Manitoba Public Insurance no longer sending estimators to 20 rural communities

Manitoba Public Insurance has stopped sending estimators to nearly two dozen rural Manitoba communities leaving residents and business owners in those towns feeling snubbed.

The Crown Corporation stopped sending mobile estimators to 20 communities without MPI accredited repair shops in September in an effort to be more efficient and improve service, MPI spokesperson Brian Smiley said in an email.

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But a tow truck operator and resident in one of the affected towns says the moveis doing the exact opposite.

"This has not been thought out," said Bill Bickerton, owner of Bick's Auto in Elkhorn, Man.,one of the affected communities. "This is not a smart thing that they're doing."

Bickerton said before the change, he would tow vehicles from accident scenes to his compound in Elkhorn. An estimator would drive in once per week, complete estimates on all of the vehicles in the compound and then release them toBickerton and their owners to tow to a repair shop of the owner's choosing.

The closest town with an accredited repair shop is inVirden, about 30 km east on the Trans-Canada Highway. Now, vehicles are towed to Bickerton'scompound, then to a compound near Virdenfor an estimate and then towed again to a repair shop.

Elkhorndoesn't have an MPI accredited repair shop.

Operator's bottom line at stake

"The bottom line is we're going to miss out on a lot of the longer tows," Bickerton said, adding when someone has a problem like a mouse infestation in their vehicle, it needs to be towed as far as Winnipeg for cleaning. He said he willmiss out on those long tows because the vehicles will have been adjusted at another compound in another town.

Smiley said the change will improve service to rural residents by offering one-stop appointments, where motorists can have a damage estimate completed and repairs booked in one appointment.

The process will be further improved in the new year when MPI begins a Direct Repair program, which will see accredited shops doing estimates, Smiley said.

No jobs will be reduced oraffected by the change and Smiley said the change will have little to no impact on customers as those who call to book estimates will be redirected to the next town instead.

Residents confused with change

But while the changes might look like a good idea on paper, Bickerton said it has some people in his town scratching their heads.

"People are confused," he said. "They're not sure what's going on."

Bickerton, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, said estimators have come to Elkhornfor as long as he can remember. Estimators would either meet vehicle ownersat his compound or at the local Autopac agency for estimates, but that is no longer the case.

Smiley said stopping the mobile adjuster runs will save between 12.5 and 16 hours a week in driving for estimators, meaning more appointments can be booked in nearby communities.

Bickerton said it's just another service disappearing from small communities.

"It's very poor service for individuals," he said. "Instead of driving into Elkhornto get vehicles adjusted, now they have to drive to Virden. Not everybody gets their vehicles repaired in Virden."

"It's taking one more thing out of a rural community ... in thisday and ages we can't afford to lose anything."

Other communities affected

The other communities that lost MPI's mobile adjuster servicesare Baldur, Birtle, Cartright, Hartney, Ninette, Oak Lake, Rapid City, Rivers, Reston, Rossburn, Sandy Lake and St. Lazare in Western Manitoba as well as Gypsumville, Lundar, St. Laurent and St. Martin in the Interlake.

The eastern Manitoba communities of Elma, Piney and Vita were also affected by the change.