Queen Charlotte, Unceded Haida Nation Territory – DIY auto repairs in rural Canadian communities are nothing shocking—people know the government’s arms can only reach so far—but for residents on Haida Gwaii, adequate auto repair services might as well be an ocean away.
“It looks a little wild west here at times,” remarked Lisa Pineault, counsellor in the village of Queen Charlotte on the southern tip of Graham Island, the largest of the islands that make up the Haida Gwaii archipelago.
“A lot of people don’t necessarily understand the logistics of living in a small community, nevermind a small island community. For us, we kind of are the most northwest part of Canada. It’s a six-hour ferry ride to Prince Rupert to have your vehicle repaired,” said Pineault.
Pineault made news recently after the CBC reported on her ordeal with ICBC, the crown insurance corporation with a monopoly on auto insurance in British Columbia as well as unceded lands.
After her collision with a bear on the island, Pineault was told over the phone by an ICBC employee at the Prince Rupert claims centre that she would have to make two 10-plus hour trips, by ferry and her damaged truck, to have to her claim assessed.
“The last time I had a claim was twenty-something years ago. The adjuster used to come to the island once a month and do all of the different locations on Haida Gwaii and you could set up an appointment with them prior. So I didn’t realize at that time the service had been reduced. It’s likely because of the lesser population here, but also because we don’t have a bodyshop here anymore,” said Pineault.
Haida Gwaii has been without a functioning collision repair centre for decades and its residents have been forced to rely on an unofficial community pool of auto parts to keep the island’s vehicles moving.
“We used to have one guy who had a body repair shop. In the really old days, it was kind of ad hoc; people would do it [themselves]. But we did have an actual body repair/paint shop, but it’s probably 25 years ago since it’s been here, maybe even longer. If they get their stuff repaired [at all]. A lot of people don’t even bother. If it’s driveable they don’t even bother.”
According to Pineault, however, even that pool of parts is no saving grace as much of the island’s spare parts have long since been cleaned out by a scrap metal barge that makes rounds to Haida Gwaii every few years.
“For someone like my brother who continually repairs things, that got rid of a lot of his parts inventory…I think it’s been twice in my life that that barge has come and cleared out all of that inventory. For those guys, they don’t have access [to parts] because we don’t have an auto recycler here. We have a couple of people who keep too many things, but we don’t have an auto recycler per se.”
To be clear, Pineault is not calling for a return to the “wild west” DIY repair practices of the past, but rather she is asking ICBC to improve the service to the people of Haida Gwaii, or at least restore it to where it was.
“We do have [insurance] brokers here. We have two ICBC-certified brokerages that you can go and purchase your insurance from. The RCMP—it’s something they check for—we’re not that wild west. So all the vehicles do have ICBC insurance.”
Pineault continued, expressing her desire for clearer lines of communication between Haida Gwaii residents and the mainland-based ICBC, citing the experience she had when she was falsely told she could not submit photos for assessment and must make the in-person trip.
“If I hadn’t followed through and just chosen to not have my vehicle repaired, which is what some people do when they find out they would have to make two full round-trips to Prince Rupert. What I would like to see, as a counsellor, is that the claim centre has that information—that that is a possibility and that all people of Haida Gwaii have that information when they phone in and make a claim.”
Pineault is now calling on the All-Islands Protocol Table, a coalition of Haida First Nation and other local governments including Queen Charlotte, to push ICBC to make her case the standard for people living on the island or to resume sending an adjuster on a regular basis.
