P.E.I.'s driver's licensing office gets Arabic speaker

People looking for a P.E.I. driver's licence will soon be able to get service in Arabic.

The hiring, in response to Syrian refugees settling on the Island, is part of a process that started last year and has already seen the Driver's Handbook translated into Arabic.

The new hire will join staff already on board who speak Farsi, Japanese and Mandarin.

"We're trying to respond to each one coming through the door," said Graham Miner, director of the highway safety division.

"I think most times we've been ahead of it, hopefully."

Prepared for cases of lost documents

The highway safety division has also developed a protocol for refugees who arrive on the Island having left their Syrian driver's licence behind.

It involves a written test to ensure they understand the rules of the road on P.E.I., and a quick road test to determine their level of experience.

Miner said recent immigration has led to big changes in his office.

"It just seems so normal, that this is P.E.I., to go downstairs and have quite a few customers here from different countries," he said.

"Ten years ago it was quite rare."

Interviews for the short-listed candidates for the Arabic-speaking job will be conducted in the coming days.

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