By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario — April 16, 2019 — The co-founder and CEO of Canada’s most popular insurance comparison site, has praised the Government of Ontario for its new auto insurance policies, which were announced last week.
In an interview with Collision Repair, LowestRates.ca CEO Justin Thouin, who co-founded the business in 2012, said Ontarian drivers were poised to benefit from the plan’s fraud prevention policies and focus on driving competition within the industry.
“We’re thrilled to see the government proposing to give consumers more options and to tackle issues such as fraud — something our partners have talked about a lot and which leads to unnecessary costs that are unfortunately passed on to consumers,” said Thouin. “Fraud isn’t just a repairer issue. It comes from bogus medical and claims—like a person claiming they need two years of massage therapy after a mild collision or bogus lawsuits people hope insurance companies will simply settle.”
The new initiative, called the Putting Drivers First plan, was outlined in the Legislature by Tory Finance Minister Vic Fedeli as part of the Spring Budget.
It aims to reduce premium costs by providing drivers with more options and reducing the amount insurers spend on claims processes. According to the Ford Government, drivers will soon be able to treat auto insurance like a buffet, allowing drivers to pick and choose the coverage that works best for them, though it is unclear what options will become optional.
While the details may be unclear, Thouin believes that the policy has great potential.
“The best insurance is bespoke insurance. The more rates can be tailored to individuals and their driving behaviours, and not based on postal codes, the better,” Thouin said. “The bottom line is that Ontario’s drivers pay the second highest rates in the country because the auto insurance industry is simply inefficient. We need more insurance companies to push premiums down. With more competition, innovation and efficiency are rewarded.”
Another part of the bill which Thouin is particularly impressed by is the proposed Driver Care Card. The new tool, which may be a chip-and-pin card, is expected to simplify the claims process, with insurers loading it with the funds earmarked for repairs or other accident-related expenses.
“At LowestRates.ca, we’ve spoken with hundreds-of-thousands of Canadians each year about insurance. They talk about ease-of-use. People want an insurer that makes changing credit cards simpler,” said Thouin. “Ontario, as the most populous province, could lead the way in terms of auto insurance.”
LowestRates.ca was founded in 2012. Today it provides millions of Canadians with comparisons of rates on insurance, mortgages and credit cards.
