How much should false information cost? Ontario’s Drive Clean program is intended to reduce air pollution by requiring motor vehicles to meet emission standards. An ongoing problem with the program is false information provided by owners or mechanics; maintaining the integrity of the program requires that such false reports be punished. For example, on July 16th 2007, Avtar Singh Sandhu pleaded guilty to filing false information with the Ministry of the Environment. He had used a fraudulent vehicle emissions inspection reports certificate to obtain the renewal of his vehicle plates without correcting its emission problems. He was fined $8000 plus the 25% victim fine surcharge.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, Drive clean reduced smog causing emissions from light duty vehicles in the Southern Ontario smog zone by more than 80,200 tonnes from 1999 to 2003, or the equivalent of the emissions from 600,000 typical cars.
