The postal work stoppage has ended, so Ontplates.com is accepting new orders once again, and shipping is now resumed. Thank you for your patience.
Category: News
New features & products
The Canada Post work stoppage isn’t good for any small mail-order business. But this is especially not a good time for Ontplates.com, because we’re ramping down our business operations for closure. This creates uncertainty at a time when we already have a concrete end-of-operations plan.
Our plan is to cover plates with a YOM registration guarantee only until December 31, 2024; after that, we will liquidate our stock on an as-is basis. But there’s no telling how long the work stoppage will last.
If we accept new orders, and then hold them indefinitely for shipping, we may not be able to ship them until the new year. And then we’d have to stay open longer than our closure date of June 30. Or, to keep our closure date of June 30, we would have to shorten our guarantee duration, but that means changing the several of the policies that we have used for many years.
Rather than adapting to a developing situation that is beyond our control, the simpler solution is not to accept orders while the work stoppage is in progress. Once the postal workers are back on the job, we will again accept new orders.
If you are local to Ottawa, and can pick up in our central-west location by appointment, contact us to arrange purchase.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Categories
Christmas: YOM plates as a gift?
YOM license plates make a great Christmas gift—as long as the recipient knows the tasks and costs involved to have them registered to be street-legal in Ontario. We recommend discussing the idea with your loved one first.
We will never sell plates to a client without first clearly stating those costs. We don’t want our customers to be blindsided, so we will always take the time to inform first, and make a sale second. Above all else, we want you to be glad that you chose Ontplates.com, even if you decide that YOM license plates maybe aren’t what you’re looking for. If you would like to know more about any aspect of the YOM program, please contact us!
We ship via Expresspost, which will get your plates to you, tracked, in two business days on average… Plenty of time to wrap them and put them under the tree!
So, what will it cost to register YOM licence plates in Ontario? You can find pretty much any answer in our comprehensive FAQ section. Here are a couple of common ones that we hear during the lead-up to Christmas:
Sure can! But there are some tasks to do and costs involved for the recipient of your gift. In a nutshell, the following must be done by the person who receives your gift of plates:
1. Send the plates + ownership to an office tower in Kingston for approval
2. Pay $251.65 for registration of the plate number to the recipient’s name
3. Go to your local ServiceOntario outlet to have the plates attached
Discuss it with your loved one first. It breaks the surprise, but if they’re not keen on the steps above, perhaps YOM isn’t your best choice for now.
The simplest thing to do is put these items in a package:
– Your plates
– Your ORIGINAL green vehicle ownership (not a copy)
– A cheque or money order for the $251.65 authentication fee, payable to the Minister of Finance (credit card is also OK, ask us about that)
– If your plates are terminated, enclose a second cheque for the $32 transfer fee (check our product description)
– A brief note to say you’re applying to get YOM licence plates to your vehicle (they’ll know, but putting a smiley face on a note can make someone’s day).
Send the package to:
ServiceOntario
Kingston Production & Verification Services
Products and Services Office
P.O. Box 9700
Kingston, Ontario
K7L 5N2
ServiceOntario describes the procedure at this link in on their site. Ontplates.com sends this info to you in writing with each pair of plates you buy, for your easy reference. The $251.65 fee reserves the number of the plates under your name in the MTO database. The Kingston step has a turnaround of 2-4 weeks.
The plates will be returned to you by courier. An ownership document will be enclosed, to show that the number has been issued to you. Keep it safe; you’re not done yet.
Bring the approved plates, plus all ownership papers for plates and vehicle, to your local ServiceOntario counter. Ask to have the plates attached to the vehicle.
You can also read about my own experience in plating my car with YOMs, including all the purchase and safety steps taken.
First, there’s the cost of purchasing the plates from Ontplates.com. Then, you’ll have to pay the MTO a fee of $251.65 to register the number to your name. Then, you’ll have to attach your plates to the vehicle by going to your local MTO / ServiceOntario outlet. As of March 13, 2022, there is no annual charge to validate licence plates.
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Grimsby Swap Meet 2023
The Grimsby Licence Plate Swap meet is coming up on Saturday, October 21. All details can be found in the meet flyer.
The swap meet is a great place to browse and collect licence plates from anywhere and any-when, although Ontario and Canada are best-represented.
Ontplates.com doesn’t operate a formal booth at the Grimsby meet. That’s because I’m too busy co-hosting the meet itself, selling collectible plates, and looking for collectible plates for my own collection. I do bring limited YOM stock from Ontplates.com if either of two situations arise:
- Someone is purchasing a YOM pair and has arranged in advance for pick-up in Grimsby to save the $20 shipping, or
- Someone has requested in advance that I bring pairs of a certain year so they can see them in person and choose which one they like the most.
In past years, the full Ontplates.com stock was available for casual browsing at these meets. But 99% of the people I see are collectors and not classic car owners looking for YOM pairs, so there was little or no need to have the YOM stock on-hand. So unless I get a request, the stock stays home, and I stick to the hobby side of things.
Read here about Grimsby 2022. The attendance record was shattered that year, with 123 participants. Consider attending if you’re even remotely interested in old licence plates. It’s a lot of fun!
Categories
Summer Delays – Ministry YOM Processing
If you’re getting YOM licence plates this summer, please read this whole article. All of it applies to you.
All Ontario YOM licence plate applications must be processed by the Ministry of Government Services in Kingston.
Summer is when people enjoy booking their vacation time, and summer is also the peak volume period for YOM licence plates. This means that YOM applicants can expect roughly 8 weeks processing time to receive their plates and new ownership slip. This is longer than the 2-4 weeks stated on the Ministry website. This typically happens through July and August.
The registration process requires that you send your original vehicle ownership slip with the plates when you apply. You are legally allowed to drive your vehicle with a photocopy of the ownership in the glove box. If your vehicle currently uses regular plates, you can still drive legally while the YOM application process plays out.
If your vehicle does not yet have any plates, we recommend that you acquire a set of regular plates for it first. Then you can make a photocopy of your ownership and drive around while your YOM plates go through the process. The reason: If your vehicle is unplated, and you send your ownership to Kingston with your YOM plates, your vehicle could be idle for 8 or more weeks through the summer, with no plates to legally drive the vehicle in the meantime.
If you’re concerned about your plates while they’re in Kingston, email pso@ontario.ca or call 1-800-387-3445. If calling, mention that you have a Year of Manufacture licence plate application in progress, and you would like to speak with a person in the Kingston Production & Verification Services Office (Renewals Section), of the Ministry of Government Services. You should be transferred to the Kingston office, where you can ask for an update. Please be respectful. These are good, hard-working people who perform a lot of other tasks behind-the-scenes. They need holiday time, just like you.
To read our FAQ about the overall YOM application process, click here.