For the first time, Crees living in the isolated community of Chisasibi, in northern Quebec’s Eeyou Istchee territory, will be able to take driving tests, pay registration fees, and complete other vehicle-related paperwork without leaving their community.
A Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) office will open in Chisasibi this fall. Residents of Chisasibi currently have to travel 100km to the nearest SAAQ office in Radisson, a Francophone community situated near the Robert-Bourassa hydroelectric power station on the La Grande River.
Radisson was created in the 1970s to house the Hydro-Québec employees working on the La Grande hydroelectric complex. At its peak, the village’s population was 2,500 but has since dwindled to 300.
More than 700 Chisasibi residents signed a petition four years ago, asking for a SAAQ office to be established in their community. The village has almost 5,000 residents, making it the biggest Cree community in Quebec.
Davey Bobbish, a Local Chief, made the announcement this week at the community’s annual general assembly. “The reaction was happiness and relief for my people when I told them about the news," Bobbish reported.
"People were saying things like: 'I lost a day of work because the office was not open, even if it was supposed to have been,'" noted Bobbish. "Some even called ahead, and sometimes there was no answer, but they still went because they needed to do their business.”
Such widespread inefficiency may soon be a thing of the past. The new SAAQ office will offer the usual services, including licensing and road tests. Two Crees are currently being trained to work in the office.
The target opening date of Chisasibi’s SAAQ office is the end of October. The SAAQ office in Radisson will then close.
