Kelowna General Practice Blog

The fact is some drivers operate vehicles without having insurance, even though it's the law. In British Columbia, drivers purchase public insurance through the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) which leads many to wonder what happens if they suffer a personal injury driving their vehicles. The short answer is as long as drivers whose vehicles were hit by uninsured drivers have insurance, they're covered.

But the insured driver must have purchased collision coverage through ICBC. In that case, according to an ICBC spokesperson, the claim is handled under that collision coverage, and the deductible would be waived by ICBC. The corporation fund covers injuries and collision damage -- up to $1 million for drivers sustaining injuries in an incident in which the at-fault driver doesn't have insurance.

Family situations can get complicated after divorce. When children are a part of the equation, there are many things divorcing parents need to iron out, like child custody. There are guidelines in place in British Columbia under family law; however, when children become old enough, they may begin to assert their desires about which parent they would like to spend more time with, and that might be with the alternate parent -- the one who doesn't have the children most often.

If there is a co-parenting plan in place, parents could choose to modify that plan if the child's desires are in his or her best interests. It might be prudent to have a mediator weigh in on the issue if parents can't come to some mutually agreeable consensus. If these situations are ignored, experts say ill will could continue to fester and create problems. The best outcome is likely to occur when both parents discuss the situation in a spirit of goodwill and remain open to possible change. 

The way in which homes are being marketed and sold today is increasingly changing the housing market landscape. Online auctions are being used more frequently to move real estate in British Columbia. In fact, an upscale property in the Okanagan Valley sold last summer for $5 million after a fight between nine online bidders. 

Realtors acting for both buyers and sellers are using technology more readily to market and sell properties. Buyers can sit in the comfort of their own homes and experience virtual tours of properties in which they are interested. Online auctions and transactions are especially appealing in the luxury home market, but experts believe more business will take place virtually in the coming months.

It seems as though most sunshine coast residents have definitive thoughts on who should be owning property. A recent survey has shown that 78% of British Columbia residents are in favour of implementing policies that restrict foreigners from buying real estate in the province. It is thought that foreign investment is a key factor in driving up property values.

About 3% of all residential real estate sales in British Columbia in 2018 were to foreign purchasers. The survey also showed that the most support for this type of legislation came from Vancouver Island residents who were 88% in favour of foreign real estate investment restrictions. The province has already enacted a foreign buyers' tax that has worked to slow down foreigners from purchasing property in the province over the last four years in the Metro Vancouver area.