Deadlines and Details

MTO SAFETY INSPECTIONS

Deadlines and Details

We have received an important reminder from the MTO as to deadlines and details on the move to fully digitize Ontario safety inspections by the end of 2024.

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is no longer accepting new Motor Vehicle Inspection Stations (MVIS) applications:

  • Effective June 30, 2024, the MTO has stopped filling orders for annual inspection or

semi-annual inspection certificates/stickers.

  • Stations will have until October 31, 2024, to order safety and structural certificates, in limited quantities.

MVIS facilities that have not entered the DriveON program must not:

  • Issue or affix annual inspection or semi-annual inspection certificates/stickers after July 31, 2024.
  • Issue a safety standards certificate after July 31, 2024, if the vehicle requires an annual or semi-annual inspection sticker.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: MVIS facilities are permitted to continue conducting annual and semi-annual inspections under the MVIS program until August 31, 2024. This is only permitted for MVIS facilities that have applied to the DriveON program before August 1, 2024, and have not received their DriveON equipment.

To qualify for refunds, MVIS facilities are required to return unused forms of annual inspection and semi-annual inspection certificates and stickers by September 30, 2024.

Unauthorized use or sale of expired MVIS certificates and stickers are subject to investigation by a Transportation Enforcement Officer. You could be charged for violating the Highway Traffic Act if you issue or affix these certificates and stickers beyond the end date, or your enrollment into DriveON could be revoked.

DriveON

As a reminder to MVIS facilities that perform annual, semi-annual or a combination of annual, semi-annual and light-duty/passenger vehicle inspections, please note that the deadline to apply to DriveON is July 31, 2024 to receive a complimentary tablet.

Current MVIS facilities that are eligible and have submitted their application to join the DriveON program are now able to order, receive, and initialize the inspection equipment and add technicians to their VICs ahead of the Ministry’s review and approval process.

The DriveON program went live on July 15, 2024, where stations that have been accepted into the program and have received their equipment can begin performing inspections under the DriveON program.

Current MVIS facilities that only perform light duty/passenger vehicle inspections will be notified when the DriveON portal will open to apply to DriveON. More information on this will be announced soon.

If you have any questions about the new DriveON program, you can contact the Vehicle

Inspection Centre Assistance Line toll free at 1-833-420-2110 or by email at VIC@driveonportal.com.

To read the full memo from the MTO please click here

NEW AMENDMENTS TO THE MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS ACT AND REGULATIONS​

NEW AMENDMENTS TO THE MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS ACT AND REGULATIONS

The UCDA recently received this email from the Ministry which oversees OMVIC. The Ministry is moving ahead, after consultations, with some specific amendments to the MVDA. There may be more to come, as the notice suggests, but for now these are the announced amendments:

As of July 1, 2024:

  • Motor vehicle dealers and salespersons (registrants) are no longer required to return their registration certificate when they cease to be registered.
  • Registrants have 30 days to provide warranty documents and payments to warranty sellers.
  • Registrants are required to include contact information that the registrant chooses (rather than a business telephone number) in advertisements, provided that the same contact information is published on OMVIC’s public database of registrants.
  • Cross-appointments between OMVIC’s Board of Directors and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund (MVDCF) Board of Trustees are prohibited.
  • Outdated provisions that are related to the transition from the repealed Motor Vehicle Dealers Act have been removed from the General regulation.

As of January 1, 2025:

  • The required Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP) statements will be simplified and registrants will be required to include a general statement on CAMVAP in all contracts.

As of January 1, 2026:

  • Registrants will be required to successfully complete continuing education requirements that the registrar specifies prior to renewing their registration.

The amending regulation is now available on the Ontario e-Laws website.

The ministry is working to determine next steps on the remaining proposals outlined in its consultation paper and may bring forward additional regulatory and legislative proposals for government consideration in the future to support burden reduction for the sector and enhance consumer protection.

If you have any questions, please contact the ministry at MVDA@ontario.ca

MOTOR VEHICLE DEALER ACT REFORM

MOTOR VEHICLE DEALER ACT REFORM

A reminder that if you want to comment on the Ministry’s proposed changes to the MVDA, the deadline is May 21, 2024

As readers of Front Line and other UCDA messaging know, plans have been in the works for some time to open up the MVDA for the first reforms since the “new” Act was put into force in 2010.

The Ministry has reached the consultation phase of that planning, and we were informed just recently that a deadline of May 21st has been set for responses on a series of proposed reforms.

The UCDA is diligently working on our draft responses to the suggestions, and we plan to ask UCDA Members for their thoughts, probably by way of a survey, in the coming weeks. This will help us fine-tune our final submission to the Ministry.

Please stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, here is the note from the Ministry that oversees OMVIC operations:

The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery is seeking feedback on a consultation paper exploring proposed changes to the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, 2002 and its regulations.  

The ministry is consulting on proposals to: 

  • Reduce burden for registrants;
  • Protect consumers;
  • Enhance registrant compliance and improve regulatory efficiency; and
  • Address other sector-specific issues. 

You can find the consultation paper on Ontario’s regulatory registry: Modernizing the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act: Proposals to Reduce Burden, Improve Regulatory Efficiency, and Enhance Consumer Protection (ontariocanada.com). 

The deadline to submit feedback to MVDA@ontario.ca is May 21, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. The ministry will consider all feedback received.

Victoria Day

Victoria Day

Dealers are required to be closed on Victoria Day, Monday, May 20th, unless located in a tourist area as designated by their local municipality.

The UCDA search offices will be closed on Victoria Day, but open regular hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18th and resuming normal operations on May 21st.

Members will be able to access UCDA online services throughout the long weekend at www.ucdasearches.com

DIGITAL SAFETY FOR ANNUAL AND SEMI-ANNUAL MVIS STATIONS

DIGITAL SAFETY FOR ANNUAL AND SEMI-ANNUAL MVIS STATION

On Friday word came from the MTO that the much awaited next phase of enrolment for digital safety will open on May 9, 2024.

Starting on that day, MVIS facilities that perform annual and semi-annual inspections or a combination of both annual, semi-annual, and safety inspections on light duty/passenger vehicles, will be eligible to apply to the new DriveON program through the DriveON portal at www.driveonportal.com

Other important dates:

  • It is recommended you complete the enrolment process and purchase equipment prior to June 1, 2024.
  • MVIS facilities that perform annual and semi–annual inspections or a combination of both annual, semi-annual, and safety inspections on light duty/passenger vehicles will be eligible to receive one complimentary inspection tablet if you onboard before August 1, 2024.
  • Current MVIS facilities that only perform light duty/passenger vehicle inspections will also be eligible for one complimentary inspection tablet when onboarding is open to them. Current MVIS facilities that only perform light duty/passenger vehicle inspections will be able to submit their application to become a VIC through the DriveON portal at a later date. More information will be communicated on this soon.
  • If you don’t apply to the DriveON program by July 31, 2024, you will no longer be able to conduct annual and semi-annual inspections under the MVIS Program.

Further information regarding the process on how to enrol in the DriveON program will be communicated by the DriveON vendor, Parsons Inc. Additional information can also be found on the DriveON portal at www.driveonportal.com .

If you have any questions about the new DriveON program, please contact the Vehicle Inspection Centre Assistance Line toll free at 1-833-420-2110 or by email at VIC@driveonportal.com.

 

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