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Manitoba Public Insurance expects to have a fair and equitable insurance premium rate for vehicle-for-hire drivers by Feb. 28.

"People pay the risk they represent," CEO Dan Guimond told a legislature committee Tuesday morning.

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Guimond said that the rest of Manitoba's drivers would not have to subsidize anyone who works for Uber or any other drive-for-hire ride-sharing operation once the province passes legislation expected later this fall.

"We understand the city, by December, wants to pass a bylaw," Guimond told the committee.

Each municipality in which such services would operate needs to pass a bylaw, he said, and once MPI works out potential rates, it would then have to take that rate before the Public Utilities Board for approval, which he expects would happen by the end of February.

"We want to be sure we have a solution that's fair and equitable — Winnipeg can be the model," Guimond said.

Meanwhile, New Democrat Crown services critic Tom Lindsey focused his remarks on the corporation's staffing levels and service availability. He told the committee that there is nowhere in Snow Lake to get any services from MPI, and his riding of Flin Flon has no claims centre — people have to drive to The Pas.

Guimond said MPI is promoting a direct repair service. People drop off their vehicle at the repair shop, and there is no need to go to a claims centre if the work falls within a range on which MPI has authorized that shop to do an estimate.

"We won't consume as much of our customers' time," he said. "We value their time."

While ever-more-sophisticated vehicles cost more to repair, technology has reduced the number of claims, he said, citing cameras in vehicles as an example of technology having reduced costly bumps and scrapes.

"As technology rolls out, we see customers are having less claims. We have plans of reducing our head count," Guimond said. "We have to prepare for this reality.

"Adjusters will always be required," but fewer will be needed, he said. As well, through automation improvements, "We're trying to shrink how much work everyone here has to do."

Lindsey said the province should be requiring MPI to retrain workers, if fewer staff will be needed to deal with fewer claims.

But Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen told Lindsey that won't be happening.

"I'm not sure it's MPI's role," he said. "There's lots of kinds of training options out there."

Guimond added that MPI reduces staff through attrition.

"We never let people go because of technology," he said. "We never do it on the backs of people, put people out on the street."

"I like your answer much better than the minister's," Lindsey told Guimond.

Guimond said that MPI projects that by 2025, the reduction in claims through technological safety improvements will balance off the higher costs of repairing sophisticated equipment in vehicles.

He told the committee that MPI is preparing plans for dealing with driverless vehicles, especially how to set premiums and who'll pay them.

"It really boils down to, who's the driver? Who accepts liability?" he said. "Who's your customer? The manufacturer?"

Guimond said that if a computer is driving a car after dropping passengers off at work, then the manufacturer has the liability and needs insurance coverage.

"The definition of driver will change. Eventually, we will not be able to hold a person liable," he said, adding he's not looking forward to that day.

"We're talking here way into the future," he said. "I love driving, I dread the day I have to go to a track to drive a car. That's what's going to happen."

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca