Alberta's new auto insurance system lacks clarity on whether or not there will be cost savings: experts
'They also reference the province of Manitoba in there. I would want to know how much Manitobans actually get paid, versus what the benefits are on paper,' Litwiniuk said.
'People get lured in by the big numbers, because the care-first system numbers that they've outlined, some of the numbers look pretty big. The question is, where's that money going to come from if the insurers are already pleading poverty,' he said.
Officials at a Wednesday technical briefing said the new system reduces the need for litigation because of how high the benefits are.
Under the new model, Albertans injured in collisions will only be able to pursue litigation in select cases such as for pain-and-suffering damages if the driver was convicted of an offence under the Criminal Code or Traffic Safety Act, or those who have to pay out of pocket beyond the benefits provided by the policy will also be able to sue the at-fault driver for those expenses.
According to the report, by reducing the cost of litigation, Albertans can 'expect to see a stabilization of rates and a reduction in the premiums they pay for third-party liability coverage under their auto insurance policy.'
Personal injury lawyer Mark McCourt, who has been advocating against the reforms, said in his 30 years practising at McCourt Law Offices, there has been one person who has received the current maximum $50,000 payment in medical expense benefits.
'There's there's a reason there are lawyers in the system. Lawyers are there to keep wrongdoers honest and with the lawyers out of the picture, the wrongdoers and the representatives of those wrongdoers, in this case insurance companies, are going to be able to act with impunity,' McCourt said.
McCourt said once the new system is implemented on Jan. 1, 2027, it could mean the end of the line for his business.
'I don't think my business is going to be able to survive with a 99 per cent decrease in revenues, and that would go for every other injury law firm in the in the province,' McCourt said.
Alberta NDP affordability critic Sharif Haji criticized the province's lack of clarity on how the reforms will reduce premiums, despite the government's claims about affordability.
'I think taking away the right to sue is problematic … but other than that, it doesn't provide any substantive way to see that how much premiums will go down,' Haji said.
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