BC Conservatives promise to replace ICBC no-fault system with a hybrid model

According to a letter Doerkson sent on September 29, 2026, to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Law Society of British Columbia, the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia, and the Canadian Bar Association's BC branch, a Conservative government would introduce legislation in its first year to restore the right of people with serious injuries to seek compensation through the courts. The letter also identifies a hybrid model as the goal and lists Ontario, Alberta, and four Atlantic provinces as examples BC could follow, as reported by Daily Hive Vancouver on October 6, 2026.

BC currently uses ICBC's 'Enhanced Care' system, which was introduced about five years before this election. Under this system, injured people receive care and recovery benefits instead of being able to sue for damages in court. ICBC reported that customers saved an average of $490, or 28 per cent, on full-coverage personal auto insurance when first renewing under this model, according to Daily Hive Vancouver's reporting. The BC NDP government introduced the system and has defended it as one of the most affordable auto insurance systems in Canada.

The BC NDP and the union MoveUP say yes. MoveUP president Annette Toth told Daily Hive Vancouver on October 6, 2026, that the Conservative plan would double auto insurance rates. BC NDP leader David Eby said the plan would cost British Columbians money and called it a private deal with lawyers and the insurance industry. The Conservative Party of BC rejected these predictions, saying the NDP used unsupported figures to alarm drivers. The letter itself does not provide a cost estimate or financial breakdown of the proposed changes, Daily Hive reported.

Daily Hive Vancouver reported that the letter commits a Conservative government to introducing legislation during its first year in office to restore the ability of people with serious injuries to seek compensation through the courts rather than through ICBC's online tribunal. The letter also mentions opening auto insurance to possible private competition as an option being considered, though Doerkson described it as something under review, not a firm commitment. The letter does not provide a premium estimate, Daily Hive reported. The legislation would be developed with input from ICBC, lawyers, insurers, healthcare providers, and other groups.

BC NDP leader David Eby called the letter a secret deal and said Doerkson had agreed privately to changes that would benefit trial lawyers and the insurance industry at the expense of drivers. Eby argued the previous approach, before the no-fault system, consumed billions of dollars in lengthy legal disputes that could otherwise have gone toward helping injured people recover. Eby said: 'For a leader of a major party in this province to enter into a secret deal with those lawyers to sell out British Columbians and not tell them the truth is disgraceful.' The Conservative Party rejected the characterization, as Daily Hive Vancouver reported on October 6, 2026.

The letter is from September 29, 2026, and was obtained and reported by Daily Hive Vancouver on October 6, during the election campaign. Car insurance rates affect almost every driver in BC. The question of who pays more or less if the system changes is directly relevant to voters deciding which party to support before October 24. Both the NDP and the Conservatives have put forward different accounts of what the Conservative plan would mean for premiums, and neither side's figures have been independently audited.

Lorne Doerkson is the interim leader of the Conservative Party of BC and a candidate in the 2026 provincial election. His page is at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson. The Conservative Party of BC page is at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc, where you can find information about the party's platform and all its candidates across BC's 93 districts.

A hybrid system combines elements of a no-fault model, which pays for care and recovery directly, with a traditional at-fault model, which allows people to sue for compensation in court when they are seriously injured. The Doerkson letter identifies Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador as provinces using hybrid models, according to Daily Hive Vancouver's reporting on October 6, 2026. BC's current ICBC system is fully no-fault. A hybrid would restore some access to courts for serious injury cases while keeping the direct benefits structure for less severe injuries.