‘I need that licence to get my life back’: Winnipeg man frustrated with MPI 

A Winnipeg man says he continues to fight for answers. Even after waiting months for the latest Manitoba Public Insurance strike to resolve, he’s still unsure about the future of his licence. 

“I lose sleep at night because of all these thoughts that are going through my mind. I want that licence back. I need that licence back to get my life back,” said Martin Guicheret.

“It was a rough 2 years. I said I decided to get my licence back so I could actually get a life back instead of being stuck at home.”

Guicheret’s life was put on hold as he recovered from having his lower right leg amputated, resulting in the suspension of his licence. Now, he’s ready to get back on the road and thought after the strike he would get the OK to drive, that was until he was contacted by MPI.

“As soon as I read the letter, my heart just sunk. Now they’re making me go for another review and another driving test,” Guicheret explained.

Since September, Guicheret has had countless medical appointments, went through the Driver Assessment Management Program and even passed a road test. He says he’s been getting conflicting answers from MPI on whether his licence has been cancelled or approved, and he’s frustrated with the lack of clear answers.

He wants to know how many more tests he needs and when he can expect his licence.

RELATED: End of MPI strike would help Winnipegger with disability get life back on track

“There has to be a massive internal review of the inner-workings of MPI because obviously something’s not working, because there’s a lot of people out there that are having major issues.”

Guicheret says he’s at the end of his rope. With inflation and ballooning payments – including a line of credit that costs $1,200 a month – he needs his licence to get back to work. He says he’s been relying on family to get to his medical appointments and even to get groceries, and says it’s not sustainable in the long-term.

“I’ve already lost 2 jobs that have been perfect for me and would have allowed me maybe to work for another two years, maybe three, so that I can get this line of credit paid off and then live comfortable.”

Guicheret says on Monday he finally received a call from MPI saying his licence will be approved Wednesday – but with restrictions. He says the stress he was put through with unclear answers was unnecessary, and wonders if it’s because of his age and disability that the situation was made more difficult than it needed to be.

“There’s a lot of seniors out there that are highly active that still have all their faculties and they’re older than I am,” said Guicheret.

“I’ve always been an active person. I’ve never been one to sit around and do absolutely nothing.”

CityNews contacted MPI but did not receive a response at this time.

Guicheret has additional tests scheduled in the new year, but says he doesn’t know if those will be enough to get his licence fully approved.