OTTAWA -- DriveTest Centres are set to reopen Monday but a massive backlog means many people haven’t been able to book appointments and those who have say their date isn’t until next year.
“When the system opened I wasn’t even able to access the system because my licence had expired in that time,” said Leah Phillips. “Then on top of that once I was able to access the system… many different location are booked up until March of 2021.”
Phillips had a G test scheduled for the same day all DriveTest Centres in Ontario shut down back in March amid COVID-19.
“There should’ve been priority given to previous appointments instead of just opening booking to everyone,” Phillips said. “I just think it’s incredibly disorganized”
The government has said driver’s licenses that expired on or after March 1st will continue to remain valid until further notice.
In a statement the ministry of transportation (MTO) said a plan for dealing with the backlog and other measures that will be put in place once the centres reopen will be announced soon.
“I just want to know how long am I going to be able to do this, will I get an appointment, I don’t want to be put in a position where I have to restart the whole process,” Phillips said.
As for what happens if a driver with an expired licence gets pulled over out of Ontario, the MTO said it “has communicated these changes to out-of-province authorities through an All Chiefs Bulletin. The bulletin was sent to law enforcement agencies in Canada and the US.”
