ontario license plate recall

The Ontario government is planning to recall the new licence plates

Ontario's new license plates have caused quite the stir since it was revealed that they're "virtually unreadable at night" and that Toronto's new photo radar cameras are having trouble reading the "Ontario" marker on them. 

The whole situation has been dubbed #PlateGate as Ontario officials have gone back and forth between claiming there's nothing wrong with them and placing blame on manufacturer 3M Canada

Now, the government is saying they're prepared to begin recalling the malfunctioning plates. 

According to a Canadian Press report, Progressive Conservative House Leader Paul Calandra said the government will begin recalling the plates once 3M Canada figures out how to fix the problem.

He said the province has a supply of old plates that can be given out to those who need it in the meantime, but they're hoping to avoid having to go back to the previous model. 

The government has not yet indicated how many of the new plates have been issued since they began being rolled out on February 1

"These plates were tested extensively and we did work with a broad number of stakeholders. Some problems have been identified [and] we are working very closely with 3M," Calandra told reporters Thursday, according to the CBC.

"The people of Ontario invested in something. We want 3M to correct the problem."

The issue with the province's new license plates first came to light when a Kingston police officer tweeted a photo of one of the plates at night. His post quickly went viral. 

"Ok, this was taken off duty in a relatively well lit parking lot with my headlights on," Sgt. Steve Koopman wrote. "Did anyone consult with police before designing and manufacturing the new Ontario licence plates? They’re virtuallly unreadable at night."

Lead photo by

Hugh Greenfield


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Doug Ford just got even tougher on Ontario bike lanes with new measures

Toronto's $27 billion Ontario Line just crossed its biggest construction milestone so far

Rare Canadian gold coin sells for over $1.5 million

Toronto ranked among the top 100 best cities in the world for 2025

A full list of all the items included in Canada's holiday GST cut

Liquid soap sold at stores across Canada recalled due to contamination

Canadians to get GST cut on groceries and new $250 rebate ahead of holidays

Snow is finally coming to southern Ontario and here's when it will hit