Quebec's has announced measures to extend deadlines for the payment and renewal of certain driving licenses as the province's automobile insurance board, Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), continues to address service disruptions.
Effective Thursday, March 9, the deadline for the payment and renewal of certain driving licenses will be extended for up to 90 days from the licence holder's birthday. Driving licenses that would have expired between March 9 and June 1 this year will also be extended.
Additionally, temporary registration certificates issued between March 9 and April 8 will be extended from between 10 to 60 days, giving new owners more time to register their vehicles.
Furthermore, foreign drivers' licences will remain valid until Aug. 29.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault made the announcement on the new measures Wednesday after she had cut a trip to Europe short to help resolve the customer service disruptions plaguing SAAQ.
“Quebecers should not be penalized by the current situation,” said Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, as quoted by CBC News. “The safety of the population remains our priority, so any violation of the road safety will continue to be raised and sanctioned.”
The Coalition Avenir Québec government faced criticism from unions and members of Quebec's opposition parties for its handling of the SAAQ service disruptions since the launch of a new online portal.
Earlier this week, a union representing SAAQ employees said it warned the insurer that the system was not ready for launch. The union's president, Christian Daigle, also criticised the stopgap measure of assigning 150 additional staff to service centres, saying that these employees received “last-minute training.”
Guilbault also said in a Monday interview with Radio-Canada that anyone who receives a ticket related to an SAAQ service that wasn't performed in a timely manner since the services were temporarily suspended on Jan. 26, such as renewing their licence, won't have to pay the fine.
She added that people won't be penalized for services that were affected by the ongoing disruptions.
Moreover, Quebecers whose health insurance card expires between March 9 and June 1 won't have to go to an SAAQ service centre to renew their photo. Current photos will instead be used to issue new cards in order to minimize queues at SAAQ branches.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing SAAQ service disruptions? Let us know in the comments below.
