Describing the scrapping of annual validation stickers for vehicles announced by Premier Doug Ford as “obviously an election issue,” South Simcoe Police Chief Andrew Fletcher presented the policing view, in February’s Police Services Board meeting:
“We in the policing world are not in favour.”
Fletcher explained that expired validation stickers provide a tool that allows police to quickly identify and pull over offenders – often leading to further charges, from prohibited drivers to driving without insurance.
Without the stickers, police must run the plates to determine if there are outstanding issues, such as a court-ordered loss of licence – a difficult process in a moving vehicle, and one that can be time-consuming.
There is technology available - automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs– that can facilitate the search, as well as quickly identify stolen vehicles.
The ALPRs used by the South Simcoe Police cost on average $10,000 per vehicle, the police service has indicated. South Simcoe has 18 police cruisers in its front-line fleet; only two are presently equipped with an ALPR.
Fletcher noted that the province has recognized the issue and has now committed over $42 million in one-time funding to assist police services to purchase ALPRs – funding that is to be divided among all Police Services in Ontario.
Calling the validation stickers “a good tool,” Chief Fletcher described the provincial decision to scrap the annual renewals as “a bit of a trade-off for us. We’re giving up one tool, and getting another,” without the assurance that the funding will be adequate to support the equipment needed.
More recently, Premier Ford described the scrapping of the annual sticker fees, of $120 per year, as a response to soaring gas prices, basically replacing an earlier promise to cut the Provincial gas tax by 5 cents a litre.
Dakota Brasier, senior communications advisor and press secretary for the Hon. Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, stated: “As the cost of living continues to go up, our government is cutting costs for families to make life more affordable. Eliminating licence plate renewal fees and the requirement to have a licence plate sticker means that an Ontario family with two vehicles will save up to $480 each time they renew.”
The figure is based on a two-year renewal fee, of $240 per vehicle.
Brasier added, “Our government is putting approximately $1.1 billion over the next year directly back into the pockets of nearly 8 million hardworking Ontarians.”
Refunds will be sent out to individual vehicle owners who have prepaid between March 1, 2020 and March 21, 2022, and are eligible, as long as the MTO has an updated address and all outstanding fees, fines and tolls have been paid.
In the Board meeting, member Lynn Dollin, mayor of Innisfil, pointed out that the decision to scrap the stickers also pulls the plug on the collection of municipal fines, going forward.
The Town of Innisfil has been able to block sticker renewals if there were unpaid municipal fines, she said, “and now there’ll be no consequences to people not paying bylaw tickets.”
PSB Chair Chris Gariepy pointed out that the cancellation of the annual renewal and sticker fees could represent a significant loss of provincial income.
“A billion dollars – how is he (Ford) going to make that up?” Gariepy asked.
Hannah Jensen, communications advisor with the Office of the Solicitor General, responded, “Among other tools, the Ontario government is investing $43.8 million to support more municipal and First Nations police services to adopt Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology. This is part of our government’s commitment to provide police with the tools they need to do their jobs, improve public safety and strengthen roadside law enforcement efforts across the province.”
Jensen explained, “There is no requirement for police services to purchase a specific type of ALPR technology. Additionally, police services can choose to leverage the broader provincial procurement process or procure their own ALPR technology based on local processes and needs of the service.”
She indicated that the distribution of funding “will be an application-based process that will enable police services to be reimbursed equitably for purchasing ALPR technology.”
