Ontario NDP wants return of paper reminders to renew driver's licence, health card

The NDP wants the Ontario government to return to mailing people reminders to renew health cards and driver's licences before they expire.

In November 2021 the province said it would switch to optional email or text reminders for Ontarians to renew their pieces of government ID instead of paper reminders in the mail.

At the time, the provincial government said the move would save $29 million over five years in postage and mailing costs.

"Further, it will benefit the environment by saving approximately 80 million pieces of paper – roughly 16,000 boxes or 362 tonnes – over five years, reducing unnecessary waste and protecting our forests," it said in a press release.

But Sudbury MPP Jamie West said he has heard from many constituents who found out they had an expired piece of ID when they needed it.

West said his wife Pam almost missed a flight when she learned her driver's licence had expired white getting ready to board her plane.

"The clerk behind the desk suggested going online to renew it, and she was able to do it," West said.

But he said people without access to a smartphone, or older people who are less comfortable with technology, would have trouble renewing their licences on the spot.

While Ontarians can sign up online for email and text reminders, West said some people might prefer reminders in the mail, or might not have internet access or a cell phone.

"You can't just push people from what they're used to into the online world, especially if they don't even know to sign up for it," West said.

In 2022, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) ticketed 294 drivers in northeastern Ontario for having expired licences or licence plate stickers, said OPP Sgt. Carlo Berardi in an email to CBC News.

In January and February 2023, the OPP issued 82 tickets for expired licences or stickers in the northeast. Berardi said that was almost as many as in the first six months of 2022.

The province eliminated licence plate stickers, and their associated fees, in 2021. But drivers still need to renew their licence plates before they expire.

In a press release on March 15, the Kirkland Lake OPP detachment noted it has installed new in-car cameras with automated licence plate recognition capabilities in all of its patrol vehicles.