Vaughn Palmer: B.C. NDP promises to improve ICBC’s no-fault after leaving victims to suffer

VICTORIA — NDP Leader David Eby admitted Thursday that his no-fault auto insurance system fails to provide adequate compensation for some accident victims and vowed improvements if his government is re-elected.

“There are serious issues regarding compensation,” said Eby, who added ICBC will have the financial resources “to increase compensation for people who rightly feel they have not been compensated.

“I know the system is not perfect,” he told reporters. “I know because we are doing a review right now.”

The NDP leader’s admission about the inadequacies of compensation was ironic given his role in implementing and overseeing no fault.

When Eby established no fault as an NDP cabinet minister five years ago, he did so with the promise of “enhanced care” for accident victims. But for many victims of catastrophic, life-ruining injuries, the care and compensation has been far from enhanced.

The evidence those failings was compiled in the review Eby cited, conducted by a committee of the B.C. legislature. The MLAs began taking testimony last month from some of the unfortunate victims of ICBC’s limited payout of compensation under no fault.

But shortly before noon Sept. 22, Stephanie Higginson, the NDP MLA chairing the committee, announced that: “I understand the premier is at Government House right now.”

Eby was meeting with Lt-Gov. Wendy Cocchia to secure a dissolution of the legislature for a snap election. Higginson then called for a motion to adjourn the committee, which was effectively shut down because of Eby’s election call.

The committee had already heard testimony from several accident survivors who had been victimized a second time by ICBC’s failure to deliver on Eby’s promise of enhanced care.

Many more were denied a hearing by Eby’s premature termination of the proceedings.

One of those was Dean Ferrer, a sheet-metal worker who sustained a brain injury in an accident five years ago. He summarized his ordeal at the hands of ICBC in an interview with Susan Lazaruk of Postmedia.

Ferrer described how an ICBC adjuster once cut him off his migraine medication and twice suspended him from benefits. He got nowhere with an appeal to ICBC’s so-called “fairness officer.”

He was hoping that his testimony to the committee would let others know the David vs. Goliath aspect of the fight, given the imbalance of a system that denies victims access to lawyers.

“People don’t understand what ‘enhanced care’ is and that the people that are in it are suffering,” said Ferrer. “This was going to be the first meaningful opportunity to give me a little bit of help to effect change for others and for myself.”

One of the saddest stories that never got aired to the committee was that of Vancouver resident Susannah Devitt.