The SABS Limitation Period Is A Hard Limit

The Divisional Court has confirmed that the limitation period set out in the Insurance Act and the SABS falls within the category of “hard” limitations periods, which are triggered by a fixed and known event, as opposed to the day a claim was discovered.

The Divisional Court noted that although it may be considered harsh, there are important policy considerations on both sides:

In the case of the Insurance Act, and claims under the SABS, an insurer has no control over when an insured applies for a designation of catastrophic impairment. An insurer would not continually assess a claimant if ongoing expenses are not being submitted. Presumably, the legislature thought it important to provide for a reasonable period, after which an insurer's obligation would be discharged, whether or not meritorious claims may be discovered later.

The Applicant, Sotira Tomec, sought judicial review of the decision of the Licence Appeal Tribunal in S.T. v. Economical Mutual Insurance Company, 2018 CanLII 61170 (ON...