Prince George: BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson is renewing calls for choice in the auto insurance sector following the release of a new report that says British Columbians pay up to 42 per cent more for car insurance compared to drivers in Alberta.

“British Columbians are fed up with ICBC. We are paying the highest car insurance premiums in the country in the middle of an affordability crisis,” said Wilkinson. “ICBC is no longer working for people and I’m a lot less worried about ICBC and more concerned with British Columbians being able to afford auto insurance.”

The analysis of insurance rates done by MNP, one of the country’s largest accounting firms, concluded that British Columbia and Alberta have similar insurance coverage and systems with the exception of Alberta allowing choice and free-market competition. A young driver commuting less than 15 kilometres to and from university in a 2008 Honda Civic would pay $828 less in Alberta than British Columbia for the same coverage.

“The reason we don’t have choice in auto insurance is because the NDP has a love affair with government control, they think they know what’s best for British Columbians,” added Wilkinson. “David Eby and John Horgan need to start treating the people of this province with respect. Let’s get an apples-to-apples comparison of the best insurance quotes for B.C drivers and let’s pick the ones that provide the best rates that work for British Columbians.”

B.C. motorists have seen the average ICBC premium go up a whopping 18.2 per cent under the NDP, and ICBC projects a 24 per cent increase in premium prices over the next three years.