MONTREAL - The Societe de l'assurance automobile du Quebec suspended the licenses of six driving schools on Tuesday, following reports that the schools were selling certificates to students who didn't attend lessons.

Since January 2010, driving lessons have been mandatory in Quebec. Each student is expected to complete a minimum of 24-hours of theory classes and 15-hours of supervised driving over a year of lessons.

"This is a serious fraud. We needed to act immediately," said SAAQ spokesman Francois Remillard. "We couldn't allow this to go on."

The following six schools were closed:

  • Qazi driving school,
  • Hope driving school, Montreal
  • Hope driving school, Brossard
  • Capital driving school,
  • J.R.V. driving school
  • Winner Sorin driving school, Longueuil

The alleged fraud was unveiled by a Journal de Montreal undercover reporter who went to the Hope driving school on Victoria Avenue. The reporter was told that he could purchase a completion certificate for $400. The certificate would have allowed him to pursue a driving test.

The Journal story claimed that three other driving schools were willing to provide certificates for $300 to $500, while two schools were willing to give the reporter shortened classes.

The owner of the Hope driving schools, Manjurul Islam, strongly denied any wrongdoing.

"The government did not give us any time to give any information, neither by telephone not by fax. They didn't allow us to provide anything," said Islam.

While students will be transferred to the other schools until the SAAQ decides about whether to make the shutdowns permanent, the Quebec Association of Driving Schools supported the SAAQ.

"The majority of the schools are upfront and legal," said association vice-president Athony Mancini.

"It's unacceptable that these businesses abuse the trust of the government, a government agency and a public organization, acting in a way to fool the public and commit fraud. The situation is unacceptable and must be dealt with right away," said Transport Minister Pierre Moreau in a press release.

"Driver conduct is behind 80 percent of road accidents," he said. "New drivers must have the ability to become safe, responsible and able drivers."