Alberta government and lawyers explore expanding litigation under new auto insurance model

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPolitics Alberta government and lawyers explore expanding litigation under new auto insurance model 'There are other ways to reduce auto insurance premiums for good Alberta drivers apart from ripping away rights from innocent victims' Author of the article: By Cindy Tran Published Sep 16, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 3 minute read Join the conversation Trans-Canada highway traffic heads back into Calgary from the west on Victoria Day at the end of the long weekend on Monday, May 19, 2025. PHOTO BY GAVIN YOUNG /Postmedia Article content The Alberta government is speaking with lawyers about the possibility of expanding litigation in some cases under the new auto insurance model. Article content Over the summer, the Treasury Board and Finance Ministry met with personal injury lawyers to discuss what retaining more litigation rights of Albertans who are in car accidents could look like under the new “care-first” auto insurance model. Article content Article content Article content Mark McCourt, a personal injury lawyer and one of the lawyers who met with officials, said the parties discussed potentially expanding litigation to include Albertans who suffer significant life-changing injuries due to reckless drivers. While no decision has been made yet, McCourt said expanding litigation under the new auto insurance model is better than what is currently on the table. Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content “Eliminating the rights of 99.9 per cent of innocent Albertans that get hurt by reckless drivers, which is what the care-first scheme, as it currently reads, would do, is significantly worse than merely eliminating the rights of 90 per cent of innocent Albertans injured by reckless drivers,” McCourt said. Article content ‘Care-first’ allows limited litigation Article content Alberta’s new “care-first” auto insurance model is set to come into effect January 2027. Article content Under the new model, court access will be available in limited circumstances. Albertans injured in collisions will be able to sue at-fault drivers for pain and suffering damages where the at-fault driver is convicted of Criminal Code offences and…