St Pierre senior shocked by licence suspension

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This article was published 21/08/2022 (1012 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An 88-year-old St Pierre man has been left without a driver’s licence for nearly a year over a medical licence suspension he feels was unnecessary.

Aurel Hebert said it all started last September when he went to visit his daughter in the hospital. He thought he was meant to meet her at the health centre in Hamiota but was told to go to the hospital in Hartney instead.

Hebert believes someone contacted Manitoba Public Insurance soon after and told them of his mistake of address. Roughly a week after the incident, Hebert received a letter from MPI claiming that his ‘medical condition’ may be impairing his ability to drive and that his driver’s licence was suspended.

Hebert was shocked. After more than 70 years on the road, he has never had any trouble maintaining a clean driving record.

“I’ve driven since I’ve been 16 years old and I’ve never had tickets or speeding tickets or anything like that,” he explained.

Hebert has been doing everything he can to get his licence back. In all, he has had to complete an eye exam, a medical exam, a computer test, appear before an appeal review committee and complete two different road tests.

MPI is now asking him to complete a third road test.

After almost a year of going back and forth with MPI, he is not sure he will ever be able to drive again.

“I’m tired and that’s what they want. They want me to quit. I’m sure it’s because of my age,” Hebert said.

He said life has been difficult without a licence. Running simple errands like buying groceries, picking up the mail or going to appointments that are outside of the small community of St Pierre have been harder for the independent senior.

It’s also been more difficult for Hebert to visit his family, who live near Brandon. They have been the ones taking him to all the tests he’s had to take.

“They’ve come in with me because I need a chauffeur, but that’s costing them.”

Hebert is still looking for answers about the suspension of his licence and why it has been such a long and drawn-out process. He said the ordeal hasn’t just cost him his time, but roughly $600 to cover the costs of the paperwork and the many appointments and tests.

MPI revoked 3,141 driver’s licences for medical reasons in the last fiscal year. In a statement, MPI also said that an individual has the right to appeal the decision to the Medical Review Committee.

“Driver Fitness receives information from a variety of sources, including physician reports, concerns from the public (including family members), law enforcement, and drivers themselves. Depending on the nature of the concern, a driver’s licence may be suspended pending further information, evaluations, or investigations. The age of a driver is not a consideration for a driver’s licence review or suspension,” the statement from MPI said.

An individual whose licence has been suspended must supply the necessary medical information and complete any evaluations needed for MPI to consider reinstating their licence. There is no defined timeline on when an individual may regain their driver’s licence.

After passing the multitude of tests, and complying with MPI’s procedures, Hebert remains hopeful that he will get his licence back one day.