Ford says he'll end 'unfair' insurance premiums based on Ontario postal codes
Ontario drivers could soon see the end of "unfair" insurance policies with premiums based on postal codes, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday.
The Ford government has been implementing driver-friendly policies lately by cancelling licence plate renewal fees, removing some tolls from highways and cutting the gas tax.
But there is another common complaint the government appears ready to tackle – postal code discrimination, and many drivers are upset their premiums could go up based on where they live, even if they have a clean driving record with no accidents or tickets.
At a Thursday press conference, Premier Doug Ford appeared ready to take on the issue, calling insurance premiums based on where you live “unfair” and saying they could be coming to an end.
"I know we’re working on a plan for insurance companies, as far as I’m concerned, that’s totally unfair for the people of Brampton, of Scarborough, they're going after these people based on their postal code,” he said at a press conference.
“That’s going to come to an end real quick. They have to treat people fairly.”
Matt Hands, director of insurance with RateHub, an insurance comparison website, told CTV News Toronto it “doesn’t make sense that someone with a clean driving record has to pay more because they live in a certain area.”
He said changing the insurance system will take time and he believes if people paying higher rates get an insurance decrease, other drivers may see their rates go up.
"They are going to have to spread the risk so it might mean that people who have been paying a lower rate in say London or Ottawa might see an increase to help offset the decreases in the other areas because insurance is all about balancing the risk,” he said.
In the provincial budget released in April the Ford government also said it plans to crack down on insurance fraud, create more choices for consumers and enhance fairness in the system.
While the premier said insurance reform is coming, there's no timeline as to when it could happen. Still, after years of talking about it, substantial changes could be coming to the province's insurance system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.