Quebec motorcyclists sue insurance board

By
Zac Kurylyk
-
A rider's group in Quebec is sueing the SAAQ for $100-million.
A rider's group in Quebec is sueing the SAAQ for $100-million.
A rider’s group in Quebec is sueing the SAAQ for $100-million.

For years, the Quebec government has had a reputation of being anti-motorcycle. Now, some motorcyclists are pushing back.

CBC is reporting a group of Quebecois motorcyclists have launched a $100-million lawsuit against the provincial insurer.
According to the story, Michael Mosca, the president and founder of the Motorcyclist Movement of Quebec, says riders are being discrminated against unfairly; Mosca claims licensing fees have gone up 400 per cent since 2008.
Mosca’s group represents 8,000 motorcyclists in Quebec.

A spokesperson for the provincial insurer (the SAAQ) says they’re surprised to hear of the lawsuit, because they’ve actually been able to lower some motorcycle insurance premiums recently.

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13 COMMENTS

    • Brilliant deduction TK4—-That is probably it—We really need invisible helmets! A little bit of moulded Lexan, some transparent jell and hey—-time to bake your brain! lol

  2. To be able to afford to ride in Manitoba I had to swap out my 550cc motor for a 500cc motor. So instead of paying approx. $1200. For the short riding season in Manitoba I was able to reduce it to around $895 or so. And this was for a 1974 Honda cb550. We here in Manitoba are all to familiar with being screwed by an anti motorcycle government monopoly insurance

  3. I have had a licenced bike on the road for 35 years, I have worked threw the high cost of insurance by not being spoiled and only riding small displacement single cyl bikes that I could afford to insure, P.L.P.D for the cheaper bikes until I proved to the Insurance that I was not a Liability. Then I moved to Quebec and the Insurance is still low enough, But the plates are Crazy, My bike is a 1100 Shadow, That’s $600 bucks for plates, But the poor guy on a 1100 sport bike is $1,200 a year just for the Licence plate. That’s Messed Up. THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE FIGHTING. If you want lower insurance quit riding with sneakers and shorts.

  4. Like others in Canada, it’s an industry lacking competition and oversight. We are legally required to do business with them, but they are not required to cover us. The result is a culture of arrogance and entitlement (I have experienced in decades of riding) where instead of competing for your business they perceive themselves as doing you a favour to do business with you.

  5. There is graft and corruption within ICBC to be sure … and being Gov. owned they sold off the only profitable part of the company years ago.

  6. Insurance companies are, generally speaking, such low-lying scum that bottom-feeders like carp would be ashamed to cruise past them. I figure the only place in Canada with a reasonable approach is ICBC in Briitish Columbia, and every province should simply contract out to them.

  7. Let’s ask ourselves a basic question: why motorcyclists pay the insurance? They cannot cause a damage to others but only themselves. Themselves they can injure if they are dumb, true. So, its for incurred medical cost, right ? Oh, wait a minute, we have a “free healthcare” in Canada – which makes us so proud, don’t we?! We pay for it by our “fair share” of taxes. Can you see heights of this SCAM? It’s sky reaching!

  8. It was originally comparible to a car at around the $250 mark. Then went up as high as $1400-$1600 for a sports bike and back down to around $1000 this year (with other new factors including penality points). The 400% increase is for 2013 rates (non sports bike went up 200%) – but of cousre they are surprised as a reduction from 600% must look like a great savings! Quebec bikers must have taken the SAAQ license plate slogan to heart “je me souviens” – I remember!

  9. TK4—–They LIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED! Honestly!
    So now the Q motorcyclist have hired Quebec lawyers to ‘honestly’ represent THEIR interests. HA HA
    They may be bikeless before this is over.

  10. Come on people, insurance companies are your friends – sheesh !
    I know they are because they told me so, and they wouldn’t lie…

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