Tens of thousands of drivers to be mailed replacement licence plates in mid-March, Ontario government says

Thestar.com
Feb. 21, 2020
Rob Ferguson

Ontario drivers will have to wait until mid-March for a fix to the province’s problem-plagued new double-blue licence plates, which give off a glare under lights and often can’t be read at night.

Replacements will then be mailed to the thousands of motorists who now have them on their vehicles, Government and Consumer Minister Lisa Thompson said Thursday following days of ridicule directed at Premier Doug Ford’s administration.

“An enhanced licence plate is currently in development, which we expect to be available in less than three weeks,” Thompson said in a statement noting the province has been working with 3M Canada, its vendor of record on the project to replace the old blue-on-white plates prone to peeling and flaking.

The waiting period is based on an “assurance” from 3M an improved version will be ready, Thompson added.

In the meantime, Service Ontario kiosks will continue to sell the troubled plates to buyers of new cars and trucks and others needing replacement plates. To date, a total of 218,000 of the new plates have been produced and 49,000 issued.

Thompson again laid blame on 3M for the troubles that have left opposition parties questioning the rigour of the government’s testing process that Thompson had called “exhaustive.” As recently as Tuesday, she insisted there was nothing wrong with the plates.

“Throughout this process, including design, manufacturing and testing, our government relied on the expertise of 3M Canada to meet the quality assurance standards agreed to in our contract. We will continue to work collaboratively with 3M Canada to achieve a resolution,” she said in the statement.

“Our government has been clear to 3M that our expectation is they will cover the cost of the replacement licence plates.”

Concerns about the plates were sparked in a tweet that went viral last weekend from a Kingston police officer, whose post showed the plates give off a glare when illuminated in some circumstances, making them “virtually impossible” to read at night.

3M issued a statement Thursday evening saying the new version being developed will be given “to the province so that it can then be tested by law enforcement and key stakeholders. We stand behind our products and continue to actively provide solutions to the Ontario government.”

An estimated cost of the replacements was not provided. Critics were concerned the hard-to-read plates would make it difficult for police to find drunk drivers reported by other motorists or for citizens to detect vehicles named in amber alerts for missing children.

Thompson’s statement said the contract with 3M “requires delivery of a product that is free from manufacturing defects, imperfections and/or design deficiencies that may affect operation, appearance or serviceability.”

Earlier in the day, Government House Leader Paul Calandra acknowledged the trouble the plates have caused for the Progressive Conservatives this week in a rocky return from the legislature’s winter break.

 “Are the licence plates a problem? Absolutely,” said Calandra, standing in for Thompson, who would not take questions from reporters for the second day in a row.

New Democrat MPP Jennifer French (Oshawa) took Thompson to task for deciding to “dodge and ditch” questions from the media.

“While the cameras were waiting and when the lights were bright, the minister disappeared -- not unlike her licence plates,” French said, pressing the minister for details on how the problem would be fixed by 3M.

No details on the fix were provided but Thompson did say Ford has spoken to the president of 3M Canada three times.

“We are seeking an immediate solution to the issues that have been identified with their product. We’re extremely frustrated and, quite frankly, disappointed with 3M that we’re at this point,” she told MPPs.

3M issued a statement Wednesday saying the company stands by its products and is “actively providing solutions to the Ontario government to address the readability issue as quickly as possible.”

Opposition parties have called on the government to stop issuing the problematic plates until a solution is ready. Critics dub them “propaganda plates” because they use Conservative colours.

“Why are they giving out plates that don’t work?” said interim Liberal Leader John Fraser. “If you were in another business and you had a product that was bad, would you keep selling it? I hope not. Wouldn’t be in business long.”

While the toll Highway 407 says its cameras have no trouble reading the new plates, Toronto’s new photo radar cameras and red light cameras do.

Mayor John Tory said he wishes the province had consulted the city to ensure the new plates wouldn’t cause a problem, but acknowledged Ontario officials now have a “full-court press” to fix the difficulties as the city consults its camera supplier as well.

The cameras are key parts of Toronto’s “Vision Zero” program to slow drivers and reduce an alarming number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths.

Thompson has called the old blue-on-white plates “Liberal” but they pre-date the last Liberal government and the basic design has been in use almost 40 years.

The new plates were announced in last spring’s provincial budget.