SAAQ service centres reopen after system outage forced closures across Quebec
About 40,000 appointments were postponed, SAAQ plans to call people to reschedule
The service centres for Quebec's automobile insurance board reopened Thursday morning.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) was hit with a system outage that ultimately forced it to shut down service outlet across Quebec the following day.
Only people with practical driving exams on the schedule were able to show up to the SAAQ on Wednesday — all other appointments, including road knowledge tests, were cancelled.
The outlets are expected to reopen during regular business hours on Thursday. As of Thursday morning a notice on the website read that services at the SAAQ would resume gradually and people are encouraged to use online services or schedule in-person appointments.
According to Radio-Canada, about 40,000 appointments were cancelled due to the outage. The SAAQ says staff will call people whose appointments were cancelled.
Radio-Canada is also reporting that some service outlets will stay open later than usual, Thursday.
Tuesday's system outage was the latest setback for the automobile insurance board, whose rollout of its online platform SAAQclic in 2023 led to long lineups at service outlets, customer frustration and, ultimately, a $500-million cost overrun . It is now at the centre of a public inquiry.
On Wednesday, Gilles Bélanger — who took over as the minister responsible for cybersecurity and digital technology in February after Éric Caire — said the outage had nothing to do with SAAQclic and the issues were due to problems with Microsoft.
Written by Antoni Nerestant based on reporting by Radio-Canada's Colin Côté-Paulette