A longtime Newmarket driving school owner said her small business has hit a major roadblock in Ontario’s COVID-19 reopening plan.
That’s because as Ontario resumes booking G2, G, and other classes of road tests on Aug. 4, with corresponding in-person knowledge tests underway since June 22, Pam MacDonald’s Young Drivers of Canada students are not yet permitted to take in-vehicle driver training, even though many personal services businesses in York Region got the nod on June 22 to move into stage 2 of reopening, with strict safety protocols.
“In my opinion, in-vehicle driver training has fallen through the cracks,” said MacDonald, who opened her first Young Drivers in Newmarket in 1981, with additional locations to follow later in Aurora, Richmond Hill, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Bradford and Keswick.
Her son, Allen MacDonald, joined the family business 10 years ago and, together with instructors and staff, the team teaches new drivers the skills they need to navigate the roadways safely and to obtain insurance discounts where applicable.
“We assumed we were a personal service business based on what other provinces like Newfoundland and New Brunswick have done,” she said. “Other businesses that can’t social distance are open. If you can get a haircut, manicure or pedicure here in stage 2, why not a driving lesson?”
MacDonald said she fears for the safety of students and DriveTest centre examiners since aspiring drivers have not received any in-vehicle instruction since before the pandemic shut down most of the economy mid-March.
Despite published protocols in early July for in-vehicle driver safety, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Transportation Ministry said that in-car training at beginner driver education schools is currently not part of the stage 2 reopening of the province.
“Following the advice of Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, a guidance document will be developed for driving school instructors to safely resume these operations,” spokesperson Michael O’Morrow said.
Premier Doug Ford announced yesterday that York Region will not yet move ahead to the final stage of reopening, unlike neighbouring Simcoe Muskoka that has met key public health indicators concerning its COVID-19 infection rates.
So it appears Young Drivers students may have to wait a while longer for on-the-road instruction.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry in April enabled virtual learning to take place for the in-class portion for driver training programs as an interim measure to support physical distancing and ensure business continuity for course providers.
MacDonald praised that move and said it helped driving schools to keep their doors open. But as a personal service business that exceeds the public health guidance for the industry, she is bewildered about why in-vehicle student lessons have been left behind.
“We’ve fallen through the cracks, but this isn’t just a crack, this is a cavern and it carries risks,” said MacDonald.
“What scares me to death is that road tests start Aug. 4, and our students are desperate to get review lessons because they have not been in the car since at least March,” she said. “We can’t just suddenly ramp up and do all these lessons. This isn’t something that happens overnight. So now, we’re going to put examiners who get in the car with students who have not had training for months. None of this makes any sense to me.”
In-vehicle truck driver training (commercial) and road tests resumed June 22 under Ontario’s stage 2 reopening plan, along with functional assessments, driving lessons, and road tests for drivers whose licences were suspended for medical reasons.
Functional Assessment Centres have been back in business for about one month, said MacDonald, adding that two passengers, including a rehabilitation specialist and an examiner, accompany the driver, often a senior, during lessons and testing.
“We are actually in a very difficult situation right now, we’ve got seniors with medical conditions who can go in-car and take training with a driving instructor at a Functional Assessment Centre, and truck training is going on, and if we can't train our students in-car, I believe it will put examiners at risk,” she said.
MacDonald’s family business has already submitted its safety protocols to the government, which exceed the recommended measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
The company has spent thousands on protective gear and other supplies, trained staff on the new protocols, which include daily COVID-19 screening for students, masks for instructors and students, and sanitization of vehicles before every seat change.
“I’m not being critical of the government, I have great respect for the Transportation Ministry and what they’ve done to allow online classes to continue, but we need to resume in-car training,” said MacDonald.
“I am sure driver training is not the only small business being negatively impacted by a lack of clarity in the reopening process,” she added. “In our case, the province has recommendations in place to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Our protocols exceed the government recommendations. Truck driving lessons are occurring, rehabilitation lessons for seniors are happening. And other personal service businesses unable to social distance are allowed to operate using published protocols.”
For more information on Young Drivers of Canada Newmarket, visit here.
Up-to-date DriveTest centre information can be found here.
