The Ontario Drive Clean program is being cancelled.
The provincial government announced Friday that effective April 1, 2019, drivers will no longer be required to get emissions tests for their passenger vehicles.
Infrastructure Minister and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton said he has long championed for the program's cancellation.
"Taxpayers were subsidizing the Drive Clean Program to the tune of $40-million a year, so it's going to save taxpayers money, and it's an efficiency that we found in government," said McNaughton. "Secondly, it's going to save drivers time and money from going to these e-test facilities, and it often costs drivers a few hundred dollars."
Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey also said the cancellation was welcome news.
"I think in 1999, 16 per cent of all vehicles failed the emission test, and in 2017 it was below 5 per cent. So the trend is expected to continue to get better with the operations of the vehicle itself," said Bailey. "We're still going to target larger trucks, school buses, etc., but for the average driver this is going to save them money."
Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government said a new enhanced program will focus on heavy-duty vehicles, including commercial transport trucks, to ensure Ontario continues to lead the country in reducing harmful smog-causing pollutants.
In a news release, the premier said "We're saving taxpayers over $40 million every year. And we're better targeting the biggest polluters to protect Ontario's air."
More details about the new program for heavy-duty vehicles is expected in the coming months.
--With files from Colin Gowdy.