An inquiry has been requested into Manitoba Public Insurance’s recent $320 million rebate to motorists.
CAA Manitoba and the Consumer Association of Canada (Manitoba Chapter) are working together to request that the Public Utilities Board take a second look at the way in which the rebate was facilitated.
Some motorists have been filing complaints because their cheques weren’t as large as they had expected. The average rebate per policy holder was $450.
“In the past several weeks, while we’ve heard from many Manitobans who are very happy with the process, but we’ve also heard from many who received far less than they expected and don’t understand why,” said Liz Peters, spokesperson for CAA Manitoba.
The review process will examine how many ratepayers received less than expected, if rebates were less for reasons out of a ratepayer’s control, and if there is a way to permanently change the process so for future rebates, all ratepayers receive a fair amount.
“There’s a process in place to ensure rates are set in a fair, public way,” said Gloria Desorcy, executive director of the CAC. “The rebate process — especially a rebate of this size — should be held to the same expectation for transparency. We believe an inquiry is the best way to restore trust to the rate setting process.”
