ICBC cuts advertising budget by half to fund traffic enforcement instead
That means $2.4 million more for policing, attorney general's office says
ICBC has announced it's cutting its yearly advertising budget by half and redirecting those funds to road safety enforcement around the province.
That will add $2.4 million to traffic units within the RCMP and municipal police forces, according to a statement released Tuesday.
"ICBC is facing significant cost pressures that really start from one place — crashes," ICBC CEO Nicolas Jimenez said in the statement.
"With crashes at an all-time high in our province, we're committed to doing what we can to reduce claims costs and relieve the pressure on insurance rates."
Last year, there were a record number of crashes in B.C. — 350,000 or about 960 every day.
The budget change brings ICBC's total annual investment in traffic safety enforcement to $24.8 million.
On Friday, B.C. Attorney General David Eby said the province's public auto insurer is facing a financial loss of $890 million this year.
That follows a $1.3-billion loss in 2017-2018.
"It is now clear that this government needs to look for even more ways — beyond what is already planned — to further reduce the escalating cost of claims," Eby said Friday.