The town of Whitby is located in the Durham Region of Ontario. The northern part of Whitby is somewhat rural, but southern Whitby is an urban area and economic hub. Many people choose to work within Whitby; employers within the town include Gerdau Ameristeel, Sobeys, Patheon, Johnson Controls and McGraw-Hill Ryerson. However, a fair share of Whitby residents work at companies and businesses located in other nearby cities and towns; General Motors Canada, for example, located in nearby Oshawa, is one of the largest employers in the entire Durham Region.Even though public transportation is available, many people still prefer to drive their own cars. The government of Ontario has made it mandatory that all drivers carry car insurance. In addition to imposing this basic requirement upon people, the government also dictates the specifics of the insurance itself. For example, the provincial government has decided to use a no-fault auto insurance system.
No-Fault Insurance in Ontario
The “no-fault” in no-fault insurance does not refer to whose fault the car accident was; it refers to the fact that, no matter who is at-fault for the accident, each party will go to their own insurance company for compensation instead of going after the other party. To illustrate the idea, consider the following scenario: You are waiting at a stoplight, and another car plows into you. The police determine that the other driver was 100% at-fault for the accident. Even though the entire accident was the other driver’s fault, you will not go to the other driver’s insurance company for compensation; your own insurance company will compensate you. In addition, your ability to sue the at-fault driver is severely curtailed.
No-fault insurance doesn’t sound fair to many people – why should your insurance company have to suffer if you did nothing wrong, and why shouldn’t you get to sue the other party? The government of Ontario acknowledges that no-fault insurance may seem unfair, but it feels that the benefits of no-fault insurance outweigh its faults. No-fault insurance is designed to accomplish two goals: to cut down on lawsuits related to accidents and to provide compensation to victims in a speedy fashion. Whether or not you agree with the methods used, you have to admit that no-fault insurance does accomplish those goals.
Public Transportation in Whitby, Ontario
Commuters traveling to jobs both within and outside of Whitby can take advantage of public transit. One such option is to take the rail; there are four railways operating in Whitby. These railways are run by Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Via Rail and GO Transit. The other public transit option is to take a bus; local buses in Whitby are run by Durham Region Transit while intercity buses are run by GO Transit. Whitby, Ontario is near the following cities: Clarington, Oshawa, Ajax, and Pickering.
