Ottawa police are reminding drivers to renew their vehicle license plates, saying officers will soon begin issuing $ 110 fines for expired license plates.
Although the Ontario government has abolished fees for renewing license plates and stickers for passenger vehicles, vehicle owners still have to renew their license plates every one or two years.
The Ottawa Police Department has five vehicles with automatic fleet license plate recognition, which helps police identify stolen license plates, misuse of license plates, unlicensed drivers and expired stickers.
“Many of my officers came to me, expressing concern that people were not renewing their license stickers,” said the sergeant. Robert Cairns told CTV News Ottawa.
“I witnessed this first hand on Friday night last week when I took out the ALPR and noticed that literally hundreds of people were not renewing their vehicle stickers.”
The Ontario government abolished taxes and stickers back in March, saying the change would save drivers $ 120 a year. The province said drivers would still have to renew their license plates.
Drivers can renew their registration numbers through Service Ontario online, by mail or in person. Cairns says the Ontario government has included a notice to continue renewing the license plate in the refund envelope with a license plate sticker.
“I suggest they read this letter again,” he said. “It’s very worrying that people who are very outspoken are either very lazy or ignorant about their requirement to renew their records.”
In April, an 82-year-old Ottawa woman received a $ 495 ticket from MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais police after a friend drove her expired vehicle to Gatineau. Police said officers are checking the license plate through the system to see if it has leaked.
While Cairns says he found “hundreds” of vehicles with expired license plates, the Ottawa Police Department does not currently issue fines for expired license plates.
“I could have fined thousands and thousands of dollars that night,” Cairns said. “There will come a time when (drivers) will be stopped by Ottawa police and fined $ 110 for not renewing their license plates.
“In fact, we could do it right away, but I’m essentially giving people another chance now. I get more information, I ask them again that they have an obligation to renew their records. If this happens to the deaf, then we will start enforcing the legislation. “
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