Misplaced identity

A new driver complained to our Office after waiting six months for his permanent driver’s licence. He had passed the written test and turned over his Ontario-issued government photo ID to ServiceOntario, expecting a replacement card in the mail, but he never received it.  

A new driver complained to our Office after waiting six months for his permanent driver’s licence. He had passed the written test and turned over his Ontario-issued government photo ID to ServiceOntario, expecting a replacement card in the mail, but he never received it.

When his mother followed up with ServiceOntario four months after his test, she was told the card had been mailed two months earlier. The man was concerned because he didn’t have a photo ID to use, and his temporary driver’s permit had expired, costing him $25 to renew.

Ombudsman staff contacted the Ministry of Transportation’s Special Enquiry Unit and determined that due to an error, the young man’s original photo card had never been cancelled, and it was holding up the computer system from issuing his permanent licence.

The Ministry immediately cancelled the photo card, couriered his permanent driver’s licence to him, and reimbursed the $25 fee he’d paid to replace the temporary licence.