Ontario cancelling Drive Clean emissions tests
- Jayson Koblun
- 02 Oct 2018
Effective April 1, 2019, drivers will no longer be required to get Drive Clean emissions tests for their passenger vehicles.
The Progressive Conservative government is scrapping the province’s vehicle emissions testing program next year and replacing it with a new system that is said to be modern and more effective.
The enhanced program will focus on heavy-duty vehicles like commercial transport trucks and will ensure that Ontario continues to lead Canada in reducing harmful smog-causing pollutants, the government announced last Friday.
A policy proposal has been posted on the Environmental Registry for 30 days to encourage public consultation on the changes to the Drive Clean program, including the redesign of the heavy duty program.
Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference last week that the Drive Clean program, which tests emissions every two years on cars and light-duty trucks over seven years old, is outdated and no longer effective. He said the program worked well when it was introduced in 1999 but grew less useful as the automotive industry adopted more stringent emissions standards
“Drive Clean was created almost 20 years ago but 20 years later, the family car now creates much less pollution. So Drive Clean has outlived its usefulness,” he said.
According to the province, scrapping emissions test will save $40 million per year.
Today, our government announced we are cancelling the Drive Clean program, which has become outdated and ineffective. Taxpayers will save upwards of $40 million annually. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/2PSzye5k7d
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) September 28, 2018
“When first introduced by a previous Progressive Conservative government in 1999, Drive Clean was effective. It provided a way to target emissions related to smog and other environmental problems,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “This has resulted in a steady decrease in the number of cars that fail the emissions test. Drive Clean was intended to be a time-limited program, and as the years passed, so did its usefulness. It has provided less and less value for taxpayer dollars.”
The announcement was met with praise by some in the automotive industry and questions from some political opponents.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said that while he can accept that the program is no longer as relevant as it once was, scrapping it is part of a pattern for this government.
“When you look at the list of things this government has done on the environment file, all you see are cuts. They have axed pollution pricing, clean energy contracts, energy retrofits and [electric vehicle] rebates, in addition to repealing climate change laws,” he said.
“The cancellation of Drive Clean might have little impact one way or another. But it is part of a larger trend of ideologically driven decisions that are out of touch with the future of clean jobs and prosperity.”
Let us know what you think about the upcoming changes in the comments below!
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