The revenue-starved bus network in Gatineau, Que., is calling for a crackdown on residents who keep their Ontario licence plates instead of paying renewal fees in Quebec that support transit.
On Thursday, the board of directors for the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) put forward a resolution that the agency and the City of Gatineau join forces to pressure government authorities on the issue.
“I think it’s a question of fairness toward the citizens of Gatineau,” said Manoir-des-Trembles–Val-Tétreau Coun. Jocelyn Blondin, president of the STO’s board.
The resolution comes in the wake of new powers granted to cities by the Quebec government at the start of 2024 allowing them to levy an extra tax on licence plate renewals to help fund public transit.
In Gatineau, proposed new fees starting in January 2025 could inject $15 million into the transit system, which has seen ridership and fare revenue plummet since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But if residents keep their Ontario plates, the STO will miss out on a “significant source of income,” Blondin told Radio-Canada in French.
“We also want citizens to comply. They live in Quebec, they benefit from services in Quebec, they benefit from the roads, they benefit from public transportation,” he said.
“So they must also do their part to pay for everything they use.”
Fees scrapped in Ontario
In 2022, the Ontario government scrapped licence plate renewal fees for the owners of passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds.
It was billed by Premier Doug Ford as a way to help Ontarians deal with the rising cost of living, even though the decision meant the province would lose out on roughly $1 billion each year in revenue.
But under Quebec’s highway safety code, any road vehicle owner who moves to the province must request registration with the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) within 90 days.
Blondin said he’s heard from an increasing number of Gatineau residents irritated by the number of Ontario plates on the city’s streets.
The province and the SAAQ should act as quickly as possible to come up with a plan to address the situation, he said.
One idea, Blondin said, could be a “special squad” that investigate complaints about licence plates that come in through the city’s 311 service.
“Citizens are frustrated, are shocked to see that … their neighbours are registered in Ontario, and that they use public transportation, the services of the City of Gatineau — and they do not pay their share,” he said.