August 18, 2026 (Toronto, ON) – The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) is calling on the Ontario government to address the unintended consequences of the auto insurance changes that came into effect on July 1, which are already leaving some injured Ontarians without access to essential accident benefits coverage.
These changes affect not only drivers but also people without their own auto insurance policy, including pedestrians, cyclists, passengers using rideshare services, individuals travelling in taxis and public transit users. Many of these Ontarians have lost important accident benefits coverage without any knowledge of the change or opportunity to make an informed choice.
“These changes do not eliminate the needs of people injured in motor vehicle collisions, they simply shift the responsibility elsewhere,” says Jay Ralston, President of OTLA.
“When accident benefits are no longer available, injured Ontarians will increasingly rely on publicly funded health care, income support and other social services to meet needs that were previously covered through the auto insurance system. These costs do not disappear; they are transferred from insurance companies to Ontario taxpayers.”
OTLA has developed practical, evidence-based recommendations that would address these unintended consequences while supporting the government’s objectives for auto insurance reform.
The government has characterized these changes as giving Ontarians greater choice in determining the coverage they purchase. But choice is only meaningful when people understand what they are giving up and the potential consequences of that decision. Ontarians cannot make an informed choice about coverage they may not realize they are losing, particularly when the consequences may not become apparent until after a serious collision. Choice without understanding what is being given up is not meaningful choice.
In an effort to ensure elected officials understood the potential consequences of the changes before they took effect, OTLA met with more than 40 MPPs in November 2025 to share its recommendations and has continued to seek meetings with Premier Doug Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. Following the Premier’s recent public comments acknowledging that he was unaware of one of the consequences of the July 1 changes, OTLA renewed its request to meet with him, but that request was promptly declined.
“We are disappointed that, after publicly acknowledging that he was not aware of an important consequence of these reforms, the Premier remains unwilling to meet with an Association that has been raising these concerns and offering practical solutions,” says Ralston.
“This experience has demonstrated why staff-level meetings are not enough. We appreciate the time political staff have given us, but meaningful decisions can only be made by those with the authority to make them. If the Premier was not fully briefed on the impact of these changes, that only reinforces why it is important for our Association to meet directly with the people responsible for those decisions.”
OTLA has met with political staff within the Ministry of Finance and the Parliamentary Assistant and has consistently provided constructive, evidence-based recommendations. However, the final decisions rest with the Premier and the Minister of Finance.
For years, the government has heard extensively from the insurance industry through the Insurance Bureau of Canada. However, OTLA offers a different perspective; one grounded in the experiences of injured Ontarians and the lawyers who help them navigate Ontario’s auto insurance system every day.
Good public policy requires decision-makers to hear from all affected stakeholders, not just one side of the debate.
“We are not asking for special treatment,” says Ralston.
“We are asking for the opportunity to present practical solutions that protect injured Ontarians while helping the government achieve its policy objectives. Better public policy is made when decision-makers hear from everyone affected by their decisions.”
OTLA has built productive working relationships with other ministries and has demonstrated that meaningful engagement leads to better outcomes. We remain ready to meet with the Premier and the Minister at their convenience to discuss practical solutions that protect injured Ontarians and strengthen Ontario’s auto insurance system.
OTLA encourages Ontarians who want to better understand these changes and their potential impact to visit TruthAboutInsurance.ca, a public education resource that provides information about Ontario’s auto insurance system and the consequences of recent reforms.
