For immediate release:
December 18, 2006  

Barrett meets face-to-face regarding Delhi licensing office

Queen’s Park – Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett followed up with Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield, on a question asked in the House several weeks ago regarding the license-issuing office in Delhi.

The Minister and Barrett met face-to-face to discuss why not one applicant was chosen to operate a license issuing office in the rural community. The office had been in operation between 1982 and 2005, when it closed due to unforeseen circumstances. Since that time there have been two Request for Proposals and not one applicant has been able to meet the criteria set out by the Ministry.

“I find it difficult to believe that there is not one business in Delhi that could provide the services required by the Ministry of Transportation,” Barrett said following the meeting.

Minister Cansfield said that she is currently looking at alternative methods of service, including Service Ontario kiosks. She also said that neighboring issuing offices in towns like Tillsonburg, Norwich and Simcoe should suffice the people of Delhi while she is examining other options.

Re-opening an issuing office would not cost the Ministry any money; however, the Minister said that an office must be viable. Commissions sent to the operators of the Delhi office in 2004 rang in at about $45,000.

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