Finding car insurance can be stressful and challenging, especially for those who don’t have much experience in average rates and coverage
The Many Ways to Save on Auto Insurance in Alberta
Many factors affect Alberta’s car insurance rates, from the condition of your vehicle to where you drive and park, or even your educational and driving history! The following are just a few of the ways that you may be able to save on your auto insurance rates.
By starting with online comparison, you will be able to check average auto insurance rates in Alberta. If you’ve been with the same insurer for a long time, it may be challenging to beat their rates (especially if you haven’t had any recent claims), but it’s always worth looking. If you don’t have a good driving record, keep in mind that this will only affect you for approximately three years. At that time, previously incurred tickets will be removed from your history, and your premiums may be reduced.
If you haven’t done so already, you can complete a driving course in an attempt to reduce your insurance premiums with some insurance companies. If the car you’re currently driving isn’t worth very much, consider only getting the minimal coverage required by law, without collision damage. This will likely mean that you’ll have liability insurance and will still be protected if you damage someone’s vehicle, but the damages on your vehicle will not be covered.
If you’re a more experienced driver, you may be able to save by increasing your car insurance deductibles and thus incurring higher payments for damages in case of an accident.
Something as simple as where you park your vehicle can also affect your insurance rates. By parking in a safe location, like a private or secure garage, you will likely receive lower premiums. If you need multiple kinds of insurance coverage (like auto, home, and life insurance), many companies will give you the option to bundle them together for a discounted rate.
Graduates of individual Canadian universities may be eligible for a discounted rate from some insurance providers. Some insurance providers will offer a discount to members of specific professional organizations, such as Certified Management Accountants of Canada or The Air Canada Pilots Association.
As a senior citizen, you will also save since most companies offer discounts to seniors.
Understanding Auto Insurance in Alberta
When choosing auto insurance, it’s essential to understand the kinds of insurance available to you. This will ensure that you choose a plan that works best for you and that you don’t end up paying for things you don’t need.
Although auto insurance is required by law in Alberta, the government only regulates the minimal amount of third-party liability insurance on your automobile, which is $200,000. In contrast, we recommend having at least $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 in liability coverage to protect yourself and your finances should an accident happen.
Alberta uses an “at-fault” insurance approach for bodily injury and vehicle damage liability. In contrast, the province uses a “no-fault” approach to accident benefits coverage, meaning that each insurer pays its policyholder’s claim. Alberta’s car insurance rates are at an average of $110 per month, which are not the highest in Canada. Still, you must understand what is offered to search for the best price properly.
The Types of Automobile Insurance Offered
Starting with basic coverage, all drivers within Alberta’s province need personal liability and property damage (PLPD) insurance, which is also referred to as third-party liability insurance. This is legally mandatory to drive within the province, as it covers damages caused by your vehicle to another person or their property.
Although the minimum is currently $200,000, it is wise to seek a higher coverage amount, as stated above. Alberta also requires drivers to have accident benefits coverage, as this covers the passengers of a vehicle in the event of injury or death. Regardless of who may be at fault, this kind of insurance will cover medical and rehabilitation costs, funeral expenses, death benefits, and income replacement, depending on the situation. Accident benefits will also give you uninsured motorist coverage if you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.
Although third-party liability and accident benefits insurance is the minimum requirements necessary to drive in Alberta, other types of coverage may interest you. For example, collision coverage will cover any repairs to your vehicle that have been caused by an accident with another vehicle or an object. Best of all, the repair or replacement of your vehicle is covered, regardless of whether or not you are at fault for the damages.
Comprehensive insurance goes a step further by covering damages to your vehicle that were not the result of an accident or collision of any kind. This insurance protects your vehicle from threats, including fire, theft, vandalism, and environmental or weather-related damages. This is the most significant degree of coverage available through an auto insurance policy.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A linebacker at Division II West Virginia State was fatally shot during what the university said Thursday is being investigated by police as a home invasion.
The body of Jyilek Zyiare Harrington, 21, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was found inside an apartment Wednesday night in Charleston, police Lt. Tony Hazelett said in a statement.
Hazelett said several gunshots were fired during a disturbance in a hallway and inside the apartment. The statement said Harrington had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they had no information on a possible suspect.
West Virginia State said counselors were available to students and faculty on campus.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jyilek’s family as they mourn the loss of this incredible young man,” West Virginia State President Ericke S. Cage said in a letter to students and faculty.
Harrington, a senior, had eight total tackles, including a sack, in a 27-24 win at Barton College last week.
“Jyilek truly embodied what it means to be a student-athlete and was a leader not only on campus but in the community,” West Virginia State Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Nate Burton said. “Jyilek was a young man that, during Christmas, would create a GoFundMe to help less fortunate families.”
Burton said donations to a fund established by the athletic department in Harrington’s memory will be distributed to an organization in Charlotte to continue his charity work.
West Virginia State’s home opener against Carson-Newman, originally scheduled for Thursday night, has been rescheduled to Friday, and a private vigil involving both teams was set for Thursday night. Harrington previously attended Carson-Newman, where he made seven tackles in six games last season. He began his college career at Division II Erskine College.
“Carson-Newman joins West Virginia State in mourning the untimely passing of former student-athlete Jyilek Harrington,” Carson-Newman Vice President of Athletics Matt Pope said in a statement. “The Harrington family and the Yellow Jackets’ campus community is in our prayers. News like this is sad to hear anytime, but today it feels worse with two teams who knew him coming together to play.”
DETROIT (AP) — Joe Schmidt, the Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the Detroit Lions win NFL championships in 1953 and 1957 and later coached the team, has died. He was 92.
The Lions said family informed the team Schmidt died Wednesday. A cause of death was not provided.
One of pro football’s first great middle linebackers, Schmidt played his entire NFL career with the Lions from 1953-65. An eight-time All-Pro, he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and the college football version in 2000.
“Joe likes to say that at one point in his career, he was 6-3, but he had tackled so many fullbacks that it drove his neck into his shoulders and now he is 6-foot,” said the late Lions owner William Clay Ford, Schmidt’s presenter at his Hall of Fame induction in 1973. “At any rate, he was listed at 6-feet and as I say was marginal for that position. There are, however, qualities that certainly scouts or anybody who is drafting a ballplayer cannot measure.”
Born in Pittsburgh, Schmidt played college football in his hometown at Pitt, beginning his stint there as a fullback and guard before coach Len Casanova switched him to linebacker.
“Pitt provided me with the opportunity to do what I’ve wanted to do, and further myself through my athletic abilities,” Schmidt said. “Everything I have stemmed from that opportunity.”
Schmidt dealt with injuries throughout his college career and was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round in 1953. As defenses evolved in that era, Schmidt’s speed, savvy and tackling ability made him a valuable part of some of the franchise’s greatest teams.
Schmidt was elected to the Pro Bowl 10 straight years from 1955-64, and after his arrival, the Lions won the last two of their three NFL titles in the 1950s.
In a 1957 playoff game at San Francisco, the Lions trailed 27-7 in the third quarter before rallying to win 31-27. That was the NFL’s largest comeback in postseason history until Buffalo rallied from a 32-point deficit to beat Houston in 1993.
“We just decided to go after them, blitz them almost every down,” Schmidt recalled. “We had nothing to lose. When you’re up against it, you let both barrels fly.”
Schmidt became an assistant coach after wrapping up his career as a player. He was Detroit’s head coach from 1967-72, going 43-35-7.
Schmidt was part of the NFL’s All-Time Team revealed in 2019 to celebrate the league’s centennial season. Of course, he’d gone into the Hall of Fame 46 years earlier.
Not bad for an undersized seventh-round draft pick.
“It was a dream of mine to play football,” Schmidt told the Detroit Free Press in 2017. “I had so many people tell me that I was too small. That I couldn’t play. I had so many negative people say negative things about me … that it makes you feel good inside. I said, ‘OK, I’ll prove it to you.’”
VICTORIA – British Columbia‘s Environment Assessment Office has fined Coastal GasLink Pipeline Ltd. $590,000 for “deficiencies” in the construction of its pipeline crossing the province.
The office says in a statement that 10 administrative penalties have been levied against the company for non-compliance with requirements of its environmental assessment certificate.
It says the fines come after problems with erosion and sediment control measures were identified by enforcement officers along the pipeline route across northern B.C. in April and May 2023.
The office says that the latest financial penalties reflect its escalation of enforcement due to repeated non-compliance of its requirements.
Four previous penalties have been issued for failing to control erosion and sediment valued at almost $800,000, while a fifth fine of $6,000 was handed out for providing false or misleading information.
The office says it prioritized its inspections along the 670-kilometre route by air and ground as a result of the continued concerns, leading to 59 warnings and 13 stop-work orders along the pipeline that has now been completed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
