O. Reg. 283/95: DISPUTES BETWEEN INSURERS, Under: Insurance Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. I.8
Today, December 5, 2024, current consolidated laws on e-Laws are current (up-to-date) to November 1, 2024 (e-Laws currency date).
Insurance Act
Loi sur les assurances
ONTARIO REGULATION 283/95
DISPUTES BETWEEN INSURERS
Consolidation Period: From June 8, 2019 to the e-Laws currency date.
Last amendment: 126/19.
Legislative History: 305/98, 38/10, 16/13, 126/19.
This Regulation is made in English only.
0.1 In this Regulation,
“application” means an application for accident benefits (OCF-1) approved by the Superintendent for the purposes of the Schedule;
“benefits” means statutory accident benefits as defined in subsection 224 (1) of the Act;
“completed application” means a completed and signed application;
“Fund” means the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund continued under subsection 2 (1) of the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Act;
“Schedule” means, in respect of an accident, the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule as defined in subsection 224 (1) of the Act that applies in respect of the accident. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 1.
1. All disputes as to which insurer is required to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act shall be settled in accordance with this Regulation. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 1.
2. (1) The first insurer that receives a completed application for benefits is responsible for paying benefits to an insured person pending the resolution of any dispute as to which insurer is required to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 2.
(2) Subsection (1) applies in respect of benefits that may be payable as a result of an accident that occurs before September 1, 2010. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 2.
2.1 (1) This section applies in respect of benefits that may be payable as a result of an accident that occurs on or after September 1, 2010. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(2) An insurer shall promptly provide an application and any other appropriate forms in accordance with the Schedule to an applicant who notifies the insurer that he or she wishes to apply for benefits. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(3) The application provided by the insurer must include the insurer’s name, mailing address and telephone and facsimile numbers. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(4) The applicant shall use the application provided by the insurer and shall send the completed application to only one insurer. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(5) An insurer that provides an application under subsection (2) to an applicant shall not take any action intended to prevent or stop the applicant from submitting a completed application to the insurer and shall not refuse to accept the completed application or redirect the applicant to another insurer. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(6) The first insurer that receives a completed application for benefits from the applicant shall commence paying the benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Schedule pending the resolution of any dispute as to which insurer is required to pay the benefits. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(7) An insurer that fails to comply with this section shall reimburse the Fund or another insurer for any legal fees, adjuster’s fees, administrative costs and disbursements that are reasonably incurred by the Fund or other insurer as a result of the non-compliance. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
(8) In subsection (7),
“insurer” does not include the Fund. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 3.
3. (1) No insurer may dispute its obligation to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act unless it gives written notice within 90 days of receipt of a completed application for benefits to every insurer who it claims is required to pay under that section. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 3 (1).
(1.1) If the dispute relates to an accident that occurred on or after September 1, 2010, a notice required under subsection (1) must also be given to the Fund if the insurer claims the Fund is required to pay benefits. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 4.
(2) An insurer may give notice after the 90-day period if,
(a) 90 days was not a sufficient period of time to make a determination that another insurer or insurers is liable under section 268 of the Act; and
(b) the insurer made the reasonable investigations necessary to determine if another insurer was liable within the 90-day period. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 3 (2).
(2.1) If the dispute relates to an accident that occurred on or after September 1, 2010, the Fund may give a notice under subsection (1) after the 90-day period and is not required to comply with subsection (2). O. Reg. 38/10, s. 4.
(3) The issue of whether an insurer who has not given notice within 90 days has complied with subsection (2) shall be resolved in an arbitration under section 7. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 3 (3).
3.1 (1) This section applies to disputes relating to accidents occurring on or after September 1, 2010. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 5.
(2) Before giving a notice to the Fund under section 3, an insurer must,
(a) complete a reasonable investigation to determine if any other insurer or insurers are liable to pay benefits in priority to the Fund; and
(b) provide particulars to the Fund of the investigation and the results of the investigation. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 5.
4. (1) An insurer that gives notice under section 3 shall also give notice to the insured person using a form approved by the Chief Executive Officer. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 4; O. Reg. 305/98, s. 1; O. Reg. 126/19, s. 2.
(2) Despite subsection (1), if the insurer that gives notice under section 3 is the Fund, no notice shall be given to the insured person under subsection (1). O. Reg. 38/10, s. 6.
5. (1) An insured person who receives a notice under section 4 shall advise the insurer paying benefits in writing within 14 days whether he or she objects to the transfer of the claim to the insurers referred to in the notice. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 5 (1).
(2) If the insured person does not advise the insurer within 14 days that he or she objects to the transfer of the claim, the insured person is not entitled to object to any subsequent agreement or decision to transfer the claim to the insurers referred to in the notice. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 5 (2).
(3) Subject to subsection 7 (5), an insured person who has given notice of an objection is entitled to participate as a party in any subsequent proceeding to settle the dispute and no agreement between insurers as to which insurer should pay the claim is binding unless the insured person consents to the agreement or 14 days have passed since the insured person was notified in writing of an agreement and the insured person has not initiated an arbitration under the Arbitration Act, 1991. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 5 (3); O. Reg. 38/10, s. 7.
6. (1) The insured person shall provide the insurers with all relevant information needed to determine who is required to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 6.
(2) Upon request by the first insurer that receives a completed application for benefits, the insured person shall submit to one examination under oath for the purpose of determining who is required to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act. O. Reg. 16/13, s. 1.
(3) No other insurer is entitled to require the insured person to submit to an examination under oath for the purpose of determining who is required to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act. O. Reg. 16/13, s. 1.
(4) The scope of the examination under oath is limited to matters that are relevant to determining who is required to pay benefits under section 268 of the Act. O. Reg. 16/13, s. 1.
(5) The insured person is entitled to be represented at his or her own expense at the examination under oath by such counsel or other representative of his or her choice as the law permits. O. Reg. 16/13, s. 1.
(6) The insurer shall make reasonable efforts to schedule the examination under oath for a time and location that are convenient for the insured person and shall give him or her reasonable advance notice of the following:
1. The date and location of the examination.
2. The insured person’s entitlement to be represented in the manner described in subsection (5).
3. The reason for the examination.
4. The fact that the scope of the examination is limited to matters that are relevant to determining who is required to pay statutory accident benefits under section 268 of the Act. O. Reg. 16/13, s. 1.
7. (1) If the insurers cannot agree as to who is required to pay benefits, the dispute shall be resolved through an arbitration under the Arbitration Act, 1991 initiated by the insurer paying benefits under section 2 or 2.1 or any other insurer against whom the obligation to pay benefits is claimed. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 8.
(2) If an insured person was entitled to receive a notice under section 4, has given a notice of objection under section 5 and disagrees with an agreement among insurers that an insurer other than the insurer selected by the insured person should pay the benefits, the dispute shall be resolved through an arbitration under the Arbitration Act, 1991 initiated by the insured person. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 8.
(3) The arbitration may be initiated by an insurer or by the insured person no later than one year after the day the insurer paying benefits first gives notice under section 3. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 8.
(4) Despite subsection (3), the arbitration may be initiated by the Fund at any time before or after the expiry of the time limit set out in subsection (3) if the Fund is paying benefits in respect of an accident that occurred on or after September 1, 2010. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 8.
(5) No insured person is entitled to initiate or participate as a party to an arbitration under this section if the insurer paying benefits is the Fund. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 8.
(6) If the dispute relates to an accident that occurred on or after September 1, 2010, the failure of an insurer other than the Fund to comply with section 2.1 or 3.1 may be the subject of a special award made by the arbitrator. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 8.
8. (1) Except as provided in this Regulation, the Arbitration Act, 1991 applies to an arbitration under this Regulation. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 8 (1).
(2) The following rules apply with respect to an arbitration of a dispute relating to an accident that occurs on or after September 1, 2010:
1. If an insurer to whom a notice to initiate arbitration is delivered does not respond to the notice within 30 days, the insurer is deemed to have accepted the jurisdiction of the arbitrator proposed in the notice.
2. A pre-arbitration hearing must be scheduled and take place no later than 120 days after the appointment of the arbitrator.
3. Subject to paragraph 4, once a date for the arbitration is scheduled, the arbitration must be conducted on that day.
4. The arbitrator may grant an adjournment on such terms as the arbitrator considers appropriate, but only if there is cogent and compelling evidence of the reasons why the hearing cannot proceed on the scheduled day.
5. Unless consented to by all parties, the hearing of the arbitration must be completed within two years after the commencement of the arbitration. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 9.
(3) The decision of an arbitrator made under this Regulation must be made public. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 9.
(4) If the decision relates to an accident that occurred on or after September 1, 2010, the decision must be made public,
(a) by the insurer that the arbitrator finds to be liable to pay the benefits; and
(b) in a manner and form specified by the Chief Executive Officer. O. Reg. 38/10, s. 9; O. Reg. 126/19, s. 2.
9. (1) Unless otherwise ordered by the arbitrator or agreed to by all the parties before the commencement of the arbitration, the costs of the arbitration for all parties, including the cost of the arbitrator, shall be paid by the unsuccessful parties to the arbitration. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 9 (1).
(2) The costs referred to in subsection (1) shall be assessed in accordance with section 56 of the Arbitration Act, 1991. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 9 (2).
10. (1) If an insurer who receives notice under section 3 disputes its obligation to pay benefits on the basis that other insurers, excluding the insurer giving notice, have equal or higher priority under section 268 of the Act, it shall give notice to the other insurers. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 10 (1).
(2) This Regulation applies to the other insurers given notice in the same way that it applies to the original insurer given notice under section 3. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 10 (2).
(3) The dispute among the insurers shall be resolved in one arbitration. O. Reg. 283/95, s. 10 (3).
11. References in this Regulation to a form approved by the Chief Executive Officer are deemed to include the last form approved by the Superintendent for the purposes of the relevant provision prior to the day section 22 of Schedule 13 to the Plan for Care and Opportunity Act (Budget Measures), 2018 came into force until the Chief Executive Officer approves a subsequent form for the purposes of the relevant provision. O. Reg. 126/19, s. 1.