Will Brighton lose its vehicle licence office?

At its June 30 meeting, Cramahe Township Council supported a bid by the Brighton and District Chamber of Commerce to house the Provincial Vehicle Licencing Office in its offices.

According to the June 22 letter written by the chamber to Jim Bradley, Minister of Transportation and copied to Cramahe Mayor, Marc Coombs,the current owner of the Brighton-based office, Rick Chapman, is not renewing his contract with the Ministry of Transportation. The Chamber wants to see a licencing office continue in Brighton. Trent Hills, Port Hope and Cobourg all have their vehicle licencing offices in chamber premises.

In her letter to Jim Bradley, Chamber President, Mary Robertson outlines several reasons for keeping an office in the municipality.
Stores in Brighton would lose business if the office were closed. Seniors living in Brighton would have more difficulty getting their licences renewed. Automotive businesses in Brighton benefit from having the office nearby.

The municipality has the highest annual growth rate in Northumberland and is the gateway to Presqu’ile.

Mrs. Robertson even suggests it is environmentally better to retain the office in Brighton because less fuel would be wasted.

A petition has already been submitted to Northumberland-Quinte West MPP, Lou Rinaldi and the Municipality of Brighton has endorsed the request to retain a licencing office.