After months of stories about Yukoners getting nothing but guff when attempting to renew their driver’s licences, I determined from the detailed renewal instructions that I needed my old licence, my driver’s medical, something proving I don’t live in a post box, something official with a picture and something with my legal name and date of birth.
To renew, I brought my driver’s med and my electric bill, with my physical address and my current legal name; my health care card, with date of birth and my current legal name; and my FAC, with photo, date of birth and my current legal name.
I even happened to have my birth certificate when the registrar asked for it although that is not stated as being a mandatory piece of identification. What I didn’t have was my marriage certificate to explain why my birth name isn’t the same as my current legal name.
With the assurance that the information sheet you and I get with our renewal reminders is being updated to clarify my misunderstanding, the registrar issued me a temporary licence and turned me away. I was seeing red and spitting nails, as there is no way from their info sheets to know to bring proof of all name changes from birth to now.
I stormed home and looked up the Motor Vehicle Act O.I.C 2010/158. Not only does it not state anywhere that I must show my birth certificate and documentation supporting any name change, it says that documentation is, to a certain extent, at the registrar’s discretion, as long as the registrar is satisfied the person before them is who they say they are.
Well, lady, I’m showing you a wallet full of proof, with pictures to match, and bills, and a paycheque, all of which you refused to acknowledge as satisfactory evidence of my current legal name. And that’s all I needed to show - current legal name, not evidence of my birth name, or evidence to explain differences.
What do you think? I, who may be fat or thin, blonde, brunette or red-haired, stole this person’s wallet and noticed, “Oh, this woman’s ID is going to expire this month. I better colour my hair and do up my face to look like her and get it renewed.” Pardon?
This is the core of my complaint although several concerns arose in our heated exchange, like what did Motor Vehicles do with the photocopy of my marriage certificate that they made 23 years ago? I didn’t receive an envelope of shreddings.
Since the reasons supplied by the registrar to decline my renewal application are unsupported by the legislation, I believe I’ve met the requirements for licence renewal and would like Motor Vehicles to mail me my licence before my current one expires. You know the address. It’s the same one you used to mail me my renewal instructions.
Jessica Simon
Whitehorse