Ontario is going to do away with license plate stickers

Every year or two, car owners Ontario must renew their license plate stickers. To get a new sticker to replace an expired one, you must:

• confirm car insurance;

• pay all fines and fees;

• pay a separate fee for the sticker itself;

• to take an odometer reading;

• Pass an emissions test (only for diesel engines on heavy-duty vehicles).

Without a valid sticker, the license plate is invalid. You can get one by mail, paying a fee and submitting all documents online, or you can come to collect it in person. At the beginning of the pandemic, car owners were allowed to not renew their stickers, but in early February 2022, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said that all deferrals would be extended only until the end of the month. By February 28, motorists have until February 28 to renew expired driver's licences and license plate stickers.

Now the Ontario government is considering abolishing stickers for cars and motorcycles, although the province would lose $1 billion a year in revenue. Those who have already had time to renew stickers will be compensated if they are cancelled altogether. This may be the provincial government's way of trying to win voter support before the June election.

Read what else is being fined on Ontario roads besides not having a license plate sticker, and what awaits traffic offenders in other Canadian provinces.