SVAO July 2003 Newsletter (part 2)

[dguy]

(continued from part 1)

Mea Culpa
Bruce Stewart - SVAO

I have been admonished by my peers with regard to my musings in the last SVAO newsletter.  It was over the top but I actually thought it was worth a read and that it would provoke thought and discussion. Obviously, it has done that!


Bruce’s Musings
Bruce Stewart - SVAO

Son of Bill 241
Our most recent battle, along with many other groups and individuals, was with he proposed Bill 241.  We won the battle on that one but I think we lost the war. The "son of 241" is back on the order paper and has passed first reading in the House.

The suppliers jumped on the red herring of “prescribed equipment” in spite of our pleading and the standard nitrous oxide (standard in all US jurisdictions where such an animal exists) codicil was added.

The real problem with the bill (now Bill 20), is that it gives extraordinary power to the police.  There is potential for abuse here.  It's a bit of a shame that the profit motive held more sway than the hobby itself but I guess that's free enterprise.  Maybe its time, though, that the suppliers realized that the hobby can exist without them but they have no market outside the hobby.

[graphic removed]

Idle Thoughts on the Annual General Meeting
For the first time in a number of years we were graced with the presence of the Ontario Hand Crafted Vehicle Club.  The club disappeared for a while but is now being resurrected by new young members.  It’s really great to see the organization back up and running. The club has, in the past, done much for the collector car community.  It was the driving force in forging close relations between the “hobby” and the Ministry of Transportation when most clubs pretended the Ministry did not exist.  If anyone out there is contemplating building a kit or is simply interested in this segment of our community get in touch with the club.  There is a lot of talent in their ranks.

Contacts are:
Sean Henwood…..phone (519) - 826-6873……..email – shenwood@sympatico.ca
Lou Trottier……….phone (905) – 799-2234…….email – lou_trottier@rogers.com

Harry Baergen, of Transport Canada, came down from Ottawa accompanied by Sylvain Lalime, who I believe is Harry’s assistant.  They are in the process of simplifying the importation of kit cars or, as Harry describes it, creating a straight line in the sand from what is now a continual “one off” process and is very labour intensive.  Apparently it is very simple to gain approval for the major portion of kits.  Any components, parts or subassemblies which are SAE approved or are built to SAE specifications are automatically legal.  It remains to be seen whether the kit manufacturers will cooperate.

Sylvain will probably be the primary contact for most vehicles as time goes by. He can be reached by phone at (613) – 998-2310, fax at (613) – 998-8541 or email at lalimes@tc.gc.ca.
Sylvain is a bit of a motorhead by the sounds of it and drives an SVT Mustang so our future with Transport Canada appears to be in good hands.  If you are thinking of importing any vehicle, talk to these folks first and you’ll find that the process is much simpler.

Modified and Kit Car Stuff
There is a potential crisis looming for modified and kit cars, the impact of which could be much greater than that ascribed to Bill 20.  Canadian insurance companies are refusing to cover them.  Be very careful how you answer the questionnaire which may accompany your insurance renewal.  Apparently, Canadian insurance companies are trying to divest themselves of the unprofitable automotive end of the business and, in some cases, can’t even give the business away.

We have been told that this reluctance to insure modified cars is due to the rice rocketeers and street racing but who knows for sure.  Everyone talks about fraudulent claims and we understand that they are rampant but I wonder how much the no fault fiasco is costing us.  If any of our readers is in the insurance business and is willing to help the SVAO in this area, we would appreciate any assistance that may be available.

Street Racing
Do you think that the banning of nitrous oxide will put an end to street racing?  Neither do I, boys and girls. How about harassment?  Nope.  We need to be able to present viable solutions to government in meetings and would welcome any ideas that you may have for potentially successful strategies.  Also, any information that you may have regarding strategies that have been effective in other jurisdictions would be helpful.

Eco-Police
We have been receiving complaints about the Environment Ministry’s Ontario Smog Patrol or, as they are becoming known, the Eco-Police.  Most complaints deal with the apparent lack of professionalism within the ranks of the organization. The professional approach exhibited by police forces and the Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Transportation is, we have been told, totally lacking in the Eco-Police.  I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting any of these folks but there is one thing I do know for certain.  Our community is, for the most part, completely in favor of Drive Clean and the Ministry’s attempts to improve our ecosystem.  The antics of this branch, however, is providing the most negative impact yet on the image of the Ministry.

The Vehicle Emissions Enforcement Unit is, apparently, part of the “Environmental SWAT team of the Ministry of Environment and Energy”.  Maybe the SWAT designation has gone to their heads.  They don’t let them carry guns or batons, I hope.

These inspectors can pull over any vehicle at any time and carry out an inspection and issue tickets under the Provincial Offences Act.  One guy was actually parked in a Tim Horton’s lot with his engine shut off when he was accosted.

If the Emissions Enforcement Unit performs an inspection on your vehicle, you will be required to meet the standards for the model year that the vehicle is registered as on your ownership.  Tickets may be issued when a vehicle is found to have visible emissions, when a vehicle has missing or modified emission control equipment or when the vehicle fails an on-road emission test.  In addition to tickets, vehicle owners may be charged under the Environmental Protection Act.

These regulations apply to all vehicles using Ontario's highways including Non-Ontario registered vehicles.  This fact, will no doubt, have an impact on tourism.  Was any thought given to the broader impact of what they have instigated?

Harassment
The “Son of 241” presents potential for police harassment of the collector car community.

While we have heard stories about harassment incidents, nothing has been documented and presented to us; even after we have asked for the pertinent details.  Over the years, we have met a number of police officers.  All that we have met (with the exception of one California Highway Patrol type) have been thoroughly professional and almost a pleasure to deal with.  Let’s be honest, though.  When you get stopped by a cop, it’s usually not just to pass some time on his part so pleasure is definitely relative in this case.

There are three primary organizations that may stop you on Ontario’s highways, the various police forces, the Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Transportation and the quickly becoming infamous Eco-Police from the Ministry of the Environment.  All of the harassment complaints that we have received to date pertain to the latter organization.

If you feel that you are being unfairly singled out let us know and we’ll take it up with the relevant authorities. Do not phone. Put it in writing, preferably an email to the web site at www.svao.org and we’ll present it to the proper ministry officials.  Be as objective as possible and supply full details including badge numbers and the names of any witnesses that may have seen the incident.  Vague, unfounded accusations will change nothing.  A complete, objective narrative may change things.

(cont'd)