The UCP government unveiled a significant overhaul of Alberta’s auto insurance system this week, which will include allowing insurers to raise premiums by more than the current 3.7% cap for vehicle owners with good driving records. The reforms aim to transition Alberta to a predominantly “no-fault” insurance model, a move expected to lower costs for…
We all know that feeling. We’re cruising along, tired and distracted after a long hard day and thinking of all the things we need to get done, when all of a sudden we’re miles down the road with no recollection of getting there. It’s scary, upsetting, and very dangerous. According to the Centers for Disease…
It’s a difficult time to be a student requiring housing in Alberta. Not only is there a shortage of good units available after on-campus residences filled up incredibly fast in Calgary and Edmonton, renters are facing the steepest rent increases across the country. At the University of Calgary, the number of first-year students moving to…
Auto insurance experts have been warning for some time that the number of auto thefts have been increasing dramatically, and the numbers are in to prove it. According to a recent CTV News report, auto theft claims for Calgarians totalled more than $33 million in 2023, and, as a result, theft claim costs in cities…
It will come to the surprise of nobody who drives in Calgary, but the state of our roads falls well below the Canadian average, according to the Pavement Quality Index (PQI). The Calgary Herald reports that PQI ratings show that only 38% of roads in Calgary are rated good or very good. The national average…
A new report from accounting firm MNP has revealed that litigation costs are a major contributor to the rising cost of auto insurance in Alberta. The Canadian Underwriter reports that legal fees have risen 31% since 2018 and account for approximately 20% (or $200 for each policy annually) of the premiums Alberta drivers pay for…
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) recently released the numbers for insured losses due to a summer of wild storms in Alberta. The total is more than $300 million, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., and within that $300 million is $90 million that went to replacing or repairing storm-damaged vehicles.…
The Government of Alberta recently announced changes to the Traffic Safety Act that effect how drivers are meant to respond to emergency vehicles on the road. Starting Sept. 1, Albertans in the lane closest to a vehicle with flashing lights, such as a police car, ambulance, tow truck, maintenance worker or snow plow, are required…
Changes to the graduated driver’s licence (GDL) program announced by the Government of Alberta in September of last year are now in effect. Provided they have had their licence for at least 24 months and have had no demerits within the last 12 months – including zero tolerance for any alcohol or drug consumption –…
Since the beginning of 2023, Canadian drivers are choosing usage-based insurance (UBI) options more and more often, says the Canadian Underwriter. A trend attributed to the rising cost of car insurance across the country, quotes for UBI are up 18.22% year-over-year. Late in January, the Alberta government implemented a rate freeze on car insurance premiums,…