Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
E-Test fee axed
Ontario is eliminating the $30 Drive Clean test fee for light-duty vehicles, such as most cars, vans, SUVs and light trucks, as of April 1, 2017.
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray, made the announcement on Friday at Start Auto Electric Ltd. in Toronto. Provincial officials say eliminating the Drive Clean fee will save people money and make it easier for owners to ensure their vehicles are running efficiently with minimum emissions.
“We are fulfilling our commitment to eliminate the Drive Clean test fee for light-duty vehicles and deliver lower costs for Ontario households,” Murray said in a press release.
“The fee elimination and other changes to the program will help make life easier for vehicle owners, while ensuring Drive Clean continues to target polluting vehicles and protect Ontario’s air quality.”
The province is also implementing other changes to strengthen the Drive Clean Program and ensure that more vehicles are repaired within two years of emissions problems being identified, including:
– Eliminating testing requirements for light-duty vehicles when they are re-sold
– Prohibiting back-to-back conditional passes for vehicles that fail their emissions test
– Ensuring that only fees paid for direct emission system repairs count towards the $450 repair cost limit, the amount required for a conditional pass.
Ontario’s Drive Clean Program tests 2.3 million vehicles per year. It helps reduce emissions that cause smog and poor air quality – cutting emissions from vehicles by about one-third each year, which ensures cleaner air and better health for everyone in the province.
Improving air quality while lowering costs for Ontario households is part of the governments plan to create jobs, grow the economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Some more details:
– Drivers whose vehicles do not pass the regular Drive Clean test will have to pay for any subsequent retest.
– Drivers who want to subject their vehicle to a Drive Clean test outside of the regularly required tests will also have to pay the test fee.
– Vehicles are a major source of smog-causing pollutants and other toxic contaminants, some of which are known human carcinogens. According to the Ontario Medical Association, smog contributes to about 9,500 premature deaths each year.
– Since its introduction in 1999, the Drive Clean program for light-duty vehicles has reduced approximately 400,000 tonnes of smog-causing pollutants from the air we breathe.
– Vehicle owners can find out if they are eligible for a free emissions test using the new Drive Clean online tool.
– The program rules for heavy-duty vehicles, such as large trucks, motorhomes and buses, are not changing. Heavy-duty vehicle owners will continue to pay for Drive Clean tests and will still require an emissions test if the vehicle is re-sold.
Readers don’t agree with investment
It appears the majority of our readers do not agree with a recent decision made by Chatham-Kent council.
A nearly $8 million investment into the North Kent 1 Wind Turbine Project was approved last month.
Municipal council authorized the Municipality to invest $7.74 million into Entegrus Inc. – which is 90% owned by the Municipality – as a common share investment for a 15% equity interest stake into the project.
Staff say the Municipality will receive incremental dividends of $900,000 to $1 million per annum for the first seven years and the total dividends over the life of the project to the Municipality is expected to exceed $17 million.
Council moved the motion through by a vote of 9-5.
Here are the results of our poll:
Do you agree with the $8M investment into the North Kent 1 Wind Turbine Project?
No 87.1% (135 votes)
Yes 9.68% (15 votes)
Undecided 3.22% (5 votes)
Total Votes: 155
NHL players not participating in 2018 Olympic Games
The National Hockey League announced on Monday that they will not be participating in the 2018 Olympic Games being held in South Korea.
Here is what the NHL had to say about the move:
The NHL has released the following statement regarding the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. pic.twitter.com/nqjYtsLHew
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) 3 April 2017
Many players across the league were not happy with the decision.
What do you think?
Let us know by voting below:
[polldaddy poll=”9715759″]
If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.
Photo of the day
Gary Lalonde (right) was the lucky bidder on the four round trip tickets to Montreal during a Trivia Night held by the Wallaceburg Splash Pad committee on Saturday at the CBD Club. Gary is pictured with Splash Pad committee chair Chris Young. The group raised over $8,000 at the event.
Weather forecast for Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Today – Periods of drizzle ending this morning then cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 increasing to 50 gusting to 70 late this morning. High 13 with temperature falling to 9 this afternoon. UV index 3 or moderate.
Tonight – Cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy overnight. Wind west 40 km/h gusting to 60 becoming northwest 20 gusting to 40 this evening then light overnight. Low plus 5.
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