Service slower, more costly after IT overhaul at Quebec auto insurance board: auditor

Quebec’s auditor general says SAAQClic launched unprepared, cost $500 million more than expected, and still causes delays.

Service is slower and more costly after a $1.1-billion overhaul of the information technology system at Quebec’s auto insurance board.

That’s the conclusion of the province’s auditor general in a report released today.

The provincial board, which enforces the Highway Safety Code, thought it would save hundreds of millions of dollars with the new online portal, called SAAQclic.

But auditor Guylaine Leclerc says that two years after it was implemented, the cost to deliver services is higher than it was with the previous system.

As well, Leclerc says it takes 20 per cent longer to provide services, such as issuing driver’s licences.

Her report says Quebecers used the old online services more often than the services on the new portal, which cost $500 million more to install than originally estimated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2025