An Ontario Driver 'Created' Their Own Licence Plate & Police Gave Them An Over $1K Fine

Ontario Provincial Police pulled over a driver who not only made up their own licence plate, but created their own validation sticker, too.

On July 27, just before 4:30 p.m., the OPP Highway Safety Division tweeted that officers with their Niagara detachment stopped the vehicle in Port Colborne.

According to police, the driver had "created" their own plate and validation sticker, leading to a pretty hefty fine.

"$1100 in fines later, probably cheaper to get #TheRealThing," the tweet reads. Ouch.

According to the Ontario government's website on driver and vehicle fees, licence plates can go for anywhere between $15 to $300. Meanwhile, replacing your licence plate costs Ontario drivers anywhere between $25.13 to $127.17.

Earlier this year, the provincial government also scrapped the renewal fees for licence plate stickers for most vehicles, excluding snowmobiles and heavy commercial vehicles. What used to cost drivers $60 or $120 every one to two years now is completely free of charge whenever they have to renew their licence plates again.

But, some drivers are apparently still not keeping their plates up-to-date.

OPP recently put out a reminder to drivers to still renew their licence plates, as officers are pulling more and more vehicles without their proper registration.

"It may not cost anything but you are still required to go online and renew your registration," OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt said in a July 14 video.

"All you need is your permit number, your licence plate number, your mileage, insurance, pay any outstanding fines if there are any on your account, but the renewal is free."

If you get pulled over without a renewed plate, you could get slapped with a fine anywhere between $60 to $1,000.