Ontario licence plate changes

[mknox]

Seems pretty strange for an official representative of the government, Service Ontario, to be allowed to sell goods which are illegal to use. But I guess that's just par for the course for things these days.

Agree.

Of course it costs money to start stamping out new plates. New molds/stamps need to be designed, made, tested, distributed and installed in the machines that manufacture the plates. It's not as simple as just changing the wording in photoshop. I'm drawing a blank as for a legitimate reason to change the slogan right now. Can you provide one? Genuinely curious.

The tag line is not embossed into the plate, it is just printed on. I doubt it costs any more to do that than it would to print out a paper letter with an edited line in it. There is no legitimate reason for the slogan to be on the plate at all, so I really don't care any more than I cared all the other times our plates were changed (and no one made a fuss).

You are seriously ok with "Open For Business" on your plate?

Really don't care. But I can see this is really more about some sort of hate for the Premier. I wonder if we had a Liberal government doing this, would we be seeing the same level of "concern"?

 

[Buggle]

Really don't care. But I can see this is really more about some sort of hate for the Premier. I wonder if we had a Liberal government doing this, would we be seeing the same level of "concern"?

Here's the thing... imho it's about using the structure of government for what it should be used for -- enhancing the well being of citizens, not overtly partisan messaging. There's a fine line here, but I think there used to be general agreement that official gov't stuff should really be presented as somewhat neutral, and that's really fallen away lately.

I live in a Jewish neighbourhood and a few years ago I got a constituency update from my local MP (who is Conservative and not Jewish). The flyer was a laundry list of items the Harper government did favouring Israel and against the Palestinians. I was incensed. Nevermind what I do or don't think about the Israel/Palestine quagmire, I was incensed that a government minister was using taxpayer funded flyers to prod one group of Canadians into voting for him at the expense of Canadians of a different background. It almost foreshadowed Trump's politics. This is what I can't stand. Updates to constituents should be about getting the new library built, fixing the roads, and lowering taxes (or whatever). It's this blurring of the line between government policy and campaigning that drives me nuts. You want to send me some campaign stuff? Feel free, but make sure you pay for it, and keep it off government letterhead.

 

[mknox]

Here's the thing... imho it's about using the structure of government for what it should be used for -- enhancing the well being of citizens, not overtly partisan messaging.

Do you have some inside information that I'm missing here? I don't think the new slogan has even been announced yet, so how do you know it is "partisan"? Was "Keep it Beautiful" or "Yours to Discover" partisan?

 

[Duckjybe]

Really don't care. But I can see this is really more about some sort of hate for the Premier. I wonder if we had a Liberal government doing this, would we be seeing the same level of "concern"?

Yes I don't like what our premier is doing to our province and I did not vote for him. But I would not condone ANY political party putting a campaign slogan on everybody's licence plate. That is pure populism at its finest. That would be like U.S. putting MAGA on everybody's plate.

Open for Business to me would be a crass reminder how short term money was more important than our long term environment to this government. A cruel reminder of how they proposed relaxing of the Planning Act to open up unregulated development of the green belt, fighting and scrapping climate change action policy, cancelling already built renewables projects benefiting jobs and first nations, eliminating the Environmental Commissioners office that provided non-partisan government environmental audits for the last 25 years. All in the name of cutting costs and red tape largely for business. Ontario is not "Open for Business" at all cost to its citizens, we need a balance.

Politics aside, it is a terrible slogan for the plate. Most provinces slogans are about the beauty of their province or something historical. There really is more to Ontario than being desperate to attract businesses.

 

[mknox]

Yes I don't like what our premier is doing to our province and I did not vote for him. But I would not condone ANY political party putting a campaign slogan on everybody's licence plate. That is pure populism at its finest. That would be like U.S. putting MAGA on everybody's plate.

But I don't believe the slogan has even been announced yet. What I hate is how anything uttered by someone that someone else doesn't like becomes some sort of stigmatized phrase. The phrase "Make America Great Again" has no ill meaning to it besides than that which others have ascribed to it. I am afraid that whatever the new slogan is, no matter how innocent, is going to be stigmatized by left wing extremists just like MAGA was.

 

[Buggle]

Do you have some inside information that I'm missing here? I don't think the new slogan has even been announced yet, so how do you know it is "partisan"? Was "Keep it Beautiful" or "Yours to Discover" partisan?

I don't know, but the rumour, as reported by CBC, is that it is Open for Business, which is a campaign slogan. The two you referenced were both introduced by conservative premiers iirc, and neither are campaign slogans.

 

[Buggle]

The phrase "Make America Great Again" has no ill meaning to it besides than that which others have ascribed to it.

WHAT THE HELLL!?!?!?!!?

Talk to any black person and tell me if they agree with you. Man... that's sheltered.


How about if a German Chancellor came out with a campaign slogan of "Make Germany Great Again." Or how about Deutschland uber alles? Ever heard that one before? Would these be an innocuous statements? Not sure how much clearer I can make this...

And on this note, shutting this down, as it's already way too political, and I have zero respect for you.. so... not going to engage further.

 

[Duckjybe]

Do you have some inside information that I'm missing here? I don't think

But I don't believe the slogan has even been announced yet. What I hate is how anything uttered by someone that someone else doesn't like becomes some sort of stigmatized phrase. The phrase "Make America Great Again" has no ill meaning to it besides than that which others have ascribed to it. I am afraid that whatever the new slogan is, no matter how innocent, is going to be stigmatized by left wing extremists just like MAGA was.

Hmm. I didn’t think I was a left wing extremist.

 

[Duckjybe]

But I don't believe the slogan has even been announced yet. What I hate is how anything uttered by someone that someone else doesn't like becomes some sort of stigmatized phrase. The phrase "Make America Great Again" has no ill meaning to it besides than that which others have ascribed to it. I am afraid that whatever the new slogan is, no matter how innocent, is going to be stigmatized by left wing extremists just like MAGA was.

But here is the report .https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-licence-plate-slogan-open-for-business-1.5081565

I suggest "Real Change (Now)". What do think Mike? Pretty innocuous.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

Lmao, I'm gonna stop replying on this topic now. TIL I'm an "extreme left wing" person because of the aforementioned reason.

Country over party, period.

 

[bijan]

You are seriously ok with "Open For Business" on your plate?

To be fair that's the slogan for commercial vehicles. We don't know the slogan/motto for personal vehicles yet. Though it might be bad too...

 

[bijan]

But I don't believe the slogan has even been announced yet. What I hate is how anything uttered by someone that someone else doesn't like becomes some sort of stigmatized phrase. The phrase "Make America Great Again" has no ill meaning to it besides than that which others have ascribed to it. I am afraid that whatever the new slogan is, no matter how innocent, is going to be stigmatized by left wing extremists just like MAGA was.

The problem is that half or more of America was segregated until a single generation ago. So when is this nice period of time we want to go back to and who is it great for. Also implies America is not great now, which I don't agree with. What is not great about it now that was better before.

 

[03DSG]

Man did this thread go off track..........I’m still just hoping for no Ontario front plate

 

[DekiTM3]

Just got a ticket this evening on my way home for no front plate, such irony.
Told the woman officer that the double sided tape fell off a few days ago and was waiting for my scheduled appointment at the dealership to mount it. I even showed her the plate in the Frunk. Nope, wasted 20 minutes of both our time and wrote me $110.00 fine.
I called her out on it, and she knows its bullshit. I also made sure i mentioned my friend is a prosecutor and i will be seeing her in court.

 

[Gerk]

this is incorrect, wearing a ski mask is not illegal.

You're right, it all depends on intent -- if you're wearing any kind of face covering AND have intent to do something bad then it's illegal according to Canada's Criminal code, Section 351(2). So in these cases if you're covering your license plate and/or making it more difficult to read then that may be enough to be considered intent.

Basically like this, took this photo in stop and go traffic the other day on my way home. It's a pretty hard sell to say that there's any valid reason for something like this besides trying to obfuscate/make it impossible to read the license plate. Also worth noting that this driver was driving like a total a$$, cutting people off, following too close, etc.

 

[ben1628]

Just got a ticket this evening on my way home for no front plate, such irony.
Told the woman officer that the double sided tape fell off a few days ago and was waiting for my scheduled appointment at the dealership to mount it. I even showed her the plate in the Frunk. Nope, wasted 20 minutes of both our time and wrote me $110.00 fine.
I called her out on it, and she knows its bullshit. I also made sure i mentioned my friend is a prosecutor and i will be seeing her in court.

It's very simple in this case. All you have to do is to go the courtroom in your scheduled time and request a trial date. At that date, just show the court clerk a photo of front license plate mounted on the front, and your charge will be dropped.

Of course, you are wasting a day.

 

[TrevTremaine]

I'm up for "Open for New Coherent Leadership" as the new slogan. Open for Business is tacky as is our provincial leader.

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

You're right, it all depends on intent -- if you're wearing any kind of face covering AND have intent to do something bad then it's illegal according to Canada's Criminal code, Section 351(2). So in these cases if you're covering your license plate and/or making it more difficult to read then that may be enough to be considered intent.

Basically like this, took this photo in stop and go traffic the other day on my way home. It's a pretty hard sell to say that there's any valid reason for something like this besides trying to obfuscate/make it impossible to read the license plate. Also worth noting that this driver was driving like a total a$$, cutting people off, following too close, etc.

You can be an urban justice warrior - follow said arsehat to their final destination and sharpie the plate # all over the car. Call it a free make over

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

I'm up for "Open for New Coherent Leadership" as the new slogan. Open for Business is tacky as is our provincial leader.

The perfect non partisan mark would be "Buck a Beer For All". Everyone wins.

 

[Gerk]

You can be an urban justice warrior - follow said arsehat to their final destination and sharpie the plate # all over the car. Call it a free make over

Thanks but no thanks