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The ICBC website has a handy new online calculator for figuring out your next car-insurance premium. Just click on all the basic information like your driving experience, any accidents you’ve had, where you live and presto! It tells you how much your insurance should cost for a year.

But there’s a disclaimer on the site: “Educational purposes only.” To actually buy the insurance, you have to go to a broker’s office.

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“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Aaron Sutherland, vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, representing private insurance companies. “The website will give you a premium quote, but you can’t click ‘buy.’

“Why? You can do every other financial transaction in your life online, but in B.C. you can’t renew auto insurance.”

Annette Toth, vice-president of the union representing ICBC workers, says forcing you to go to a broker’s officer is actually good for you.

“They want to make sure people have the right coverage,” said Toth, whose MoveUP union has launched an ad campaign attacking private auto insurance. “Having a one-on-one conversation with a broker is the best way to do that.”