Meanwhile in a Civil Servant Office of Quebec…

We have been polled on new increases of rates, we got some and we will be charged more in the future. The most hypocritical increase was the one of our driver’s permit. Not only the ones with the motorcycle class, I am talking about every driver’s permit.

Like many of us, I got my paiement notice in the mail, I then passed to the internet portal to get my dues paid, almost with my eyes closed. This is a ritual I do every two years and if I look at my little laminated card with my face on it, I had to do it this year. The amount was almost the same as last time since I had caught a speeding ticket with my car at the last renewal. What a surprise when I found out about a change on the bill! Our dear and costly SAAQ had changed the time frame. My permit was valid for one year instead of two! An increase of almost 100%! Is the SAAQ now a highway robber?

Some pressure groups such as “All Against the SAAQ” are making a lot of noise on the outrageous increases for the registrations and permits for motorcycles but, who is putting the pressure on the management of the SAAQ about the other increases? Is this government waiting a rebellion of the population?

Personally, this government has my number and hitting my nail from many directions. Revenue, SAAQ, RAMQ, only to name these.

Taxes, income taxes, hidden taxes, PST on basic services, on public services and service fees, this government has mastered the art of doing it. And us, what are we doing? PAY, PAY, PAY without a word…

I am fed up of working almost half on the year to feed that tax machine and this is without looking at surprise fees that comes along afterwards.

I hope that one day we will get really tired of dying like dummies…

Tolls on Our Roads? Good Idea!

Mostly that the current political party of opposition did raise it in the early 80’s on the Autoroutes we had at the time and due to unpopularity of the measure, they backed off so much that they removed them totally from the scenery of the highways 10-13-15-40. It wasn’t democratic to double the rate of the toll to help finance the maintenance of the highways. It was not mostly to the people of the greater Montreal area and the Eastern Townships to pay more for roads in Ungava.

What would be the price of the new tolls? If in the early 80’s the “wisemen” of the MTQ had estimated to 0.50$ the price to update the system, if we consider the cost of living increase, inflation, the rise in the price of asphalt products, the higher labour costs, the renewal of the work contracts for the civil servants, the price charged in Europe, they like to compare themselves to them, I think the wisemen of the MTQ are going to establish the rate at about 3.00$ for each 10Km travelled.

Again, it may be a PPP with a foreign partner that will manage this and install plate recognition systems so you will get another monthly bill by the mail. There are chips like the EZ-Pass but again, they may not be compatible to the rest of the systems here, distinct society, and it would make it easier on carriers. They may be compatible to the ones used on the Autobahn or on the Southern France Expressways.

My good friend Jacques Plante tells it to who wants to listen those simple vanity plates could help to refill the accounts of our government. If like our immediate western neighbours, Ontario, if these plates could be available event for small commercial vehicles, here in Quebec, the ones with an “F” plate, I would be asking some for my 3 pilot cars with the following message C-LARGE-1,2,3. But since our 3^rd eastern neighbour, France, has not given any thoughts on it, we may not see this here soon.

Jacques, it’s a very good idea. You should ask the Minister for a grant to study the project but she is already doing every thing possible to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. If 12M$ of our tax dollars can go to study the possibility of subway extensions, you may only receive a Thank you note…