‘Step in the right direction’: MPI’s Project Nova onto next phase

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2024 (500 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Public Insurance’s multimillion-dollar overhaul of its technology system has driven past another milestone as the minister responsible hopes there will be no more speed bumps along the way.

MPI said Thursday it had launched a system designed “to manage customer and fleet/vehicle participation in the international registration plan (IRP) for commercial customers who travel outside of Canada.”

Matt Wiebe, minister responsible for MPI, said he is pleased the second phase of the four phase implementation is now in place.

“It is encouraging that some of the changes we made early on — ending the strike, replacing the board immediately, and then choosing a new CEO — is starting to bear fruit,” Wiebe said shortly after the MPI announcement.

“We are now starting to see the corporation get back on track … it is a step in the right direction, but there is more work to do.”

When Project Nova was announced about three years ago, it was budgeted at $107 million.

That budget ballooned to $290 million in 2022, and led to the firing of former MPI president Eric Herbelin.

Along with a 10-week employee strike last year, MPI’s administration said earlier this year Nova was behind schedule and was no longer set to be completed by the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Satvir Jatana, MPI’s president and CEO, said in a statement Thursday “this new system lays the foundation for improved convenience, choice and security, ensuring our IRP customers receive the best possible service experience.”

The next stage will see the Crown corporation move personal insurance, driver licensing and registration services for Manitobans onto the new system.

“Project Nova is a comprehensive transformation that spans multiple phases and years,” Jatana said. “Each phase brings us closer to a fully modernized public insurance system that will benefit all Manitobans.”

As for when the next phase will be in place, Wiebe said Manitobans will have a better idea in the fall.

“What we want to be able to deliver to Manitobans is a realistic timeline based on the challenges from the dysfunction that we saw in MPI, but a realistic timeline to restore that confidence in the public insurer which I think was sorely lacking under the previous government,” he said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca