It’s astounding to me that we’re about to hit December and this strike drags on with no thought given to the millions of people that are being hosed by it. My experience is somewhat specific to the type of license I’m trying to obtain (M2) but the effect of the strike is the same on us all.
About a week before the current strike by the greedy Drive Test workers of Ontario began, I went in and wrote for my M1 license. It was summer so it never occurred to me that my timing could be a problem. Nobody said a word about the upcoming strike.
For those who are not familiar with the Ontario system, you have to hold a beginner’s license for each class for a specified period of time before you can move on to the next level regardless of your skill. In the case of a motorcycle you have to have your M1 for 60 days before you are allowed to take a test but if you don’t do this within 90 days the license expires.
With an M1 you must not ride between half an hour after sunset to half an hour after sunrise, must have a zero blood alcohol level, can not carry passengers, and must not ride on the major highways (100km/h speed limits). This is not a bid deal because it’s only 60 days and it’s a good idea for new riders to learn the basics before trying to keep up with the traffic on the big highways or carry a passenger.
Then you take a simple road test and graduate to your M2. With the M2 your only restriction is you must maintain a zero blood alcohol level while riding. Considering the level of attention that one needs to be paying while riding this is a good idea. The M2 lasts for 22 months and then you take a very thorough road test to graduate to a permanent M license.
Having obtained my M1 in mid August I knew there was a risk that the weather would not be superior for my road test in mid October, but I was willing to risk it. With the Drive Test workers strike however, I can not take nor even book my test until the strike ends which current reports suggest will not be anytime soon. The Government is extending temporary licenses such as mine until the strike is over, but that simply means I would have to take my outdoor road test in November or December which for a new rider of a motorcycle is a very bad and stupid idea.
If I do not go and ride through their pylons and course in the snow and slush as will undoubtedly be the case, the license will expire long before the spring arrives. This is absolutely unacceptable as you can’t insure a vehicle that you are not licensed to drive. The only alternative I can see is to keep writing my M1 test over and over through the winter at my own expense and then take the test in the spring assuming that they’re not still on strike.
The reasons for the strike vary depending on which side you talk to but basically the greedy Drive Test employees are not happy making $30 + per hour and want more, and the greedy Ontario Government wants to substitute veteran employees for part time newcomers to save money. They’re all a bunch of greedy bastards who are making it impossible for me to graduate in their little system and move to the next level until next year.
This unnecessary strike is also having a huge impact on the driving industry as schools can no longer graduate their students which leads to fewer truck drivers delivering the goods that we all need on a daily basis, and fewer school bus drivers looking out for the safety of our children.
I’m sure my story is far from unique and that many of you are being as screwed by the childish antics of the Government and Drive Test employees as well. Unfortunately the welfare and convenience of the citizens of Ontario has never been a concern for our government or for those who serve us, and so long as Canadians remain apathetic about these problems there will be many more similar situations in the years to come.
The fact that a few supervisors went back to work to test commercial drivers recently is supposed to placate us into believing that all is well now, but it has absolutely no effect on someone like me and I will most definitely be forced to forfeit my M1 license in the near future instead of graduating by taking a test that I’ve been ready to take for months. My insurance will be cancelled because they can’t insure me without a license and I will be left hanging until next year.
Were it up to me, I would gather a large number of like minded people to travel to wherever the actual striking in the streets is taking place and drive circles around them yelling at the greedy babies to go back to work.
The whole thing is very twistedly Canadian.
Sorry to hear that .
i too, as many are suffering , due to, yes just greed!!!, and inept government choices to give these tools a monopoly on the service….
o.k hear is my story .
i got behind on my child support payments,{lay off} and some tight times, it happens, went to court , they increased the monthly payment by 2 and a half times to allow me to get caught up,
{an impossibility, as i explained to the court at the time }, they assured me i COULD afford it ???????.
any-wow…. several months later, they took my license , oh yes , i require my license for work, as i am a driver .
{thanks for the forced layoff , no license, no work}
so , in the time it took to get things sorted to their satisfaction, my license expired.
i wrote my exam , passed, and was awaiting the drive test.
i approached them as i am 45, driving since 16 , now i need to go thru it all again.
i would like to ad that when they took my license, my insurance was 72.00 per month, now they want 340.00 as i am considered a new driver ????? what !!!!
i have a letter from an employer explaining that upon recieving my license i have a job,{greaaaaat , thank you very little }
i rarely see our son as i am 25 km away {missga to waterdown} it is 2 busses, a go train ride, a 15 .00 cab ride to get there.
then i am in waterdown and we go from there ????? via what more cabs , go trains, busses then back to waterdown , then home ?????
firstly ,i think anyone who has their license taken for f.r.o as it has nothing to do with fines, driving violations, should be simply reinstated upon payment ,
not held hostage for 100 reinstatement fee
10 to write the exam
40 for the road test g1 town
another 75 for the g2 {i think }highway
and god knows how much more ??
a jump in insurance rates of 250 plus per month ,what the f.
i mean this is all disgusting , and we as canadian citizens are simply held hostage , raped yet again by big buisness ,
so what will be the next big rich canadian corp to bend us over ??? oh yeah, apparently there is talk of a cable tax, or maybe it is a different word,what is the word word i am looking for … ??
apparently they didnt earn enough, well , what are we waiting for quick send them some money, cause thats what we do, we take it , and smile complain some around the cooler , in the luch room, while our kids get less of our time cause we work more for less , less money, less family time, we are forced to take it.
so who do i pay??? , i just want to work, pay out all i earn, not really get ahead, but mostly i want to just see our son, and i need my license for this.
Thank you for sharing your story Joe. It’s abundantly clear that there is no end to the greed of the Ontario government and frankly the drive test workers as well.
As I had predicted when writing this blog, my M1 has become completely useless now due to the fact that it’s December and I won’t be taking a road test in the snow. My insurance is set to be cancelled as soon as the strike ends (thus my license expires) and it’s not going to look good on my record to have had it cancelled for an expired license.
Meanwhile those who were already making $25 an hour to start (who knows how much for seasoned veterans) to do a job that requires little skill are still whining that they want more and the government is still hoping to use part time workers to cut costs while many of us suffer the concequences of their greed.