The sudden closing on July 17 of the driver and vehicle licence office here has baffled the former operator and local businesses.
Jan Tremain had operated the agency for 24 years in the same building – except for a three-month period following a building fire. She received a telephone call on July 16 and was told to be in at 8:15am the next morning.
At that time, an official told her the office was being closed, effective immediately. Tremain was given no indication why the decision was made.
“I’ve been doing this for 24 years. I don’t know what’s happened,” she said.
Tremain noted she has upgraded her skills over the years, citing a retraining course a few years ago. She added that additional walls were constructed at the Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) request.
She said if there are questions regarding her performance, she received no indications of that.
Kim O’Neill, of Arthur Chrysler, predicted, “There will be a huge impact on our business. We are shocked and upset to say the least.”
Aside from the inconvenience of travelling to either Mount Forest or Fergus, she explained there will be difficulty in processing vehicles and getting plates without the local access, as not everyone lives near a big city or can drive back and forth.
“We spent thousands of dollars there every month,” O’Neill said. “We’re a large volume dealership, and there will be an impact of getting vehicles to customers and time constraints.”
O’Neill said Arthur has been able to sustain a local office for a number of years, and one of the constants through that time was Tremain.
“We had a good working relationship with her, and she was always helpful,” O’Neill said.
She explained representatives from the MTO called Arthur Chrysler around 9:30am on July 17 to give notice that the office had closed.
O’Neill said she was told another office might open, “but it would be at least three months before it could go out to tender.” She considers the move “unfair to a dealership of this size, and to the person involved. Everyone liked Jan. She was always personable to deal with.”
O’Neill noted her parents, who now live in Owen Sound, still drove to Arthur to renew their stickers.
Bargain Barns owner Barry Dishart was equally upset with the closure. The office is located in the back of the Bargain Barn store.
Dishart questioned the people closing the office about why they were doing it. One did not know why, and the other suggested another office might open later, but did not know when.
Dishart said Tremain may have operated the office under a private contract, but her treatment is still unfair.
“They just walked in and started pulling equipment out,” Dishart said. “If I did that in the private sector, it would be grounds for a lawsuit. I wouldn’t treat a dog like that.”
He believes the ministry owes the community an explanation of its sudden decision.
Dishart said if the ministry knew enough in advance to have people called in to remove the equipment, then there should have been time to provide adequate notice to someone who had done the job for over 20 years.
Dishart has called local MPP offices to get an explanation of the MTO decision.
He said people are being asked not to idle their cars at Tim Hortons to protect the environment, but now the MTO is requiring Arthur residents to drive to other communities for a service they have been getting in town. And, he said, there will be spinoffs to local businesses it affects.
He noted he had fielded a call from a bus line in Drayton, which will now need to get that service from other communities.
“It’s a huge inconvenience for local residents, and there’s been no regard for a local business being hurt,” Dishart said.
