NDP’s Proposed “Injury Caps” and ICBC Doctor Martin Grypma

Mussio Goodman has written extensively about one of ICBC’s favorite “independent medical examiners” Dr. Grypma here and here. Dr. Grypma’s reports have been rejected by the courts more than a dozen times. Judges have described him as being “deliberately or grossly careless”, “argumentative” and “incorrect”, and his opinions have been disregarded as “ill-considered and superficial.”

Now the Globe and Mail has just published a damning exposé on ICBC’s use of Dr. Grypma, which mirrors the very public advisories we previously issued.

Indeed, in spite of their assurances about treating injured claimants fairly, ICBC has hired and continues to hire doctors who have a well-established reputation for bias and other questionable conduct.

Now the NDP wants to institute a “cap” on “minor injuries”, which will limit an injured victim’s access to legal representation, rehabilitation, and fair compensation. The question is, who determines whether the injury is minor? The public has every right to be concerned over the prospect of ICBC paying very good money to their stable of reliable doctors to ensure they get the “minor” diagnosis they want.

ICBC was well aware of Dr. Grypma’s dubious reputation for years, and yet they kept hiring him. One can reasonably assume it was to achieve their goal of cutting benefits and reducing compensation. And now we want to give them even more power over injured victims’ access to rehab and fair compensation?

There are other ways to solve ICBC’s financial problems. Punish the bad drivers, not the victims. Call your MLA and say NO to caps.