GOV’T ANNOUNCES ALARMING NO-FAULT REGULATIONS
On October 22, 2025, Alberta’s UCP government quietly released the draft regulations for its planned no-fault auto insurance overhaul, known as “Care First”. These regulations reflect a troubling framework wherein injured Albertans would lose meaningful access to the courts, and would instead have compensation for injuries determined by a preset schedule of fixed dollar amounts — commonly known in the insurance industry as a “meat chart” — that assigns value to specific injuries without consideration of individual circumstances.
For example, the proposed schedule places just $13,234 for the loss of a pregnancy under 20 weeks, and as little as $945 for loss of colour vision. More severe injuries are also capped: a moderate traumatic brain injury might receive between $37,811 and $66,169, while the loss of a hand is valued at $41,592. These values apply regardless of the injured person’s age, occupation, or future earning capacity — meaning a tradesperson whose livelihood depends on use of their hands may receive the same payout as someone in a less specialized job.
Alberta’s proposed changes would hand decision-making power over what constitutes a “permanent injury” to insurers rather than independent courts, removing the legal safeguard of litigation. Insurers under this system can decide whether an injury qualifies for compensation, despite clear medical evidence. This shift marks more than just a change in how insurance claims are handled - it signals a fundamental reduction in the rights of injured Albertans. Under the proposed model, you may still be injured by someone else’s fault, but your avenues for redress are significantly narrowed. Instead of a court assessing your unique loss, you’re subject to a rigid schedule and corporate decision-making, with little recourse if denied.
The government’s pitch to Albertans was that this tradeoff would save them significant amounts of money on their car insurance: you may lose your right to sue, and be subject to a “meat chart” when assessing your losses, but in exchange you would save approximately $400 per year on your car insurance. However, the UCP’s own documents admit that this savings of this level are not achievable under the proposed no-fault model.
Albertans deserve an insurance system that offers both support and accountability. Under the UCP’s proposed regulations, this isn’t the case. Instead, they have traded away your rights in exchange for a streamlined claims process where insurance profits, not people, come first.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Alberta’s new Care First regulations put a price tag on human suffering while stripping away the right to real justice. Under this system, insurers — not courts — decide what your injury is worth, and a broken system of fixed payouts replaces accountability with a “meat chart”. Albertans are being asked to trade away their rights and dignity for insurance “savings” that even the government admits will never materialize.
Read the full story at FAIR Alberta: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/10/22/3171286/0/en/Alberta-releases-alarming-no-fault-insurance-regulations.html
Read the UCP’s draft Regulations here: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/18496100-feb0-42eb-948b-b4df22d9c5f9/resource/32f1a01f-1ab0-469e-ba07-f9a48e2f909f/download/tbf-permanent-impairment-regulation-draft.pdf