Ontario eliminating licence 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.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement early Tuesday morning in Richmond Hill alongside Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, Ross Romano, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, and Nina Tangri, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction.

The move will save vehicle owners $120 a year in southern Ontario and $60 a year in Northern Ontario for passenger and light commercial vehicles.

Vehicle owners will still be required to renew their licence plate every one or two years at no cost to confirm their automobile insurance is valid and pay any outstanding Highway 407 tolls and other municipal fines.

The province said it will be introducing legislation that would allow eligible residents to receive a refund for any licence plate renewal fees paid since March 2020.

If passed, vehicle owners would receive a cheque in the mail starting at the end of March and throughout the month of April.

To receive a refund, drivers will have to ensure their address is up to date on the provincial website and that all outstanding traffic tickets, fees, fines and tolls have been paid by March 7.

Ontario is the most recent province in Canada to scrap licence plate stickers.

Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Alberta have already eliminated physical stickers.