Good news for Manitoba drivers whose vehicles were hammered by hail in the storm last week: Manitoba Public Insurance is opening a dedicated hail estimating centre in response to a backlog of claims related to the spring deluge.
The provincial insurer says it has received almost 1,200 hail-related claims in the past week alone, on top of more than 15,000 from 2023.
Customers who have opened a hail claim but haven’t had an appointment scheduled will be contacted by MPI beginning Wednesday, and will be given an appointment at the new hail estimating centre — also known as MPI’s Physical Damage Centre on Plessis Road.
Although the centre is expected to take on 70 appointments each day, priority will be given to those who have been waiting the longest.
“Last year, we experienced one of the most significant hail claim seasons in our corporation’s history,” MPI president Satvir Jatana said in a statement.
“Customers have been patiently waiting for hail estimating appointments and given the recent storms, we are committed to making our services available as quickly as possible and in a way that meets their needs through this specialized service option.”
If your vehicle has hail damage but you haven’t made a claim yet, you can do so online or by calling the insurer at 204-985-7000.