Ford government considering eliminating licence plate stickers: sources

The Doug Ford government is considering eliminating licence plate stickers, sources tell CityNews.

It’s a move that would save drivers $120 a year and will be one of the first new bills presented with the legislature returns the week of February 21.

The annual renewal process would remain, but drivers would not incur charges. Sources say the proposal was well-received by the cabinet, who recently reviewed it.

It would mean Ontario licence plates will no longer sport a sticker in the top right-hand corner.

In a statement, Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney wouldn’t confirm or deny the report, only acknowledging that the provincial government is considering “a number of options to cut costs for Ontarians.”

It was confirmed in November 2021 that the Ford government would be removing paper renewal notices and transitioning to a more digitally-convenient process.

This includes adjusting the renewal notification process for driver’s licences, licence plate stickers, and health cards.

The government said the move would save up to $29 million in postage and mailing costs over five years as funds will be re-invested into critical programs, such as education.

In the summer of 2020, Premier Ford’s government scrapped a redesign of Ontario’s licence plates, returning to the old, white-and-blue “Yours to Discover” version.

The blue licence plates that the Progressive Conservative government rolled out at the time using a slogan of “A Place to Grow” were pulled after they were widely denounced by local police officers and members of the public after people said the plates were impossible to read in the dark.

The problem was first raised on social media when an off-duty police officer from Kingston, Ont. posted a picture of a “virtually unreadable” plate in a well-lit parking lot at night. A spokesman from the City of Toronto said some photo radar cameras could not read the jurisdiction name on the plates because of the small font size.

This led to government officials asking 3M Canada to investigate the reports.

The Progressive Conservatives revealed the new plates in the 2019 budget, saying the government spent $500,000 on a consultation on branding but had a new contract for licence plate production that saved $4 million.

The province said about 145,000 of the blue plates were produced.