The Ontario government’s decision to terminate the contracts of approximately 50 drivers’ licence issuing agents has left the couple who have done it in Walkerton for the past 32 years out of business.
Jim and Jane Kieffer have operated three separate businesses out of their location on Victoria street since the mid-90s, but they’ve been licence issuing agents for far longer than that.
“We started doing the licencing out of a store on main street back in 1979,” Jim?Kieffer said, “We moved the licencing to the current location in January 1989, and after we moved it in here we became an agent for doing dry cleaning with Carson Cleaners. About five years after that, my wife Jane started the Computer Doctor business in here with us, so we’ve kind of put the three of them together.”
Jane said operating her business out of the same location also allowed her to help out doing licence office work so Jim was free to take on other necessary tasks.
“So multiple enterprises under one roof — one-stop shopping — it’s always worked well,” Jane said.
But, as Jim noted, “it takes the three to make them viable”.
The Kieffers, and a number of other licencing offices around the province, received their termination notices last July.
“They are taking those offices back into the government circles. Any place where there is a ServiceOntario centre, they’re cancelling the contract that they had with the private issuer. Myself and an issuer in?Owen Sound were the two in this area that were closed,” Jim said, “We got our notice in July, and it became public notice at the end of September.”
The Ontario Motor Vehicles Licence Issuers Association, which the Kieffers belong to, was unsuccessful in preventing the termination of their contract.
Alan Cairns, spokesperson for the Ministry of Government?Services called Jim’s statement inaccurate.
“Saying that private issuing offices are closing in locations where there is a ServiceOntario centre is not accurate,” Cairns said, “In a number of communities we continue to have both private and public centres operating alongside each other. The decision on consolidating locations is based on specific criteria, which includes a thorough assessment of an individual community’s needs, as well as supply and demand considerations.”
After finding out their contract had been terminated, Ontario licencing agents were given an amount of week’s notice based on how long they’d held their contracts.
“They gave us one week’s notice for every year that we worked with them. I’m starting right now into my 32nd year with them, so I ended up with 32 week’s notice,” Jim said.
“We are committed here until March 25. That is our last open day of business,” Jane said.
As private issuing agents rather than government employees, Jane said they have received the same treatment as anyone else working under those terms and conditions, but that doesn’t mean they have to like it.
“It’s not something you can fight, or argue with the government. It’s a decision they’ve made,” Jim said, “I don’t necessarily agree with it. I don’t think it’s to the benefit of people in the local area.”
The location of the future licencing office is the land registry office near the courthouse on the corner of Cayley and Jackson Street.
Driver licencing and vehicle registry services will be transferred to the Cayley Street location as of March 26.
“I don’t think they’re going to get the same service that they got here,” Jim said, “I also think the location is horrible. There’s no parking around that place at all. We have dealers who are in and out everyday, sometimes two or three times a day. Out front here it’s easy to get a place to park, get in, get out, and do a transaction. I think they’ve made a poor choice about that, but that’s the choice that was made in Toronto and people will have to live with it.”
Eventually Brockton residents will be able to renew their health cards at the centre, and it will also issue hunting and fishing licences, making it a one-stop shopping destination for licences.
“This will be an improvement for Walkerton residents as they will be able to renew their driver’s licence and health card during the same visit. This will save time, money and effort,” said Cairns.
“It’ll be good for customers eventually, but it won’t be instantaneous,” Jim said.
The Kieffers are currently working with the owner of Carson Cleaners to determine a new location for the dry cleaning service in Walkerton.
Jane will be moving her computer business to their home.
“I’ll have to go out and see what I can find,” Jim said.
“They’re within their legal right to do it, so you just have to pick up and go on. The old saying is ‘a change is as good as a rest.’ I’m looking forward to doing something else,” he said, adding that, at the present moment, he doesn’t know what that will be.
“We’ll have been married 35 years in May, and we have worked together for 34 of those years,” Jane said, “We’ve always adjusted to everything that’s come and we’ll adjust to this too.”