Motor vehicle inspection licence suspended at repair shop
Problems found with car that had passed inspection
Provincial officials have suspended the motor vehicle inspection licence at Birt's Small Engine & Repairs in Mount Stewart, P.E.I.
The suspension started Monday and lasts for 30 days, according to Doug MacEwen, the registrar of motor vehicles.
He said the suspension came after a complaint that mechanic Raymond Birt had passed a car that shouldn't have passed inspection.
An officer re-investigated the 2002 Cadillac Escalade and found eight problems, including one that could have caused the car's steering to fail.
The inspection station had a good operating record, but when you look at the list of components that were needing repair or replacement, it brought it to a fairly high level.— Doug MacEwen
"In this situation, the inspection station had a good operating record, but when you look at the list of components that were needing repair or replacement, it brought it to a fairly high level," MacEwen said.
"We have a great inspection program and a lot of really top notch technicians. This is a good technician as well. He just missed these components when he did the inspection. We try to maintain a lot of integrity in the program."
MacEwen said suspensions of motor vehicle inspection licences are rare on P.E.I. He estimated there are usually only two or three of these handed out a year across the province.
CBC spoke with Raymond Birt and he said he does not intend to appeal, and has no further comment.
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With files from Laura Chapin