NDP asks Ontario auditor general to investigate licence plate fiasco

NDP asks auditor general to probe licence plates The Ontario New Democratic Party is formally asking the province’s auditor general to review the cost of the licence plate fiasco.

TORONTO — The Ontario New Democratic Party is formally asking the province’s auditor general to review the cost of the licence plate fiasco and the non-disclosure agreement signed by the Ford government and the manufacturer.

In a letter sent Wednesday, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said that despite the government’s claim that replacing the faulty licence plates will not be at the taxpayers' expense, the “chaotic roll-out of these new plates will certainly have costs associated.”

“The Government has not revealed the costs to Ontarians for these replacements, such as materials, shipping costs and untold other costs of their redesign,” Horwath wrote to Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk.

“In fact, the Government has signed a non-disclosure agreement with 3M, the manufacturer of the front label of the licence plates. This is concerning, given that Ontarians would like to know what has gone wrong with the license plate redesign."

The Progressive Conservative government came under fire last month after front-line officers and residents complained that the new licence plates, which launched in early February, had visibility issues, especially at night.

Although the government first denied there was any problem, it later conceded that there was a defect, and had chosen to replace all the new plates.

Government sources told CTV News Toronto that the province signed a non-disclosure agreement with 3M, which means it cannot say exactly what the problem is with the new design.

The letter asks Lysyk to undertake a review of all costs related to the production and replacement of the defective plates, as well as the non-disclosure agreement.

“I would be interested to learn of the financial implications for Ontarians,” Horwath said.