Vehicle Inspection - Americas - Canada

Canada

Emission testing programs in Canada include AirCare in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and Ontario's Drive Clean in southern Ontario only.

Safety testing regulations vary through the different provinces. In Manitoba for example, upon buying a car (new or used), a valid safety check must be done before it can be registered. Dealerships are required to provide the buyer with a new safety, while private sellers are not (if a private seller so chooses, they may pay for, and issue a new safety in order to make it more appealing to buy). In either case, if the vehicle bought has not had a safety test within the last year, the buyer must safety the vehicle before it can be registered with Manitoba Public Insurance. From the point the car is registered, no safety test is required as long as the car remains with the current owner (however, if something goes wrong, auto mechanics and dealerships have the right to refuse to let the client drive away with an unsafe car).

The provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island require annual safety inspections, in Nova Scotia, a safety inspection is required every two years. Ontario and British Columbia require biennial emission testing, although only the Lower Mainland of B.C., which includes the City of Vancouver, and the southern part of Ontario, require any testing. The rest of the province is without such legislation.

Mar 2008 "CAA-Quebec is recommending that the government implement mandatory inspections for motor vehicles more than eight years old, because this would result in significantly fewer emissions being produced by Quebec's automobiles."