System outage forces SAAQ to shut down all of its service outlets
If you have a practical driving exam scheduled today, you can still take it, SAAQ says
A system outage at Quebec's automobile insurance board is forcing it to shut down all of its service outlets for the day.
The outage, according to the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), began on Tuesday afternoon at around 3 p.m.
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, the SAAQ said the outage is linked to several servers and is affecting many services, including SAAQclic — the online platform that had a distrastrous rollout in 2023 and is currently the subject of a public inquiry due to a $500-million cost overrun.
SAAQ says the outage does not affect people's personal data. Despite the service outlets being closed, the automobile insurance board also says people can still show up for their practical driving exams that are scheduled today. Theoretical exams and other types of appointments are cancelled.
The SAAQ's statement does not specify a timeline for the problem to be resolved, and it does not mention a cause for the outage.
"Our teams and those at Microsoft are fully mobilized and working tirelessly to resolve this issue as quickly as possible," the statement reads.
Gilles Bélanger, who took on the role of minister responsible for cybersecurity and digital technology after Éric Caire resigned in large part due to the SAAQclic controversy, said the outage has nothing to do with the online platform and the issues lie with Microsoft.
"I totally agree it's not acceptable, but it's not SAAQclic. It's Microsoft's issue and I'm following the situation very closely," Bélanger told reporters on Wednesday, before adding that he hopes the problem will be resolved soon.
On Tuesday, SAAQ spokesperson Gino Desrosiers said the automobile insurance board would try to reschedule those in the coming days.
"We're going to offer alternatives to minimize the inconvenience on our clientele," Desrosiers told Radio-Canada.