ICBC sets date it plans to resume driving road tests in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Driving road testing in Fort St. John is set to resume next month. 

In a written statement to Energeticcity.ca, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) confirmed it is planning to resume road testing in Fort St. John from Monday, March 2nd. 

ICBC is a provincial agency that oversees road tests in British Columbia. 

This comes after ICBC had ‘indefinitely suspended’ all road tests due to an ongoing criminal investigation involving alleged harassment in December 2025.  

At the time, ICBC’s media relations advisor Greg Harper confirmed 236 road tests had been cancelled in Fort St. John to ensure the “safety of ICBC employees and customers.” 

David Lorne Rowsell, a former ICBC driving examiner and the owner of Elite Driver Training School in Fort St. John, was previously charged with a single count of criminal harassment involving two complainants on January 3rd, 2025. A second count of criminal harassment was added due to a third complainant on February 6th, 2025. 

However, according to Court Services Online, these charges were reduced and Rowsell now faces three counts of fear of injury or damage to person or property. 

Instead of a criminal trial, Rowsell will have a peace bond hearing before the court, which involves the same three complainants, according to the BC Prosecution Service. 

A peace bond is used where an individual appears likely to commit a criminal offence but there is no reasonable grounds to believe an offence has been committed, according to the Government of Canada.

ICBC has also issued 39 tickets to Rowsell for allegedly teaching without a licence, including 37 in December and two in October 2025. 

Harper had previously told Energeticcity.ca: “Neither Mr Rowsell nor Elite Driver Training School hold a driver training school licence, which means they are not permitted to operate or advertise themselves as a driving school in British Columbia.”

Rowsell has in turn accused ICBC of corruption and irregularities in the driver training system in Fort St. John. 

In a Facebook post uploaded to Elite Driver Training School’s page, Rowsell alleged “another driving training school has been involved in giving inadequate driver training to new students by just teaching them the bare basics,” and colluding with ICBC to obtain licences. 

He has additionally accused ICBC of  “giving the students of this school short 10-15 minute tests, and passing them with very few failures.”

Now, ICBC’s Harper, in a written statement to Energeticcity.ca, said: “We’ve taken all appropriate measures to ensure the continued safety of ICBC employees and customers as these tests resume.” 

He shared that the road tests will be conducted at the ICBC Claim Centre at 10507 100 Street. The tests will no longer be offered at the Service BC location in the city. 

“Initially, road tests will be limited in numbers as we resume testing in Fort St. John, but in the meantime, we have expanded road test availability in the nearest community, Dawson Creek,” he said. 

ICBC has thanked the community of Fort St. John for their patience as ICBC “worked to resume” road testing in the community.

According to Court Services Online, Rowsell will next appear in court on February 24th for a pre-trial conference.