‘None of us could get through’: Manitobans frustrated by limited spaces for MPI driver’s course

MPI locations and phone lines were flooded by families trying to sign up for the Driver’s Z course. CTV’s Daniel Halmarson reports.

A summer driver’s education program quickly became the hottest ticket in town Wednesday morning.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) launched a condensed version of its popular Driver Z for July and August.

The Crown Corporation’s regular 12-week course is offering an abbreviated five-week option over the summer months. The program involves two weeks of virtual classes and three weeks of in-car learning.

“You’re still getting the same amount of content,” Tara Seel, MPI’s media and public relations lead, told CTV News. “It’s just delivered in a shorter amount of time because students have more availability [during the summer].”

In July, the shortened courses are happening in Arborg, Beausejour, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Steinbach, Winkler and Winnipeg. In August, they will happen in Brandon, Steinbach, The Pas, Winkler and Winnipeg.

However, only 588 spaces were available across the province, so Manitobans flocked to MPI service centres and flooded phone lines starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Winnipeg mother Nikki Palmer said her daughter was among the hopeful teenagers looking to snag a spot.

“I had my parents calling. I had her calling. I was calling from both my work line and my cell phone literally at five minutes to eight this morning,” Palmer told CTV News. “And none of us could get through.”

Palmer said she called a total of 54 times before getting through to an MPI representative.

“By the time the agent got on, she tried to pull up her account and it froze,” Palmer told CTV News. “Then she said there was absolutely nothing, like truly nothing… nothing in Arborg, nothing in The Pas even. Like there was not one course left.”

Palmer said she’s frustrated by the registration process and said MPI should consider adding more options for teenagers in the summer months.

Seel said they could only offer 588 spots because of a Driver Z instructor shortage.

“We truly appreciate the frustration that people are feeling,” Seel said. “We recognize that parents were late for work, kids may have been late for school, people slept outside on the sidewalk in Brandon… This is not the way that we wanted this to roll out.”

She said the Crown Corporation is actively recruiting instructors and encourages drivers to apply.

“Get the training from MPI and then offer that to students,” Seel said, adding that instructors are paid, and the hours are flexible.

“We really need the community to come together so we can all make sure we have safe drivers on the road.”

She also said people should visit an Autopac agent or MPI Service Centre in advance to get set up as a customer and buy the Driver Z service. She said completing this step will help students register more quickly once courses become available.