Last winter, from January to March, the SAAQ attempted a pilot project by closing five service centers one day a week, namely those in Baie-Saint-Paul, Gaspé, Cap-aux-Meules, La Sarre and Ville- Married.
As part of a second phase of the pilot project, the SAAQ will quadruple the number of regional towns that will be affected by the reduction in opening days, the Information Coops have learned. The SAAQ will announce today that 20 service points across the province will be closed one day per week and even two for three of these municipalities.
“After drawing a very positive result” from its pilot project, the SAAQ confirmed at the beginning of the month the launch of a second phase. There was then talk of closures in nine cities. First in the five service points targeted last winter, closed one day a week since October 7. Rouyn-Noranda was then added from November 4, as well as Val-d’Or, Bonaventure and Thetford Mines from December 2.
Since then, the SAAQ has reviewed its plans. It will announce today that it will extend the reduction in opening days at service points in 11 other cities: Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Rivière-du-Loup, Matane, Mont-Laurier and Montmagny from November 4, then Shawinigan, Alma, Roberval, Rimouski and Lachute from December 2.
Clear the lines
While its customers often have the line hung up on them, the SAAQ hopes to free up staff to answer calls.
“Concretely, this pilot project allows service center staff to support other teams in the Company on different service channels where customer demand is higher, by completing tasks to reduce waiting and delivery times. treatment, for example, over the telephone, and this, at the provincial level,” underlines Geneviève Côté, spokesperson for the SAAQ.
Since July, the SAAQ has met with elected officials and mayors of the branches affected by the closures to plan the second stage of the project, adds Ms. Côté. “The closing days were selected in consultation with the partners.”
“More complicated than going to the doctor”
The mayor of Thetford Mines, Marc-Alexandre Brousseau, deplores the closure of his city’s SAAQ service center on Tuesdays. “That doesn’t make any sense! They are already not capable of offering the service properly,” he said.
The mayor of Thetford Mines, Marc-Alexandre Brousseau. (The Sun, Yan Doublet)
In Thetford Mines, says the mayor, many citizens who come to the SAAQ service center are already redirected to an SAAQ agent in Disraeli, about 25 minutes by car. “So, the citizens of Thetford are not able to be served in the city of Thetford. Then, we’re going to cut a day, we’re going to cut 20% of the service offering. But continue to go to the village 20 km from your home,” laments the mayor.
Friday afternoon, Mr. Brousseau also claims to have received a message from a citizen who had just been “turned around” with her son at the SAAQ service center in Thetford, without the possibility of an appointment before on November 1st.
“It’s made it more complicated than going to the doctor or going to the SAAQ.”
— Marc-Alexandre Brousseau, mayor of Thetford Mines
Starting December 2, the SAAQ service center will not only be closed on Tuesdays, but it will only be accessible by appointment on other days of the week.
“Serve us, good God!”
Discontent is also being felt in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, where the SAAQ branches in La Sarre, Rouyn-Noranda, Ville-Marie and Val-d’Or will be closed one day per week.
Claire Bolduc, prefect of the MRC of Témiscamingue, deplores that in-person appointments at the SAAQ in her region are cut so that employees can respond to calls from citizens elsewhere in the province. “It’s hard to swallow,” she said.
“Our citizens pay the same taxes as everywhere else in Quebec,” said Ms. Bolduc. Why, then, are we deprived of services to meet needs elsewhere in Quebec?”
— Claire Bolduc, prefect of the MRC of Témiscamingue
Claire Bolduc considers that it is unacceptable that citizens have to travel 250 kilometers to obtain an appointment at another SAAQ branch, due to the closure of the one in their city. The SAAQ should stop justifying opening reductions with traffic and waiting time statistics, believes Ms. Bolduc. “We are tired of being calculated. Serve us, good God!”
The SAAQ met with elected officials and mayors of the branches affected by the closures last summer. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
Like the mayor of Thetford Mines, the prefect of the MRC of Témiscamingue believes that the SAAQ should reverse its decision and leave at least a minimum of employees every day in its service centers to respond to motorists’ requests.
Christian Daigle, president of the Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union (SFPQ), is sad that many citizens in the regions have fewer opportunities to meet state employees in person to process their files at the SAAQ.
“What I see more and more through the government of Quebec is that services in the regions are impacted, are reduced, then we tell people “to have good service, go online, go to the computer“, even though not everyone has the opportunity to do so.”
— Christian Daigle, president of the SFPQ
“We understand the primary goal of the SAAQ to want to unclog the phone lines and give a helping hand to other services,” adds Mr. Daigle. But it is not by closing offices and depriving residents of these services that it will help elsewhere. We will need more hires to get there and resolve what SAAQclic has also created as a difficulty.”
The launch of the SAAQclic platform took place on February 20, 2023. (Simon Séguin-Bertrand/Archives Le Droit)
At a time when the government has decreed a hiring freeze in the public service, Mr. Daigle believes that austerity will only further deteriorate the difficulties of customer service at the SAAQ.
No complaints, according to the SAAQ
SAAQ spokesperson, Geneviève Côté emphasizes that the second phase of the pilot project is taking place for a limited period, until March 21, 2025, at a time of the year when customer numbers usually decrease.
The SAAQ observes a decrease of approximately 30% in traffic between the high and low seasons in the service centers affected by the pilot project. During periods of low traffic, closing one or two days a week of around twenty service centers makes it possible to avoid seasonal layoffs in the region and to maintain full-time jobs all year round, argues Ms. Côté .
During the first phase of the pilot project in five service centers, 6,300 more customers were served and no customer complaints were recorded, notes Ms. Côté.
Since October 7, the five service centers that are closed once a week serve 88% of customers in less than 30 minutes when they are open, which exceeds the target of 80%, notes Geneviève Côté.
The Company ensures that it “continuously monitors the pilot project and is committed to making the required adjustments if necessary,” says Ms. Côté.
