SOUND OFF: BC drivers continue to get raked by rates
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RECENT ADJUSTMENTS TO ICBC regulations have brought in sweeping changes to the decades-old institution. Alongside new rules applying caps to insurance claims for pain and suffering, the insurance rate structures for all drivers in B.C. have been tweaked. As a result, insurance premiums have skyrocketed to an almost absurd level for many drivers. I have heard from dozens of upset families and people with clean driving records feeling the pinch of this change. Unfortunately, John Horgan and the NDP have made it clear that they aren’t going to do anything about it. They are not going to budge on this oppressive burden to thousands of British Columbians and they certainly aren’t going to reverse this rate increase. They are, however, going to further stretch the already thinning pockets of people already in need of a break. Nineteen new and increased taxes, a weakening economic outlook, dwindling job numbers, an ever-growing crisis in the forestry sector, and now, another punishing financial drain in the form of ICBC rate hikes. Are you worried yet?
The media have reported some of the most egregious stories so far. In one case an 18-year-old Vancouverite in full-time university, balancing two jobs and a busy soccer schedule is paying nearly $5,500 in insurance on a safe vehicle that costs less than half her annual ICBC rate. This just happens to be an example that’s received media attention, but similar stories are coming in from all over the province. That type of cost is completely punitive, especially for a young adult trying to find their way ahead in a province that’s become increasingly more expensive since 2017.
This brings to mind what happened in the 1990s when the last NDP government made decisions that wreaked havoc on the economy of B.C. and left businesses and families to pack up in search of cheaper jurisdictions like Alberta. I have already heard from people doing that in 2019 – forced to move due to the shrinking possibility of getting ahead in this province – and that worries me. When car insurance rates get in the way of our hopes and dreams, that is a problem.
For most British Columbians a car is a necessity for simple day-to-day existence. Living in urban centres with adequate transit can help, and ride-hailing options will definitely provide some relief. For most people in rural B.C., however, owning a vehicle is the only viable option for operating a productive life. Here in Kamloops-Thompson, we put a lot of kilometres on our vehicles, especially in the winter. It is just part of the cost of living here.
