Alberta registries are asking the provincial government to create a fee model for the industry after 13 years without an increase to agent fees.
Local registry Drayden Insurance, is one of the 207 registries that make up the provincial organization asking for their fees to be increased. They want a fee model to be implemented to ensure that fees go up along with inflation and cost of living in the province.
In 2005 registry agent fees increased from $7 to $9, but since then the fee has stayed stagnant. The fees are set by the provincial government and local registries offer provincial services but are privately owned businesses.
After 13 years without the increase, registries are feeling the financial pinch said Marie Anstey, registries operations manager at Drayden Insurance.
“Its challenging, there is no question about it,” Anstey added. “We have had to become very creative.”
Over the years the local registry has had to expand the services they offer, including translations and will kits and have moved to a more prominent location in St. Albert to help balance the books in the face of the rising costs of doing business.
Right now, when you go to renew your registration for your vehicle you pay $84.45 to a registry. The next day $75 goes to the Province of Alberta and eventually 45 cents goes to the federal government. The registry keeps $9 to cover their own business expenses and that has not increased since 2005.
At the local registry office around 90 per cent of the business they do operates with a $9 provincially regulated fee. Anstey said that Drayden has proposed a $5 increase along with the implementation of a funding model.
The provincial organization is working with the government for an overall modernization of registry services to include more online services and the implementation of a funding formula, similar to those at bottle depots. Bottle deposits increase to fluctuate with the rising costs of business thanks to a funding formula.
To keep the registry industry financially healthy a fee model needs to be put in place, Craig Couillard, president of the Association of Alberta Registry Agents said.
“We are trying to put in a financial framework with the government that would address some predictability to our industry so our fees would be regularly reviewed and addressed,” Couillard said.
The prospective financial framework would consider variables like fixed costs, rent wages, inflation and the consumer price index although details are still being ironed out with the provincial government.
Drayden Insurance has met with provincial ministers and St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud to advocate for changes to the fee model and the MLA said she was surprised to hear that they hadn’t seen a fee increase in 13 years.
The suggested fee model left a good impression on the MLA and she said she was impressed by the amount of training registry agents have.
The agents need to know quite a bit of information to be fully certified in Alberta, Anstey said. Registries offer more than 400 different services and agents receive nine certifications. There are 40 different kinds of licence plates in Alberta, Antsey noted, and agents need to know how to deal with each type or their customers will get a ticket.
“I thought it was really well thought out and that is why I have continued with some of my colleagues to bring this up because this is important. I will continue to support Drayden. They are an amazing organization.”
