What you need to know about changes to auto insurance in Ontario

The Medical and Rehabilitation benefit covers the cost of reasonable and necessary medical and rehabilitation expenses (e.g. physiotherapy, prescriptions) incurred as a result of an auto accident that are not covered by OHIP or your disability insurance plan.

Injury Type	Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Non-catastrophic	$100,000	$50,000
Catastrophic	$1,000,000	$1,000,000 (No change in this amount)

View the options available to increase your benefits

The Attendant Care benefit pays for an aide or attendant to look after you if you have been seriously injured in an accident.

Injury Type	Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Non-catastrophic	$72,000	$36,000
Catastrophic	$1,000,000	$1,000,000 (No change in this amount)

View the options available to increase your benefits

The Income Replacement benefit provides coverage for loss of income if you cannot work as the result of injuries sustained in a car accident. The standard level of income replacement that you may be eligible for is a weekly income benefit of up to $400.

Injury Type	Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Non-catastrophic	80% of net income up to a maximum $400 per week	70% of gross income up to a maximum $400 per week
Catastrophic	Same as above	Same as above

View the options available to increase your benefits

If you are providing full-time care to dependants and can no longer provide that care as the result of an auto accident, you may be eligible for caregiver benefits to reimburse you for your expenses to hire someone to care for your dependants.

Injury Type	Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Non-catastrophic	Up to $250 per week for the first dependant plus $50 for each additional dependant	Not applicable
Catastrophic	Same as above	Up to $250 per week for the first dependant plus $50 for each additional dependant

View the options available to increase your benefits

If you are unable to perform your usual duties due to your injuries sustained in an auto accident, the Housekeeping and Home Maintenance benefit pays for reasonable and necessary additional expenses for someone to complete your usual duties.

Injury Type	Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Non-catastrophic	Up to $100 per week	Not applicable
Catastrophic	Same as above	Up to $100 per week

View the options available to increase your benefits

If you die as a result of an auto accident, the death benefit provides a lump sum payout to your spouse and your dependant; the funeral benefit provides a lump sum payout to cover the costs of your funeral expenses.

Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
$25,000 lump sum for an eligible spouse: $10,000 sum for each dependant; maximum $6,000 funeral benefit	$25,000 lump sum for an eligible spouse: $10,000 sum for each dependant; maximum $6,000 funeral benefit (No change in this amount)

View the options available to increase your benefits

Pays for additional expenses incurred to care for your dependants if you are employed and are injured in an auto accident.

Injury Type	Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Non-catastrophic	Not applicable	Not applicable
Catastrophic	Not applicable	Not applicable

View the options available to increase your benefits

The automatic adjustment of the income replacement benefit, non-earner benefit, attendant care benefit or medical and rehabilitation benefit according to the Consumer Price Index for Canada to compensate for inflation.

Existing Accident Benefit Amounts (Existing policies prior to Sep 1, 2010 until next renewal date)	New Accident Benefit Amounts (New or renewed policies effective Sep 1, 2010 or later)
Not applicable	Not applicable

View the options available to increase your benefits

The majority of policy holders will not see a decrease in their auto insurance premiums as a result of the reform. Individual policy rates are determined by a number of factors, including your driving history, age, type of car and where you live.

If your auto insurance policy was renewed prior to September 1, 2010, the existing accident benefit amounts  will remain the same until your next annual renewal. However, you may request to change your accident benefit amounts to reflect the new accident benefit amounts at any time. Speak to a licensed RBC Insurance advisor if you wish to make the change prior to your next renewal date.

The new accident benefit amounts will be applied to policies that come up for renewal any time after September 1, 2010. You will receive a renewal letter at least 30 days prior to your policy expiry date. This is a good opportunity for you to review you policy to ensure you have the right coverage for your needs.

• Renewals prior to September 1, 2010: If your auto insurance policy was renewed prior to September 1, 2010, the existing accident benefit amounts will remain the same until your policy renews the following year.
• Renewals after September 1, 2010: The new accident benefit amounts will be applied to policies that come up for renewal any time after September 1, 2010. You will receive a renewal letter at least 30 days prior to your policy expiry date.

To help you better understand the changes and how they may affect you, please visit:

• Financial Services Commission of Ontario
• Insurance Bureau of Canada Consumer Information Centre

The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) is an arm's-length agency of the Ministry of Finance. FSCO integrates the operations of the former Ontario Insurance Commission, Pension Commission of Ontario, and Deposit Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance.

As an integrated regulator, FSCO merges Ontario's regulatory activities governing pensions, insurance, loan corporations, trust companies, credit unions, caisses populaires, co-operatives and mortgage brokers into one body.

For more information, contact the Financial Services Commission of Ontario:

• (416) 250-7250
• Toll-free 1-800-668-0128
• www.fsco.gov.on.ca

Established in 1964, Insurance Bureau of Canada is the national industry association representing Canada’s private home, car and business insurers. Its member companies represent 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. The P&C insurance industry employs over 110,000 Canadians, pays more than $6 billion in taxes to the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and has a total premium base of $39 billion, approximately half of which is derived from automobile insurance.

For more information, contact the Insurance Bureau of Canada

• (416) 362-9528
• Toll-free 1-800-387-2880 (Ontario only)
• www.ibc.ca

Accident Benefits are a standard feature found in all Ontario automobile insurance policies. They provide coverage for the costs associated with medical & rehabilitation services, attendant care, housekeeping and home maintenance expenses, caregiver expenses, income replacement benefits, dependant care, indexation (inflation) and death & funeral benefits, that arise as a result of an automobile accident.

The biggest impact will be on lowering the limits of certain Accident Benefits while also giving you an opportunity to purchase additional coverage based on your needs.

Coverage details on medical & rehabilitation, attendant care, housekeeping and home maintenance expenses, caregiver expenses, income replacement, dependant care, indexation (inflation) & death and funeral benefits can be found under the “Understanding what’s changing” section of this site.

Your claims experience will not be impacted, and you continue to have access to our trusted service. If you ever need to make a claim, our claims professionals are just a phone call away, ready to provide you with prompt, hassle free attention and advice.

As is the case for any automobile claim, we will review the policy coverage that you had in place at the time of an accident, and determine your coverage and entitlement to benefits based on this information.