CTV News ran a piece tonight about the sky-rocketing cost of automobile insurance in Canadian provinces, most notably in the Atlantic provinces where the politicians are discussing what to do about it.
All of this got me thinking about Manitoba's most excellent insurance system. I remember back when I was 17 and bought my first car for $200 - insurance, for an entire year, cost me $207 dollars.
You see, Manitoba has operates under a publicly owned insurance system where everyone pays essentially the same insurances - the only variations come from the type of car you drive. Mustang owners pay more than Tempo owners.
Makes sense so far.
The big differential comes from the amount that people pay for their drivers license. I remember a few guys in high school that were paying more than a thousand dollars a year for their license - and those were 1989 dollars.
All of this got me wondering what my rates would be like if I still lived there. 2001 Dodge Caravan SE, living in Winnipeg, All-purpose use,$500 deductible, $1,000,000 liability etc....
All of that would set me back $127 per month.
Wait a second - that's within $5 per month of what I'm paying in a city with almost 10 times the population of Winnipeg and one of the busiest freeway systems in the world.
Those numbers can't possibly be right - can they?