Names to be published on Manitoba Public Insurance’s website
Administrative sanctions taken against vehicle dealers and salespeople, driver-training schools and instructors, vehicle and parts recyclers, inspection-station operators and qualified inspection mechanics will now be made public to Manitobans, Attorney General Andrew Swan, minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), announced.
“This public process will give consumers the information to make informed decisions about businesses and individuals who have ignored established business rules and failed to conduct proper business actions,” said Swan. “The protection of consumers must always remain a priority and the publicizing of names and sanctions goes a long way in accomplishing this goal.”
This new amendment to the Drivers and Vehicles Act is consistent with the many other government-wide consumer protection efforts already established and enforced through the Let’s Make a Better Deal initiative, he added.
In addition to posting the names of those permit holders who receive administrative sanctions, other information on the MPI website will be their business addresses and a general statement regarding the infraction.
“The new amendment was a collaborative effort from a number of stakeholders,” said Ward Keith, registrar of motor vehicles, MPI. “Publicizing these sanctions against permit holders is also supported by the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association, the Manitoba Used Car Dealers Association and the Auto Recyclers of Manitoba, all of whom are committed to utmost professionalism in the industry.”
Administrative and enforcement actions typically result from information gathered through an audit/inspection of a permit holder’s operations by MPI staff or through information obtained from consumer complaints.
The majority of concerns are resolved amicably and with the full co-operation of the permit holder. However, when suspensions or cancellations of operating permits are required or when conditions are attached to permits, those actions will be made public via the MPI website.
Currently, permits, which are issued by the registrar of motor vehicles, are required by any individual or business who purchases or sells vehicles for compensation, buying or selling vehicles for the purpose of reselling them for scrap or parts, operating a driver-training school, providing driving instruction, conducting vehicle-safety inspections and issuing certificates of inspection.
