Ontario Government Scraps Drive Clean Emissions Testing

Ontario Environment Minister Rod Phillips (centre) with Minister of Transportation John Yakabuski (left) and Premier Doug Ford

The Ontario government today announced it is scrapping the province's light-duty vehicle emissions testing program in April 2019. 

Citing a reduction in vehicles that fail emissions testing from 16 percent in 1999 to 5 percent last year, the government says that testing for light-duty vehicles is no longer needed. Instead, the provincial environment and transportation ministries will increase scrutiny on heavy-duty vehicles, including "commercial transport trucks."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says that by following through on its pre-election promise to cut the Drive Clean program for light-duty vehicles, his government will save the province's taxpayers $40 million every year.

In March 2017, the previous Ontario Liberal government eliminated the $30 fee charged to drivers required to have their cars' emissions tested bi-annually before renewing license plate tags. In the run-up to June's provincial election, the Liberals had further promised to transition Drive Clean to a remote testing program in which cars would be evaluated without the need to visit a provincial test facility.

Ontario's environment ministry says it is switching its focus to heavy-duty vehicles to help reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxides and cancer-causing fine particulate matter.

Under the current heavy-duty vehicle testing regime, trucks seven years and older are tested annually using a smoke test; the proposed new program would add a test of the vehicle's on-board diagnostics system to better assess "the state of (its) emissions systems."