In an effort to speed up the resolution of disputes between drivers and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), the Crown corporation will be establishing a new tribunal.
The province said Wednesday that the Independent Claim Dispute Tribunal (CDT) will come in to effect if a driver doesn’t like MPI’s final offer on a write-off, or the quality of a repair.
The tribunal won’t, however, be dealing with appeals related to bodily injuries.
MPI’s Brian Smiley said the CDT won’t necessarily see heavy use – MPI currently needs to have only a dozen or so claims a year settled by a provincial adjudicator. The estimate is that the tribunal could potentially see up to 700 applications a year, which is a small percentage of the 200,000 annual damage claims that cross MPI desks.
“It’s going to be completely separate from MPI,” said Smiley.
“There are going to be government-appointed adjudicators. Presumably they’ll either be active or retired folks in the legal profession who are familiar with such things.”
MPI said its staff will advise claimants if decisions are eligible to be reviewed by the tribunal, and the goal is for adjudicators’ decisions to be rendered within 90 days.
“Some claims can be very complicated and disputes may occasionally arise,” said Ben Graham, MPI’s president and CEO.
“The tribunal will create a faster and more efficient option for customers to appeal a fault finding in a claim, settle disagreements over repairs or total loss payouts.”
The creation of the tribunal is part of the Pallister government’s action plan for its first 100 days since the Sept. 10 provincial election.