The lady at Lethbridge Vehicle Licensing and Registry who processed my driver’s license application personally emailed me today to apologize for not explain the transfer process to me. Apology accepted on her end.
The reason Alberta did not give me a full license is that according to the records they could get, I only have two years of driving experience. Alberta will trade a full driver’s license from another province for a full Alberta license if you have three years of verifiable driving experience on a full license. Yukon provided this information for the last two years but Quebec doesn’t reciprocate with the other provinces.
Feeling pretty bad about the whole thing, the gal at Lethbridge Vehicle tried to make it right by calling the SAAQ, the Quebec DMV. The bastards conceded to providing her with my file number there, but would not give her any further information, stating that I had to request an abstract in writing… and provide $65 for an English translation!!!!!!
When I got home, I dug through my files and found a copy I made of the abstract I bought in 2009 (I forgot about the fee, but the receipt was stapled to the copy!). I’m getting smarter in my old age! I will bring this copy to the licensing office on Tuesday and see if that is good enough. Hopefully, Alberta won’t insist on an abstract printed this month since there would not be any additional information.
Quebec’s never-ending and completely pointless bureaucracy never ceases to amaze and infuriate me. Things don’t have to be so complicated, take so much time, or cost so much money!!!!!
Let’s see… I have both my large and small birth certificates and my full driving and insurance records from back there. Hopefully, I will never have to deal with Quebec bureaucracy again.
I’ve noticed that in some locales people will go out of their way to assist you in going up against the bureaucracy, whereas in others they seem to delight in making things difficult if not impossible. Good luck on this one.
That’s rich! They want YOU to pay for a translation!
Martha, poor customerserviceship is a culture in Quebec. Whether you’re shopping or getting your driver’s license, prepare to suffer!
Croft, last time I checked, my country had two official languages. It’s incredible that QC won’t deal in English with the rest of the country! Thankfully, I’ve thus far only met people who sympathize that French stuff gets out of Quebec and allow me to translate the gist of it.
Don’t be born in Quebec or move to a bilingual province. I had no trouble at all switching mine in Nova Scotia. Ironically, in the last 6 months, I have been speaking more French than in the last 4 years I have been here. Nothing like working for a national museum.
Yeah, the non-bilingual province thing doesn’t help. Plus Quebec and Alberta hate each others’ guts.
I spoke more French in Dawson City on an average day than I did in Gatineau!!!