Bulletin
Driving Public Campaign Continues with Your Help
December 9, 2019
To: MoveUP members at ICBC
Staff at ICBC know the importance of public auto insurance for British Columbia. Because of your expert knowledge of car insurance, your voice with our government is critical. All staff, whether you are members of our union, excluded staff or management, owe it to themselves, their families and the rest of BC to stand together and protect public car insurance. It takes less than two minutes to tell our government why you believe public insurance will continue to be better than private, for-profit insurance in B.C. We’re asking all of you to go to DrivingPublic.ca/speak-out and complete the form letting your MLA know why they should commit to fixing public car insurance in B.C.
We’re not going to sugar coat this. The attack on the important work we do is real and it is growing. Groups like the BC Liberals, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (funded by big multinational private insurance companies), the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business are speaking out loudly to eliminate ICBC without regard to the 6,000+ employees who serve communities across the province.
The IBC has even stated that their number one priority in 2020 is bringing down ICBC. And because the allure of potentially paying lower rates is enticing, they are convincing many across the province that this is the best course of action.
Our efforts to protect public car insurance for B.C., and to protect your jobs, will continue in the new year. If you are interested in helping us, please email us at outreach@moveuptogether.ca. We will be lobbying MLAs, city councils, and chambers of commerce. We will be setting up booths at various conferences and conventions. And we will be reminding British Columbians about the important work done by our members every single day.
You know that public insurance is simple and easy to navigate – claimants aren’t chasing down multiple insurance companies every time they make a claim. You know that coverage won’t be cancelled without notice which often occurs with private insurance. You know that roads, and high crash intersections, are made safer because of the investments that ICBC makes in our communities. And you know that our product of Basic Insurance is superior to what is being sold in other provinces.
The backers of private insurance groups are having a hard time keeping their stories straight in places like Alberta, Ontario and the Maritimes where insurance companies are hiking rates by double digits – as high as 50 to 75 per cent in some cases. These stories have been documented on DrivingPublic.ca/news and are shared frequently on our MoveUP Facebook page. These are the stories that British Columbians need to hear about.
Your help is crucial. Together, we can fix public car insurance in B.C. Once again, please take two minutes to make your voice heard and sign the MLA form on DrivingPublic.ca/speak-out and encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same. DrivingPublic.ca is also available in Chinese (Traditional) and Punjabi.
In solidarity,
Annette Toth, Vice-President
David Black, President
