When Ontario got rid of licence plate stickers, it left a lot of questions. Here are some answers

Do Ontario drivers need to peel the old stickers off their licence plates? Only if they want to.

Will police outside of the province still try to ticket Ontarians for expired stickers? The government says that shouldn't happen, as other forces have been notified about the change.

When the Ford government axed licence plate renewal fees - and got rid of the stickers that show a plate had been renewed - it caused confusion for some vehicle owners, who didn't realize they still need to renew their plates online every year or two, and can face fines of up to $1,000 for not doing so.

The Star put readers' questions to the province, police and the CAA Insurance Company.

• Should drivers remove old stickers from their plates?

Owners of passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds with expired stickers on their licence plates may either leave the sticker on the plate or remove it as of March 13, 2022," says the Ministry of Transportation. It is the law for vehicle owners to renew their licence plate every one or two years, at no cost, to confirm their automobile insurance is valid and pay any defaulted fees, fines or tolls. Expired licence plates will remain subject to enforcement action."

• What should Ontarians do when travelling out of province if they are driving a car without stickers or with expired ones?

The government has notified our law enforcement and jurisdictional partners of the changes to Ontario's licence plate sticker program. It is the responsibility of police services to communicate any and all relevant information to their front-line officers," says the ministry.

• How will police know if plates have not been renewed now that there is no easy-to-spot sticker? Will they constantly be running plates through their systems to find out? Are there any privacy concerns?

The visual ability to see the sticker was obvious and a great way to start an investigation," said Toronto police Sgt. Murray Campbell.

Part of all vehicle investigations would likely include accessing the information held by the Ministry of Transportation. This would be done to confirm, or reaffirm what the officer is seeing on the licence plate. A decision on issuing a ticket is made with considerations of all of the available information. As far as privacy, the only information that is accessed has to do with the vehicle registration details, that is provided to the Ministry of Transportation."

Ontario Provincial Police have been using automated licence plate recognition devices since 2009 to read plates and check for violations, said OPP spokesperson Terri McCormack.

The devices can capture licence plate data at much faster rates than would be possible by a human recording this data manually," McCormack said. If there are any violations, the system notifies the officer who would then conduct a traffic stop to investigate."

• Do police in other provinces have access to licence plate renewal information?

The government says it has notified law enforcement and provincial partners of the changes to Ontario's licence plate sticker program. It is the responsibility of police services to communicate any and all relevant information to their front-line officers."

Elliott Silverstein, director of government relations at CAA Insurance Company, recommends that drivers check to see if their licence plate is up to date before beginning on their out-of-province travels. Having proof of renewal could be a good reference tool if they are travelling outside of Ontario."

• Should drivers keep a printout of the online renewal with them in their car?

The Ministry of Transportation says that's not required. Should a vehicle owner want proof of the expiration date of their licence plate for the purpose of employment or travel, the owner can bring their vehicle permit to a ServiceOntario centre and request a new permit be printed for that purpose, at no charge," it said.

Silverstein suggests that if a driver has renewed their plates recently, it is a good idea to have a printout in their vehicle just in case."

• A reader told the Star that she can't sign up for the province's digital renewal reminders because her vehicle is registered to both her and her husband. What can she do?

While the government has stopped mailing renewal notices to most vehicle owners, you can register online to receive reminders by text or email. The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services advises there are some exemptions, however, and that people who jointly own vehicles will continue to receive renewal notices by mail. More information is available by calling 1-800-267-8097.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy