The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the B.C. government to open up auto insurance to competition.
BC Director of the CTF -- Kris Sims -- says despite the fact B.C. drivers pay the highest premiums in the country, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia is asking to hike rates a further 6.3% regardless of driving record.
Sims says while it's true the former BC Liberal Government siphoned money out of the crown corporation's coffers, and the NDP are tasked with trying to fix something that really isn't fixable through service cuts and restrictions -- the truth is the monopoly isn't working:
" But at this point I don't care who caused this problem. It could be the flying spaghetti monster. Nobody cares. They just want choice and they want lower auto insurance rates. And that is why I'm totally willing to have a clean page. And now that the leader of the BC Liberals, Andrew Wilkinson, is saying it's time to open it up to competition, maybe change it into a co-op, but people are finished with this monopoly, I completely agree."
Sims says if ICBC wants to hike rates again, B.C. drivers should have the right to take their business somewhere else.