Unpaid ICBC claims could lead to increase in rates, says B.C. NDP

ICBCdocumentsreleased by the B.C. NDP show its unpaid insurance claimshave nearly doubled over the last fiveyears, which the political party says couldlead to arate increase for B.C. residents.

Results from the Crown corporation'sfirst fiscal quarter of 2016 show an increase in claims and money spent in court, but a decrease in revenue.

"ICBCanalysis shows that this would increase rates forratepayersby half a billion dollars," saidAdrian Dix, the B.C. NDP'scritic for the insurance corporation.

"If any company in the private sector came throughwith these kind of results, everybody involved would be worried," he added.

• ICBC rates could climb 6.7% because of fraud, spike in claims

• Hall of Shame:ICBCreveals top fraud files of 2015

Numbers from the public insurer show claims have shot up from an average of around20,000a year fiveyears agoto 30,000a year now.

ICBC says it's in the midst of hiring new claims staff to deal with the challenge. It saidthe increase in claims is because offraud.

With files from Richard Zussman