It is time to modernize Motor Vehicle Laws in New Brunswick (Canada)
Monday 1 July 2019
New Brunswick Government, Thank you for listening to our citizens and eliminating the front license plate in 2019! We also look forward to the changes on vehicle inspections that will make them more reasonable! "The province is also planning to do away with annual motor vehicle inspections, likely this fall, said Urquhart. New vehicles won't require any inspection for the first three years. All other vehicles will be inspected every two years." Is ServiceNB going to reduce money wasted on stickers and give us 2 year vehicle registrations as an option? Can we get a new slogan?
New Brunswick front license plateSupplied / Wikimedia
The legal requirement of sticking a license plate on the front of one’s car is a hot topic in some circles, with some gearheads loathing the unsightly pieces of metal while others believe the plates to be a valuable safety and identification tool. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, front plates are required only in a minority of Canadian provinces. If plans laid out in the last New Brunswick budget are approved, that number will shrink even further.
The government calls it a cost-saving measure, though there are no plans to reduce the, y’know, actual cost of licensing one’s vehicle in New Brunswick once the change is put into place, at least not for drivers. Government will see a savings since they will effectively halve the number of plates they need to purchase from suppliers.
Gearheads often decry the need for front plates, alleging they ruin the look of their cars and spoil the aesthetic. They have a point, of course, and your author definitely falls into this group. Not everyone is happy with the proposed change, however.
Law enforcement officers in the province are crying foul, saying the removal of front plates will scupper their efforts to identify those who break the law. Bus drivers are voicing their disapproval as well, stating that front-facing license plates are a critical tool which helps them report drivers who fail to stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing. In some provinces where front plates are not required, very strict penalties are in place for passing a stopped school bus. PEI, for example, can slap offending drivers with a $5,000 fine and three-month license suspension.
In a timely bit of small-town carping, a man in neighbouring Nova Scotia took to the local newspaper to complain about the types of novelty plates displayed on the front of vehicles in his area. The re-introduction of front plates, he said, would curb the issue. Okay, then.
Once the New Brunswick government approves the change, the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba will be the only remaining provinces still requiring a front plate, though Ontario is also nixing the front plate in the near future. The government says they will soon announce a date when these amendments will come into effect and motorists are reminded to continue to display two plates until the legislation is updated.
New Brunswickers will be able to officially take the front licence plate off their vehicles on July 15.
“The government committed to eliminating front licence plates, and we are following through on that,” said Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart in a press release.
“Once the amendments and updated regulations are proclaimed, motorists will only require a licence plate on the back of their vehicle.”
Vehicles that weigh less than 4,500 kilograms will no longer be required to display two plates.
This article:
https://globalnews.ca/news/5403402/new-brunswick-no-front-licence-plate-july-15/
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2019.03.0187.html March 2019
News Release
Public Safety
Front licence plates to be eliminated
22 March 2019
FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government has introduced amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to eliminate the requirement of front licence plates on passenger and light commercial vehicles registered in New Brunswick.
“We have heard from many New Brunswickers who prefer to have only one licence plate,” said Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart. “The government committed to eliminating front licence plates. We are following through on that.”
The government will soon announce a date when these amendments would come into effect. Motorists are reminded to continue to display two plates until the legislation is updated.
This change would align New Brunswick’s policy with the other Atlantic provinces and most of Canada.
There would not be a reduction in the cost of plates for consumers. Fees from registration plates are used to cover the cost of the province’s motor vehicle program and computer system, the delivery of motor vehicle services by Service New Brunswick, and highway infrastructure and maintenance.
Once these changes take effect, motorists would have the option of continuing to display their front plate or dropping it off at their nearest Service New Brunswick location.
Vehicle owners would also have the option of displaying a novelty plate where the front plate was located.
Owners of vehicles with seasonal plates who were permitted to display a single rear plate will no longer be required to pay an annual fee as this program will be phased out.
Beginning in April, we will eliminate the front licence plate.
In addition, volunteer firefighters play an important role in public safety, and therefore, we will be eliminating the fee that volunteer firefighters pay for their licence plates.
Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart said he expects eliminating front plates to be revenue-neutral for the province and won't save money for motorists because the $50 fee for two plates will remain the same for one.(CBC)
Front licence plates in New Brunswick will be taking a permanent vacation this summer.
The government is eliminating the requirement for front plates on passenger and light commercial vehicles, effective July 15, Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart announced on Tuesday.
"It's what the people wanted," he said during a news conference in Fredericton.
It won't save vehicle owners or the government money, said Urquhart. The current $50 fee motorists pay for two plates will remain the same for one and it will be "almost revenue neutral" for the province.
It will, however, spare them "the annoyance" of having front plates, he said.
The province is also planning to do away with annual motor vehicle inspections, likely this fall, said Urquhart. New vehicles won't require any inspection for the first three years. All other vehicles will be inspected every two years.
It's not government's responsibility to tell you whether your vehicle is safe.- Carl Urquhart, public safety minister
"We feel it's about time to make that change," he said. "I was there when we brought in inspections and the old cars we had on the road back then needed them every year. The old Ford rusted out pretty quick."
New vehicles are manufactured to a higher standard, he said, and inspections, which cost $35 a year, only provide a "snapshot" of a vehicle on the day they're conducted.
"I'm a firm believer if you've got a motor vehicle on the highway, that motor vehicle is your responsibility, it's not government's responsibility to tell you whether your vehicle is safe."
Changes to annual vehicle registrations are also being considered, said Urquhart. The People's Alliance has been pushing for one-time registration for all privately owned passenger vehicles.
But that could cost the province about $59 million in lost revenue, according to the minister.
It's "too big a hit right now," he said, adding he's willing to sit down with with People's Alliance this summer to look at possible legislation for the fall.
Only required in 3 provinces
The Tories had announced plans to eliminate front licence plates in March when the provincial budget was presented, but a rollout date wasn't set.
The New Brunswick Association of Chiefs of Police and the school bus drivers' union have both criticized the move saying it will diminish public safety.
Urquhart, a former police officer, downplayed the importance of front plates as a policing tool, noting other provinces have already eliminated them.
Only Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba still require front licence plates on passenger vehicles.
The change only applies to vehicles weighing less than 4,500 kilograms. Tractor trailers, buses, school buses, fire trucks, dump trucks and bucket trucks will still be required to display front and back plates. (Maria Jose Burgos/ CBC)
Urquhart also downplayed any risks, saying they are "well outweighed" by the government following through on what New Brunswickers said they wanted.
"Most vehicles aren't designed anymore for front licence plates. It's hard to get them on there," he said.
The government is looking at installing cameras on school buses to protect against motorists speeding through loading zones
Police chiefs concerned
Kennebecasis Regional Police Force Chief Wayne Gallant, who is the president of the New Brunswick Association of Chiefs of Police, contends public safety should trump the interests of antique car collectors and lobby groups who pushed to do away with front plates.(Kennebecasis Regional Police Force)
Wayne Gallant, president of the chiefs' association and chief of the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force, has said front licence plates have helped with amber alerts, national security emergencies and stolen vehicle cases. Many hit-and-run crashes have been solved because of a front licence plate, he said.
Front plates are also a useful tool in cases where drivers illegally pass school buses when their red lights are flashing, said Gallant.
"It's going to make the job of a school bus driver all that more complicated and make prosecuting these serious offences more complicated," he said.
Bus drivers, who are already busy ensuring children are getting on and off the bus safely, will now have to try to get a description of the vehicle as well as the driver.
'Utterly ridiculous'
Brien Watson, president of CUPE 1253, has described the decision to scrap front plates as "utterly ridiculous."
He said the number of drivers who illegally pass school buses has reached "epidemic" proportions and removing the front plates will make it even easier for offenders.
The move to single plates was pushed by the People's Alliance, whose three members have been supporting the PCs in the legislature.
People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin has called the change "reason for celebration."
Premier Blaine Higgs also promised to drop front plates when he was campaigning for election last September.
Seasonal plates program ends Nov. 1
Once the change takes effect, vehicle owners can either continue to display their front plate or drop it off at a Service New Brunswick location.
They will also have the option of displaying a novelty plate at the front of their vehicles instead.
The change only applies to vehicles weighing less than 4,500 kilograms.
Tractor trailers, buses, school buses, fire trucks, dump trucks and bucket trucks will still be required to display front and back plates.
The seasonal plate program will be cancelled, starting on Nov. 1. The registered owners of vehicles with seasonal plates will receive details about how they can replace their plates, officials said.
Another province has eliminated license plate stickers and will save money every year.Who will be next to scrap stickers?
It will not be New Brunswick!
Our government can not even explain why we still have front stickers in the 21st century! They continue to issue the most stickers in Canada at great cost. They refuse to allow 2 and 3 year registrations to save money. The rest of Canada has implemented various changes to reduce costs and increase revenue. Service New Brunswick continues to use 50 year old processes, waste employee hours and waste money. Why? Watch the video on stickers: New Brunswick expiry stickers (FixNB) - YouTube
CBC NEWS:
Manitoba Public Insurance scrapping licence plate stickers
Starting in March MPI will no longer issue plate validation stickers
CBC NewsPosted: Jan 15, 2016 10:31 AM CT
Last Updated: Jan 15, 2016 10:43 AM CT
Winnipeg police, RCMP and Brandon police now reply on an
electronic license plate scanner to verify a vehicle's registration
status. (CBC/Jaison Empson)
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Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) will no longer require
drivers to apply licence plate validation stickers starting March 1,
2016, the province announced Friday.
Manitoba will no longer require drivers to
apply registration stickers on their licence plates starting in March.
(Darren Bernhardt/CBC)
New technology has made the small rectangular stickers applied to the bottom corners of licence plates, obsolete.
Police are now equipped with scanners that instantly read
licence plate numbers and determine the registration status of vehicles
on the road, said the province.
"These devices are highly efficient and alert officers
immediately if a vehicle's registration and insurance has lapsed and is
invalid," the release states.
A scanner on the roof of a police vehicle automatically reads licence plates. (CBC/Jaison Empson)
The new system is easier for drivers as well, said Ward Keith, chief product officer with Manitoba Public Insurance.
"Our customers will also find it more convenient to not have to apply stickers to their licence plates," he said in the release.
For drivers who renew their Autopac policies after February 29,
they will receive a blank sticker to cover up their outdated
registration stickers, said Keith.
MPI staggers its renewal system every five years so the
province said the sticker transition will be fully completed by March 1,
2021.
