Canadian Legislative Updates
Québec Government Introduces Emissions Testing Legislation
The Québec Government has tabled a bill that will require older vehicles to endure emissions testing. Introduced on December 7 by Environment Minister Pierre Arcand, Bill 48 requires that vehicles more than eight years old go for regular testing.
The inspections will apply only to light trucks and cars aged between eight years and twenty-five years. The twenty-five-year cutoff means antique cars will not need to go through inspections. The province is following the lead of Ontario and British Columbia, who currently have regular emissions testing requirements.
A study has shown that twenty-two percent of vehicles between eleven and twenty-five years old release extreme amounts of harmful emissions. It has been noted that a 1993 car generates twelve times the pollution of a 2006 car. Supporters have indicated that a well-maintained vehicle could produce half the greenhouse gases as one that had been disregarded.
Bill 48 will be adopted next spring, along with the publishing of the regulations implementing the full program. Following that, further details, including precise dates for each program phase, will be finalized.
During the first phase, by the end of 2013, any vehicle built in 2005 or before must go through a mandatory inspection when sold. During the second phase, all vehicles between eight and twenty-five years old will need to go through an inspection every two years for a cost of $60, when the vehicle registration is renewed. The third phase is currently exploring adding a mechanical inspection, including brakes and tires, in addition to the environmental inspection. The cost for this is yet to be determined.
The Government would like to see the program fully operational by 2015 and projects that eighty-five percent of vehicles will pass the inspection.
