The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Gord Mackintosh, minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), and Ron Lemieux, minister of transportation and government services, announced yesterday the Manitoba government will merg driver and vehicle licensing with MPI. The merger of the Crown corporation and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Division, announced in the budget, has been recommended for more than a decade. A number of reports have concluded a merged organization would: produce savings through operating and technological efficiency; improve customer service; increase accountability; create opportunities to better package products and services; and enhance road safety in Manitoba. Lemieux noted that, in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, the amalgamation of insurance, registration and licensing functions has shown that customer service is improved, duplication eliminated and costs reduced. "This is about improving customer focus while providing Manitobans with the best value for their tax dollar," said Lemieux. "Now Manitobans will be able to turn to one organization to meet all their vehicle licensing, registration and insurance needs." The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Division will become a separate department under the Manitoba Public Insurance umbrella. It will include all aspects of driver and vehicle licensing from issuing licences and keeping records to managing driver examinations and maintaining driver extracts. The government will continue to provide Manitoba Public Insurance with funds equal to the current division's operating costs, said Lemieux. Mackintosh said the merger benefits include: more options in customer service; reduced overlap and duplication of costs through integration of systems; cost avoidance by enhancing existing information systems rather than rebuilding them; and better co-ordination of road safety.
