Auto insurance rates report delayed again

A report on whether New Brunswickers are being overcharged for automobile insurance has still not been released, six weeks after the man behind it said it would be made public.

The report on auto insurance company profits was commissioned and paid for by the New Brunswick Insurance Board under the instruction of chairman Paul D'Astous. The board is tasked with regulating insurance rates in the province and making sure they are just and reasonable.

Critics have argued New Brunswickers have been significantly overcharged for insurance since 2003, adding up to as much as $1,000 per driver over that time period.

The arms-length board, established by the government in 2004, ordered the report two years ago to shed more light on the issue. It has not made the findings public. D'Astous was asked about it again six weeks ago at a meeting of the legislature's Crown corporation committee.

"There is the creator of the report we will have his permission to share this with the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, the people of New Brunswick, and once we have that we will send copies to everybody," he said at the time.

Release it immediately: Liberal MLA

The report has not been delivered. Jack Carr, the Progressive Conservative MLA for New Maryland-Sunbury West, chaired the committee meeting. He said Thursday that D'Astous had personally assured him the report will be released next week.

The whole affair suffers from unacceptable secrecy, said Moncton Liberal MLA Chris Collins.

"This is a report paid for by New Brunswick ratepayers for New Brunswick and we're asking for that information to come out for the people of New Brunswick," he said."Mr. D'Astous, the chairman of the New Brunswick Insurance Board, should release this information right away."

Collins said he believes the report will show drivers have been overcharged under the board's watch.