Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 30, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba a4 Winnipeg free press wednesday August 30, 2006 top news an easier Road for Drivers province unveils one Stop shop for licence Mph by Martin Cash t he province yesterday gave details of a new one Stop shop Ping system that will let Mani Toba Drivers renew their vehicle insurance and licence in one visit to a local aut Opac agent. About 60,000 Manitoba Drivers whose birth dates Are in september will be the Guinea pigs to test the new system that will integrate Driver vehicle licensing with aut Opac renewals. There will be one Date to remember one visit to make and an end to month end line ups said Manitoba Public insurance vice president of corporate Public affairs John Douglas. We know from research that this is going to be popular with Manitoban and we want to make the transition As easy As the next time Drivers renew their licences the expiry Date will be Only four months away ? the same time their aut Opac insurance expires ? bringing their licence renewal Date in line with their aut Opac renewal next year. The new Date to remember to renew both your aut Opac and your licence is four months less a Day after the your birth Date. In addition to being Able to renew both their licence and insurance at the same time there will be additional convenience for Manitoban in that they will be Able do so at any aut Opac brokerage location they choose. Drivers used to have to get their licences at one of Only five Driver vehicle Licens ing offices in the City. By the end of december there will be about 150 brokerage locations in Winnipeg and a total of 330 through out the province where the one Stop shopping will be available. The Tricky part will be the transition however. In addition to the challenges of merging the old renewal dates for both licence and insurance into one the integrated system will coincide with the introduction of the provinces new Drivers licence card. To produce the provinces new licence cards each aut Opac office will receive new digital camera equipment and special digital tablets that electronically capture signatures. That is not expected to be completed until the end of september in Rural locations and by some time in december in Winnipeg Brandon Portage la Prairie Dauphin and Thompson. In the meantime Winni Eggers who must renew their Drivers licence by the end of september will have to go to one of the five Driver and vehicle licensing offices As usual since the Winnipeg aut Opac brokers will not yet have the new equipment installed. Four months later they la go to their neighbourhood aut Opac agent to renew their aut Opac and Drivers licence. pump Price in Winnipeg exceeds litre Cost out East by Gabrielle Giro Day the Price at the pumps is falling but Winni Eggers Are still paying More than their driving compatriots in East Ern Canadian cities. A weekly breakdown of prices at the pumps released yesterday by Cal Gary a . Ervin and associates shows Gas is about $1.025 per litre in Winnipeg while its $0.889 in Toronto. Gas prices have been falling right across the country but prices in West Ern Canada continue to be higher than in Eastern Canada said Cathy Hay senior associate at . Ervin and associates. That a a reflection of particularly tight gasoline supplies in this part of the the same Survey also indicates win nip Eggers Are paying about five cents More than the Canadian average of $0.969 per litre based on the prices of ten cities spread across the country. Hay said when filler up gasoline supplies average Gas Price Are Low in North per litre last week America As they Winnipeg $1.025 have been for the Toronto $0.889 last several sum Ottawa $0.92 mers its cheaper Vancouver $1.041 for Eastern Canad Brandon $1.090 an cities like Mon Montreal $98.5 Treal or Toronto to import Gas from other countries overseas. She added retailers in Western Cana Dian cities currently pay about eight cents More per litre than retailers in Eastern Canada. That hits Consumers hard she said even Vancouver ites who currently pay $1.041 per litre. Prices have been particularly High since june 29 ? the Date when inter net consumer watchdog website indicated local prices jumped to $1.105 per litre from $1.053 per litre. The website shows prices steadily grew through the sum Mer to Peak around $1.157 per litre from july 28 to August 15, before declining in the last four weeks. Hay said Gas prices across the coun try dropped an average of 17 cents per litre in the last month. I anticipate Gas prices will continue to fall said Hay estimating Winnipeg Consumers could see the Price decrease As much As 10 cents per litre in the coming weeks ;