Temporary road test centre opening in Hamilton to address backlog
Driver's licence road tests have been among the fundamental activities hampered by lockdowns and restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an effort to chip away at the massive backlog of cancelled and delayed in-car driver tests - which includes everyone from new drivers, to new Canadians and renewals for senior drivers - the Ministry of Transportation is setting up temporary road test centres, with extended hours of operation, including one in the Hamilton/Niagara area starting in September, according to a MTO news release.
A ministry spokesperson told The Spectator the temporary centre will be located within a 30-minute radius of Hamilton's lone existing DriveTest centre, which is at 370 Kenora Ave. N.
While in-car driver testing in Ontario resumed in mid-June, the spokesperson told The Spectator there remains a backlog of 700,000 road tests due to DriveTest centre closures and ongoing restrictions on road testing due to the pandemic.
As for the additional testing centres, the first of these will open in Guelph and Oshawa on Aug. 9, running from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Oshawa site will run seven days a week. Guelph's will be open five days a week to start, and increase to seven days starting in November.
The news release did not include the starting date in September for the Hamilton-area site or for additional locations opening in Toronto/Mississauga/GTA in September.
All of the temporary sites will be in operation until March 2022.
The province had recently announced it would spend more than $16 million to hire 167 additional temporary driver examiners, on top of 84 examiners added last fall.
To book a road test, the news release said to go to DriveTest.ca, adding that if a previous test was cancelled due to COVID-19, you will receive a credit to rebook, but your booking will not be prioritized over others.
The ministry added that customers being tested will be required to wear masks inside the centres, and during the testing, and complete screening forms.
Jon Wells is a Hamilton-based reporter and feature writer for The Spectator. Reach him via email: jwells@thespec.com