Dingoes to blame for Canadian teen’s beach death

SAAQ services are down across Quebec — Here’s what still works

<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/the-outside-of-an-saaq-office.jpg?id=60152694&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>If you've got business with the SAAQ today, you'll likely need to wait.</p><p>On the morning of May 7, the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/saaq" target="_blank">Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)</a> announced it's dealing with a major IT outage that has been disrupting several of its systems since around 3 p.m. on Tuesday — and the issue still isn't resolved.</p><span></span><p>In a <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/panne-des-services-informatiques-a-la-saaq-849379571.html" target="_blank">Wednesday statement</a>, the SAAQ said the issue is tied to a group of servers that support various core services. While SAAQclic itself remains functional, access to it is currently blocked because of the broader outage. The SAAQ emphasized that no customer data has been compromised.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1920082774729322779"> <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> — (@) <a href="https://twitter.com/SAAQ/status/1920082774729322779"></a> </blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <p>As a result, all service centres and partner locations are closed today, and most appointments are being cancelled. Anyone with an appointment will be contacted and offered a new date in the coming days.</p><p>Upon sharing the update on social media, the SAAQ even apologized to one X user who claimed to have made their way down to one of the Crown corporation's offices.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1920100677943992487"> <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> — (@) <a href="https://twitter.com/SAAQ/status/1920100677943992487"></a> </blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <p>Driving tests scheduled for today will still go ahead as planned.</p><p>Meanwhile, SAAQ teams say they are working with Microsoft to resolve the issue "as quickly as possible."</p><p>This isn't the first tech headache for the SAAQ. The agency has been under fire over its rocky rollout of SAAQclic — a digital platform meant to simplify things like license renewals and test bookings. <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/the-saaq-is-making-it-easier-than-ever-to-avoid-the-saaq" target="_blank">Launched in 2023</a>, the system led to long wait times and widespread frustration. A <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/saaqclic-over-budget-1.7463880" target="_blank">public inquiry</a> later revealed the project could cost up to $1.1 billion by 2027 — nearly $500 million more than expected — and flagged major issues with how it was managed.</p><span></span><p>You can find updates on the situation at <a href="https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca" target="_blank">saaq.gouv.qc.ca</a> or check their <a href="https://x.com/SAAQ" target="_blank">X account</a> for updated info.</p><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p> <p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>