Articles

Put auto insurers under microscope

By Alan Shanoff ,Toronto Sun http://www.torontosun.com/2011/08/18/put-auto-insurers-under-microscope Being injured in a car accident isn’t something to which anyone looks forward. Aside from the pain and suffering from the injuries, there’s the potential loss of earnings. But, no worries, we have no-fault income replacement benefits in Ontario. And, of course, an insurance company would...Read More

Clinical Notes and Records

In any lawsuit in Ontario, be it criminal, civil, family or personal injury/insurance, the Rules of Court mandate that parties exchange relevant documentation that they have, or information pertaining to documentation or other relevant information that they know to exist, be it in their possession or not. Most often, the request for documentary information originates with a third party. The...Read More

Kusnierz raises ire of plaintiffs’ bar

Ruling says cumulative injuries may not equal catastrophic impairment By Judy Van Rhijn | The Law Times | Publication Date: Monday, 10 January 2011 The liberal approach adopted by courts and tribunals towards combining impairments when assessing whether an injury is catastrophic received a nip and a tuck in a recent decision. In the case, Kusnierz v. The Economical Mutual Insurance Co., the...Read More

2010 Accident Benefits Changes – A Legal Perspective

SABS CHANGES – LEGAL PERSPECTIVE By Tara Sciara For months legal professionals, insurance adjusters, treatment providers, and to some extent, knowledgeable consumers have feared the effects of the new changes to automobile insurance legislation in Ontario released by the Ministry of Finance.  The changes to both the statutory accident benefits regime and tort litigation arising from motor...Read More

Lawyers Distressed Over Insurance Reforms

But silver lining for legal profession as clients need more advice. The latest round of automobile insurance reforms has introduced big cuts to medical, rehabilitation and attendant-care limits; the removal of housekeeping and caregiver expenses; and the capping of assessment fees and treatment costs for minor injuries. But with only a promise to keep premium increases in check, personal...Read More

Insurer ‘playing hardball’ scores hefty fine

The Ontario Court of Appeal has hit an insurer with a $40,000 penalty for refusing to mediate a dispute it considered to be under the statutory threshold for personal injury damages, a move that reinforces the notion that even private mediation is in fact mandatory. The dispute in Keam v. Caddey arose out of a motor vehicle accident in which Glen Keam suffered personal injuries. The...Read More

Police Ordered to Produce File

Police try to derail suit brought by murdered man’s family Barb Brown – The Hamilton SpectatorHamilton police hope to quash a negligence suit that was brought against the service by the family of a young man stabbed to death by a dangerous fugitive. Corey Rogers, 25, had tried to turn himself into police a week before going on a stabbing rampage on Feb. 17, 2007, outside the Dizzy...Read More

‘Hardball’ auto insurer hit with $40,000 ‘remedial costs penalty’

By Cristin Schmitz, Ottawa September 17, 2010 Auto insurers in Ontario who refuse to participate in mandatory mediation — or who flout their companion statutory obligation to try to speedily settle a case — face “significant remedial costs penalties,” warns the Ontario Court of Appeal. On Aug. 31, the appeal court slapped auto insurer Aviva Canada with paying an additional $40,000 of Glen...Read More

New insurance rules: ‘pay more, get less’

Standard policy cuts medical, rehab benefits in half THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO (Aug 23, 2010) Millions of Ontario drivers will face an array of new choices when they renew their auto insurance policies because of new rules that kick in Sept. 1, but critics say the changes introduced by the Liberal government won’t benefit consumers. One key difference in the new standard auto insurance...Read More

Address to Hamilton City Counsel on Behalf of Afghanistan Veterans

An Address by Lawrence Hatfield Mr Mayor, members of Council, and guests, It is my privilege today to speak on behalf of those here tonight in military uniforms, those who have recently returned from tours with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan.    These men and women have, like so many other members of this community before them, answered the call.  From the War of 1812, to the Boer War, to...Read More