Just as a provincial government-commissioned report found the Ontario auto insurance system one of the least effective in Canada, comes word that premiums rose slightly in the first months of 2017.

The Financial Services Commission says approved rates in the first three months went up an average of 1.24%.

That puts the government even further away from the already missed target, with the average reduction in rates since 2013 now a little over 7%.

It was 2013, when the Liberals promised a 15% cut by the summer of 2015, but when that deadline came and went the premier admitted that was a ”stretch goal.”

A quietly released report by the provincial auto insurance adviser found Ontario has the most expensive premiums in Canada despite also having among the lowest levels of collisions and fatalities.

David Marshall found the average premium in this province is $1,458 – almost 55 % higher than the average anywhere else in Canada.

He says if they were closer to the national average of about $930, Ontario drivers would save nearly 40% or approximately $4-billion a year.