After two attempts at Hamilton’s DriveTest centre, Sebastien Girouard was no closer to getting his G driver’s licence in Ontario.
The 44-year-old said he struggled while driving on Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley Parkway, a highway with an 80 km/h speed limit that is used by some 70,000 vehicles daily. He asked people online about what he should do.
“A lot of people told me [the town of] Simcoe would be easier,” he said. “It’s much better — no traffic, no cars.”
Girouard went to the suggested centre in Norfolk County, an hour away from his home, and said that after driving on an 80 km/h country road for the highway portion of the test, he finally passed.
Despite that, Girouard said, he believes it’s “not fair” how much easier Simcoe seemingly was than Hamilton.
The province’s DriveTest examinations are supposed to be similar to each other and test the same driving skills no matter where you go. But the percentage of people who pass tests at each centre varies drastically, according to new data obtained by CBC Hamilton through a freedom of information request.
The data shows the pass and fail rates of all Ontario DriveTest centres from 2022 and the number of tests at each location.
Simcoe’s DriveTest centre has a 73 per cent pass rate compared to Hamilton’s 67 per cent, but there are more drastic differences across Ontario.
The site with the highest pass rate is in Bancroft, where 88 per cent of drivers succeed in their tests, while the location with the lowest pass rate is in Brampton at 59 per cent.
The average pass rate across Ontario is 69 per cent.
A driving instructor said the findings may be the product of bad teachers, while a road safety group said the results shatter the “illusion of consistency” among sites.
Both said the province needs to make changes to how it runs DriveTest.
“It should be a concern for everybody,” said Brian Patterson, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Ontario Safety League.
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and Serco Canada Inc., the private-sector organization licensed to operate DriveTest Centres, both declined to do interviews. Serco deferred to MTO.
MTO spokesperson Tanya Blazina said in an email there are reviews done to ensure the tests and examiners meet ministry standards.
The province also emphasized the same criteria is used to evaluate drivers, no matter where they take the test.
Why do test centres’ pass rates differ?
Patterson and Puneet Chadha, an instructor with London Pro Drivers, said there are a variety of reasons test centres’ pass rates differ.
Chadha acknowledged driving in downtown areas or the Greater Toronto Area can be “crazy” due to inconsiderate drivers.
Rural test centres, meanwhile, may have a reputation for being easier and, as a result, get more out-of-town visitors showing up to do the test. In many cases, however, the drivers will be unfamiliar with the area and fail.
That said, Chadha noted he sometimes takes more anxious students or seniors who only plan to drive short distances for errands to locations with a “calmer atmosphere.” But that doesn’t mean the test is any easier because they all test for the same skills, he said.
“Let’s say you do a test in London, you’ve got a total of 12 to 14 turns you’ve got to do, but you go into a small town, there’s 30 turns,” he said, adding he believes the tests all have the same difficulty and the same standard.
Patterson doesn’t agree, saying the DriveTest routes need a more thorough review.
Chadha and Patterson said shoddy instructors may impact pass rates too.
People enter Hamilton’s DriveTest centre. The province’s DriveTest exams are supposed to be similar to each other and test the same driving skills. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)
Patterson said some teachers bring a whole group of drivers to an out-of-town test centre and charge them a fee to use the teacher’s car for the test.
Many of the students, unfamiliar with the area, will fail the test while the instructor gets a big pay day, he said.
Patterson said he has also heard instructors tell drivers to leave money in the car for examiners.
CBC Hamilton reached out to the MTO to respond to Patterson’s comments about the drivers.
In an Aug. 29 email, Blazina said Ontario’s driver testing standards are among “the most stringent in North America.” She said the rules and marking guidelines that examiners use during road tests are based on the Highway Traffic Act.
Blazina said examiners evaluate drivers based on their ability to show they can safely operate a vehicle according to a set of road test standards — and those standards are the same for all drivers.
“Driver examiners have no discretion to evaluate outside of these standards,” she said.
“All road test appointments are randomly assigned to driver examiners, and any attempt to bribe a driver examiner would result in an immediate termination of the road test.”
What changes can be made, tips for drivers
Patterson said DriveTest centres should have drivers use a standardized vehicle equipped with cameras and microphones, instead of their own vehicle, to add more accountability and prevent instructors from trying to profit off students.
He also said the province should review the test routes and examiners, as well as track more data on new drivers.
“How many drivers are involved in a reportable collision within 12 months of receiving their licence? Is there a variance between people who have collisions having taken formal training or people not having taken formal training? We don’t know.”
Patterson said MTO may also want to consider having multiple organizations run DriveTest centres, instead of just Serco.
A man stands in the parking lot of a DriveTest Centre in Hamilton. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)
Chadha said DriveTest centres should check to see if the instructor bringing a student in is licensed or registered, has insurance and belongs to a school.
Patterson said he knows of cases of people buying driver education certificates from instructors for cheap without doing any practice. The certificate can allow people an expedited test and less expensive insurance.
Chadha and Patterson said they have told the province about the issues, but it has been unwilling to address them.
People enter a DriveTest building. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)
But Blazina, spokesperson for the MTO, said there are performance assessments and audits at DriveTest sites.
The province says all routes were reviewed for G tests in January 2022 at permanent DriveTest locations and all routes are approved by the MTO.
Blazina said drivers fail their tests because they either can’t perform a manoeuvre, make multiple mistakes or do something dangerous. Examiners, she said, can’t evaluate outside of the set of road test standards.
As for what drivers can do to better their chances of passing, no matter the location, Chadha said, anyone using an instructor should do their homework and choose a reputable instructor or school, rather than the cheapest or the most advertised.
He also said people shouldn’t focus on merely passing the test, but also driving safely and defensively to avoid dangerous situations and crashes.
Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.
I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.
Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.
Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.
NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.
Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.
The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.
It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.
Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.
Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.
“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.
The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.
“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.
Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.
Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.
In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.
It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.
The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs
It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.
The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.
Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.
Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
