B.C. introduces new complaint process in bid to increase trust in ICBC

British Columbia's attorney general says the province will "supercharge'' an office that deals with complaints against the Insurance Corporationof B.C. in an effort to increase public trust in the Crown auto insurer.

During a news conference Wednesday, Eby confirmed a new Fairness Office is being created.

"An office that isindependent from ICBC'sclaims arm,is accountable to government, reports publicly to ICBC'sboard, and is simply more accessible to the public when concerns come up."

Eby saidthe office will be required to report to the public in plain language on the type and number of issues that it's heard, along with recommendations that it made to ICBC. The Crown corporation,in turn, will be required to report publicly on actions it takes to respond to these recommendations.

The office will beindependent from ICBC and will offer drivers and passengers"peace of mind" that they will be treated fairly after they've been injured in a crash.

Other changes designed to make the government-owned auto insurer more transparent and accountable include pre-litigation paymentsto crash victims money givenup front without having to hire a lawyer and go to court.

ICBCwill also producea customer-friendly, plain language summary of its annual report so people can see exactly how their premium dollars are spent.

"We're taking these steps to improve the oversight accountability and transparency of ICBC and to begin the process of rebuilding British Columbians trust and confidence in their public auto insurer," said Eby.