Ontario Driving Tests Are Now Available in a New Language

With Mississauga–and Ontario in general–becoming increasingly more diverse, it makes sense that important tests be available in multiple languages.

The Ontario government recently announced that the G1 written driving test will be available in Urdu, a move that the province says will help support newcomers and improve road safety. The change will come into effect next spring.

The province says that adding Urdu will “support newcomers to Ontario in completing their tests, knowing and understanding the province’s driving laws and gaining the experience required to drive safely in the province.”

Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. 

The G1  test is currently offered 20 other languages including English and French.

As anyone with a driver’s license no doubt knows, the G1 is a mandatory part of the province’s licensing process.

The province says making the G1 knowledge test available in more languages is part of Ontario’s plan to “create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change.”

Interestingly enough, Ontario’s roads have been ranked among the safest in North America for the past 16 years. There are 55 full-time and 39 part-time DriveTest Centres in Ontario.

“This is one more example of our government’s work to help reduce barriers for newcomers in Ontario,” says Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation. “We constantly work to include new languages to coincide with the ever-changing demographics of our communities to help keep Ontario as a North American leader in road safety.”

Others say this move will be well-received by newcomers.

“This is great news for the Urdu-speaking community and an important step to help reduce barriers to services, especially for our newcomers,” says Dr. Shafiq Qaadri. “Our government is committed to providing equal access to services to everyone in Ontario.”