Conservation Education was held on April 15th at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Cen- tre. The event, hosted by the Maitland Con- servation Foundation, raised about $8,100. "The Conservation Foundation was thrill- ed by the number of enthusiastic supporters who attended this, our first major fund- raising event, or provided donations of goods or financial support", noted Vince Judge, Conservation Foundation Chairman. Proceeds from the event will help to fund improvements to facilities at the Wawanosh Nature Centre that are nearing completion, including additional classroom space, new washrooms and better wheelchair access. The Nature Centre, operated by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, is visited by a total of about 5,000 school children annually from Huron, Perth, Bruce and Wellington Counties. The Wawanosh Nature Centre is located on concession six - seven of East Wawanosh Township. The fund-raising dinner, attended by over 200 people, featured a raffle, live and silent auctions, and local entertainers. With the success of this event the Conservation Foun- dation hopes to be able to make this fund raising dinner an annual event. DieSel-lbugh. Savings All John Deere diesel compact utility tractors are tough enough to take what your jobs dish out. And affordable enough not to break your budget. All John Deere diesel compact utility tractors can cut grass, blow snow, do loader work. All have 3 point hitches and rear PTO for any implement you have. Put a John Deere diesel to work for you today. SSS Store Hours lame 'si A.8 Set: 8 3 cwln if,Garden CEN1RE EXETER yWyWALKERTON 8lW 0.4, N f4 61M6440.4. N. oou"Nrir 50.3, w. 4S18)Y81-2231 A Division of Huron Tractor L.W. 4 jury coverage at the time they buy their insurance. Choice no-fault differs from threshold re - fault. While accident victims would recei, the same high levels of benefits to compen- sate for economic losses, they would give up all rights to sue. Those choosing fault -based coverage would retain the right to sue to recover both economic and non -economic losses if another motorist is found to be at fault. The amounts of compensation beyond the stan- dard $140 -a -week accident benefits would be decided by the legal system. They would not be compensated if they themselves were at fault. Under the choice system, motorists would be able to switch from one type of coverage to the other. But once an accident happens, those involved are bound by the type of in- surance covering them at the time. Policyholders could increase their defined no-fault benefits by paying higher premiums. The insurance industry says either form of no-fault could be offered to consumers at lower prices than fault -based insurance because a no-fault system would streamline the settlement process, cutting down on legal costs. "The present system clearly encourages injured parties to resort to lawsuits and to try to get as much compensation as they can," says Jack Lyndon, president of the In- surance Bureau of Canada. "The increasing size of court settlements, the cost of hiring lawyers and pursuing litigation, and the sheer mass of red tape has a tremendous impact on the cost of car insurance." Mr.Lyndon welcomed the government's ex amination off the no-fault alternative and the Ontario government's recent announcement of planeto reform some aspects of the civil justice system as "steps in the right direction." THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MAY 3, 1989 — 7A THE RISING COST OF FINDING FAULT 9.9' GAR CLEARANCE. CENTRE "SPECIAL" FINANCING ON USED CA "S & TRUCKS Max. $10,000 and 24 months MAY 8TH TO THE 15TH, 1989 40 USED CARS & TRUCKS TO CHOOSE FROM THE AUTO C(CAUSENWERE Is THE TRV WE MUST SELL AMBASSADORS OF SE9GRSFORLE55' "LOWER COUNTRY PRICES" FR NE I3T-0650 50L08 LD18S2 EXETER Mark J. MctlwaiB - Sale;Representative Metropolitan Life AND AFFILIATED COMPAI41E5 98 Ueis. Main Street Saa10.7R °narlo ' 505 150 011541519) 0 71.2041 __.._ Maid we (S19) 527.2268.. 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