License plate sticker and renewal fees being eliminated

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Ontario drivers of passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds will no longer face licence plate renewal fees and plate sticker requirements. 

Premier Doug Ford announced at a news conference in Richmond Hill on Tuesday (Feb. 22) that the Ontario government would be eliminating licence plate renewal fees and stickers effective March 13. 

“As the cost of living continues to go up, our government is cutting costs for families to make life more affordable,” said Ford. “Eliminating the fee to renew your licence plate and refunding the cost of doing so for the past two years is a concreate way we can put and keep more money in the pockets of hard-working Ontarians.” 

Ford said the government will be refunding all licence plate sticker fees that drivers bought from March 2020 and onward. 

“This means over 7.5 million vehicle owners can expect the refund,” he said. 

To receive a refund, drivers who have recently moved will need to make sure the address on their driver's licence or vehicle permit is up-to-date online or by phone with Service Ontario at 1-888-333-0049 by March 7.

Drivers will also need to pay any outstanding fees, fines or tolls. 

Ontarian drivers will receive a cheque in the mail starting at the end of March and throughout the month of April, said Ford. 

While individuals with passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds are eligible for the refund, companies or business that own these types of vehicles are not eligible for refunds between the period of March 2020 and March 2022. Renewal fees will be eliminated for companies and businesses. 

Currently, renewing a licence plate costs $120 a year for passenger vehicles in southern Ontario and $60 per year in northern Ontario. 

Ford said moving forward drivers will still need to renew their licence plates every one or two years to confirm insurance is valid and any outstanding tolls or municipal fines are paid, but that no sticker will be required. 

Scrapping the licence plate renewal fee and sticker program will cost the province over a $1 billion in revenue each year. 

“We're just putting that back into your pocket, and it's about affordability,” said Ford.

Ahead of Tuesdays news conference, Ford announced on Feb. 18 that the provincial government would be removing tolls on Highways 412 and 418 effective April 5.