When Premier Doug Ford announced the cancellation of the controversial Drive Clean program for light-duty vehicles on Sept. 28, it marked a victory for car owners, consumers and new car dealers across Ontario.

The Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) applauds the premier’s decision to end a program that has been mired in controversy almost from the day it was introduced in 1999.

The Drive Clean program will be replaced by a new program targeting heavy-duty vehicles (transport trucks), which have less stringent emissions standards than light-duty vehicles.

The Drive Clean program was first established as a temporary, revenue-neutral program aimed at reducing the amount of exhaust emissions into the atmosphere by identifying the most serious offenders. The program did serve a purpose in lowering harmful emissions in the early years, but it quickly outlived its usefulness.

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Emissions tests on newer model pre-owned vehicles, including dealership company vehicles, have since become a financial burden on dealerships, automotive technicians and consumers.

The stats on emissions testing supports the premier’s decision to cancel Drive Clean: From 1999 to 2010, the percentage of vehicles that failed emissions testings in Ontario dropped from 16 per cent to 5 per cent. Practically every light-duty vehicle on the road passes an emissions test.

It is not just the TADA that has advocated against Drive Clean all these years. In 2012, Ontario’s then auditor general Jim McCarter reported that Drive Clean’s impact on reducing vehicle emissions was dwindling. He said:

“Vehicle emissions have declined significantly since Drive Clean’s inception in 1999, to the point that they are no longer among the major domestic contributors to smog in Ontario. As well, Ministry estimates show that more than 75% of the reduction in vehicle emissions is actually due to things like better manufacturing standards for emission-control equipment and federal requirements for cleaner fuel.”

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