February 24, 2022

CANADA: On Tuesday, Ontario Premier Announced It Is Ending Licence Plate Renewal Fees And Sticker Fees By March 13 And Will Refund The Cost Of Stickers Purchased Over The Past Two Years.

CTV News published February 22, 2022: Ontario is scrapping licence plate renewal fees, stickers | Watch Premier Ford's announcement. Ont. Premier Doug Ford says the province will be scrapping the licence plate sticker program starting March 13.

Global News, Canada local
written by Gabby Rodrigues
Tuesday February 22, 2022

The Ontario government has announced it is ending licence plate renewal fees and sticker fees by March 13 and will refund the cost of stickers purchased over the past two years.

“We are eliminating licence plate renewal fees,” Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday morning. “And scrapping the requirement to have licence plate sticker for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds.”

Ford said the government will also refund licence plate sticker fees for those with individually-owned passenger vehicles who bought them from March 2020 onwards.

He said to get a refund, drivers will need to make sure the address on their licence is up to date by March 7 online or by phone with ServiceOntario at 1-888-333-0049.

Any outstanding tickets or fines must be paid for before receiving a refund.

Ontarians can expect to get a refund by the end of April via a cheque in the mail, Ford said.

“This means over 7.5 million vehicle owners can expect a refund,” Ford said.

Renewing a licence plate sticker would cost drivers $120 for the year in southern Ontario for passenger vehicles or $240 for two years. For those in northern Ontario, it would cost $60 for a year or $120 for two years.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the province in 2020, the government suspended renewal requirements for various documents and the licence plate sticker in an effort to prevent crowds at ServiceOntario.

Ford said licence plates will still need to be renewed every one or two years — to ensure car insurance and any outstanding tolls or municipal fines are paid — but that it will be free to do so with no sticker required.

No refunds will be given for the period of March 2020 to March 2022 for passenger, light-duty commercial vehicles, motorcycles or mopeds that are owned by a business, the government said.

The elimination of the sticker fee program will cost the province $1.1 billion a year in revenue. Ford said “we’re just putting that back into your pocket and it’s about affordability” in response to the revenue loss.

The move comes as the provincial election is set for June in Ontario.

In an email to Global News Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said the validation period of licence plates for individually owned passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds has been extended to March 31, 2022.

“Validation for companies and businesses who own these vehicle types has been extended to September 30, 2022,” the email reads.
CHCH News published February 22, 2022: Ontario eliminating license plate renewal fees and stickers. The Ontario government is scrapping licence plate renewal fees and stickers for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds, effective March 13.

CBC News, Canada local
written by Staff
Tuesday February 22, 2022

Ontario is scrapping vehicle licence plate renewal fees and the requirement for drivers to have a licence plate sticker effective March 13.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday morning in Richmond Hill, Premier Doug Ford said the government will also be introducing red tape legislation that will allow Ontario to issue refunds to people who have renewed their licence plate stickers since March 2020.

This will apply to all passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds. Currently, renewal fees stand at $120 a year for passenger vehicles in southern Ontario, and $60 in the North.

According to Ford, the move signifies $1 billion going back into the economy, and will still benefit the province because it will create a broader tax base.

More than 7.5 million vehicle owners will benefit from the renewal savings, Ford said. This includes those that are owned by businesses. However, the cuts will cost the province over $1 billion a year in lost revenue.

He says with the cost of living rising, his government is finding ways to reduce the burden "on the hard-working folks who need a break."

"These savings add up. That means a little more money in your pocket to help with groceries or pay bills," Ford said.

News comes as provincial election nears

The premier said he doesn't want to raise taxes, but Treasury Board president Prabmeet Sarkaria also said there will be no cuts to services to make up for the loss of revenue.

"I think like any other program that the government puts forward, we'll examine all fiscal implications of the program, as we have been internally," Sarkaria said after today's question period.

While NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she was not opposed to the elimination of the renewal fees, Liberal House Leader John Fraser said waiving the fees isn't enough to address affordability.

Green party leader Mike Schreiner said the announcement is just an election gimmick — the province heads to the polls in June — and the other opposition leaders are "playing footsie" with it.

"That is a billion-dollar election boondoggle that means less money for health care, less money for education, less money for affordable housing," he said.

The premier sounded less certain, however, about another affordability promise, saying he will "look into" cutting gas prices.

🚨👇 SAME ONTARIO PREMIER 👇🚨
written by Staff
Thursday February 24, 2022

“No trial. No judge. No hearing. No appeal. Just happened. And of course it was done by Doug Ford — but at Ottawa’s direction.”

On last night's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, we looked at how there's still an official Emergency in Ontario, even after Trudeau loosened his grip on the federal Emergencies Act.

Here's a bit of what Ezra had to say:
So they’re protesters who — as far as we know — have not been charged with any crime. But they’ve just had their businesses shut down. What does that mean?

A business they’ve built up their whole lives, maybe. A truck, a company, a licence, insurance — all the parts of it — just ended. No trial. No judge. No hearing. No appeal. Just happened. And of course it was done by Doug Ford — but at Ottawa’s direction.

So there is still an Emergency in effect in Ottawa. Doug Ford is just stupid enough to let it be his.
This is just an excerpt from the full Ezra Levant Show.

🚨👇RELATED SAME DAY 👇🚨

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 2:37 PM

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