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The Ontario government is amending a regulation under the Insurance Act to allow auto insurers to give premium rebates to policyholders for up to 12 months following the end of the emergency declared due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Insurance companies indicated that the regulation preventing rebates was a barrier to providing relief to their customers,” said Rod Phillips, the province’s minister of finance. “That barrier has now been removed so auto insurance companies can step up and do the right thing for the people and families of Ontario.”

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Several large insurers have already pledged to offer rebates — in some cases up to 75 per cent — to drivers whose habits have changed as a result of the widespread lockdowns of schools and businesses aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus. For auto insurers, less driving has meant there are fewer driving-related mishaps and lower payouts.