https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/ontario-man-fighting-110-ticket-for-using-license-plate-frame
Ontario man fighting $110 ticket for using license plate frame
Since receiving the ticket, he has noticed the dealer-installed license plate frames on seven police cruisers and counting
Author of the article:Coleman Molnar
Publishing date:Mar 16, 2020 • October 21, 2020 • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Ontario man fighting $110 ticket for common license plate frame
PHOTO BY CTV NEWS
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Hands up if you’ve got a plastic frame around your license plate.
Thanks for identifying yourselves, criminals! Now round ‘em up, officers!
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OK, so that’s not quite what’s happening, but one Ontario driver is facing a $110 ticket for a plastic license plate frame installed by the dealership he bought the car at.
Oshawa, Ontario’s Matteo Giordano was recently handed the fine for “improperly” displaying the plates on his Mercedes-Benz C 300, but plans to fight it in court.
“I was quite unhappy about it. I bought the car from a dealer so I didn’t expect that it would be illegal,” Giordano told CTV News Toronto.
UPDATE 21/03/2020: Police later told CTV News Toronto that Giordano was in fact ticketed for not displaying a front licence plate on his vehicle, which is required in Ontario. They say he was issued a caution about his plate frame, which Durham Regional Police insist is illegal. Giordano admits his front plate was on his dashboard instead of his bumper, but says he was told the ticket was for the rear plate frame.
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The frame in question is your typical dealer-installed plastic unit, which happens to cover the slogan “Yours to Discover,” or “A Place to Grow” on the new plates. That, according to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, is not allowed.
“Every number plate shall be kept free from dirt and obstruction and shall be affixed so that the entire number plate, including the numbers, is plainly visible at all times,” it reads.
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The fact that the frames are literally everywhere in Ontario, including on some Ontario police vehicles, didn’t stop the officer from issuing the ticket, which is technically to the law.
“They had plate frames,” said Giordano, referring to police cruisers with the same type of plastic plate cover. “I’ve seen seven of them on the road with the exact type of plate frame.”
When approached about that counterpoint, a Durham Regional Police spokesperson told CTV News Toronto the issue was being forwarded to the fleet division.