CALL 24/7Joanna Sweet, managing partner at Greg Monforton & Partners and president-elect of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA), joined The Morning Show with Devon Peacock last week. During this interview, Joanna discussed the recent changes to Ontario’s auto insurance system, especially the resulting gap in coverage for some of the province’s most vulnerable road users.
Income Replacement Benefits Are No Longer Guaranteed
On July 1, 2026, significant changes to Ontario’s auto insurance rules went into effect. Joanna explained that several accident benefits that used to be standard with every policy in the province are now optional. “It was a big change. It was one of the biggest changes we’ve seen in auto insurance,” she said.
The most significant of these changes involve income replacement benefits. Income replacement benefits ensured that anyone injured in a car accident and unable to work would still have money coming in each week. Under the new rules, drivers can opt out of that coverage entirely.
“Now not everybody in Ontario is going to have that,” Sweet said. “And it’s going to affect people in ways that maybe weren’t well thought out in the first place.”
These changes were reportedly made to give drivers more say in what they purchase, but what everyone may not realize is what they are giving up when they opt out.
Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Riders Without a Policy Are Left Exposed
During the interview, Joanna focused heavily on a group of individuals that likely don’t expect to be affected at all.
This Group Loses Income Replacement Benefits Entirely
Joanna explained that pedestrians, cyclists, and other individuals who do not have an auto insurance policy of their own or who are not covered by a spouse or a parent, will no longer have access to income replacement benefits. This is true whether the at-fault driver keeps the non-mandatory bethenefits or opts out of this coverage.
OTLA’s Advocacy Before and After the Changes
In The Morning Show interview, Joanna noted that the OTLA had raised concerns about these changes with the government before the changes took effect. “We’ve been sounding the alarm and we met with lots of different MPPs,” she said, “and would have very much liked to meet with the Minister of Finance and the Premier himself to discuss these, to make sure that those perhaps unintended consequences were at least on their radar so something could be done about it.”
Despite those efforts, however, the OTLA was unable to secure a meeting with the Minister of Finance or the Premier before the changes were implemented. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get those meetings,” Joanna said. “I don’t think that message got all the way to the top.”
The OTLA Will Continue to Speak Up for Ontario’s Vulnerable Road Users
Joanna continues to represent the OTLA’s voice on this important issue, pushing for a solution that protects vulnerable road users who had no say in these changes. As this conversation with the province continues, she remains a vocal advocate for finding ways to proactively close the gap.
