Province quietly bans ex-military vehicles, West Van collector says

[greatwhite]

Interesting.


https://www.nsnews.com/amp/local-new...mqywlSt0CBguOM


Province quietly bans ex-military vehicles, West Van collector says
Brent Richter Dec 7, 2021 3:57 PM

Vehicle Registration Denial 01 MW web for real
West Vancouver resident Mark Fleming has been told he will no longer be able to get his former military vehicles inspected and registered for insurance.

A West Vancouver man says the province has quietly banned a class of collector vehicle without justification as to why.

Mark Fleming, an active Canadian Forces reservist who collects and rents former military vehicles, says the province will no longer allow mechanics to give safety inspections to the vehicles, making them uninsurable “expensive paperweights.”

“To be clear, I'm not asking to drive tanks on the road. … What they're saying is a civilian Hummer with a shiny paint job is perfectly legal but a military one with a green or tan paint job is not,” he said.

Fleming has been seeking answers from the ministry since he recently had to refund a client’s purchase of a U.S. military surplus Humvee, when the client learned ICBC would not insure it. The vehicle had been legally imported and inspected, registered and taxed as recently as the summer.

A bulletin issued from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch last month makes it clear to inspectors that they can no longer pass "non-conforming" ex-military vehicles that were “not designed to conform to the standards prescribed in the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada) for motor vehicles designed for use on a highway at the time the vehicle was manufactured.”

“A non-conforming ex-military vehicle can ONLY be inspected under MVAR Division 25 Part 1 if its licensed gross vehicle weight is greater than 8,200 kg. Even if a non-conforming ex-military vehicle passes inspection, it is not authorized for unrestricted highway use,” the bulletin reads.

The bulletin doesn’t offer a rationale for the change, but Fleming said it’s a case of the government trying to legislate taste.

“They just don't like military vehicles. It's a taste thing. It's nothing to do with safety, because they're certainly safer than some of the other vehicles that are perfectly legal,” he said, noting anyone can import and register wooden-framed, plastic-bodied "lemons" from around the world.

Fleming has about 40 ex-military vehicles, including tanks, light armoured vehicles, Second World War Jeeps and motorcycles, which he rents out for film shoots, parades, educational and charitable events, and transporting current and former military members to their weddings and funerals.

More than being an arbitrary safety decision, Fleming said it takes away an important hobby for a community of veterans.

“In no small way, it's a kind of therapy for them. We’re talking about guys who have PTSD and stuff like that and they screw in for absolutely no reason,” he said.

Fleming said he hopes the ministry will arrive at a “reasonable” decision and allow safety inspections to proceed again.

Update: On Dec. 9, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure sent the following response.

"As safety is CVSE’s top priority, CVSE conducted a formal review of inspection practices with ex-military type vehicles in fall 2020. The purpose of this was to ensure designated inspection facilities and authorized inspectors were provided clarification regarding the inspection and related provincial vehicle standards for these types of vehicles. CVSE followed up with ICBC to provide clarification. Additionally, CVSE posted Bulletin 01-21 for all inspection facilities to provide clarification around these types of vehicles. CVSE is not involved with the administration or policy regarding antique or collector vehicles. Oversight is maintained by ICBC," it read. "The application of inspection requirements would not change if the vehicle is an antique or collector vehicle. Vehicle usage, rate class, registration, licensing and insurance options are at the discretion of ICBC as the provincial insurer. Non-conforming vehicles may still qualify for restricted use, which would be determined by ICBC."

[trimmer21]

I may be a tad rusty,but,IIRC,I'm fairly certain a class of military and ex-military vehicles aren't "street legal" in this province,either,with full size Humvees on the top of the list.

[greatwhite]

I have seen used Military trucks for sale in Ontario including the Hummer.

I may be a tad rusty,but,IIRC,I'm fairly certain a class of military and ex-military vehicles aren't "street legal" in this province,either,with full size Humvees on the top of the list.

[trimmer21]

I have seen used Military trucks for sale in Ontario including the Hummer.

Sure,they can be bought privately,but,with some of them,you can't legally put them on the road. I know of a hunting camp that use an old bren gun carrier to get around in on crown land which is 100% legal,but,it must be trailered home.

[Birdbuff]

Liability issues maybe? In the hands of the wrong owner things could get ugly, then who do you blame?

[Fisherman]

I may be a tad rusty,but,IIRC,I'm fairly certain a class of military and ex-military vehicles aren't "street legal" in this province,either,with full size Humvees on the top of the list.

I've seen quite a number of them registered with Ontario plates on them. Now BC is another story and their idea's are often just as questionable as building on a drained lake bed.

[MikePal]

Many of the 'Military' surp vehicles are nothing more than cosmetically altered / modified commercial pattern vehicles...Ram Power wagons, VW 'Things', Chevrolet 5/4-tons etc...

I see lots of old 2 1/2 ton "Douces' still used as haulers on farms and construction sites..a great 6x6 truck.

Another useless gesture from Canada's La-La land..