Calls for a winter tire rebate in Ontario fall flat

TORONTO, Ont. – Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has put the brakes on a push for a winter tire tax credit in this province.

The Winter Driving Safety Coalition wants the province to offer a tax incentive for drivers to install winter tires, but McGuinty said it is not something his government his considering.

However, he acknowledged the benefits of using winter tires.

“The bottom line is that snow tires improve safety, not just for you and your family in your car, but also for others on the roads,” McGuinty said.

His government also has no plans to make them mandatory. The premier said it’s up to parents and families on their own to be responsible and decide whether they should use them.

The Ontario Safety League said McGuinty should reconsider the tax credit idea because snow tires reduce accidents and the number of people who end up in hospitals.

The Winter Driving Safety Coalition is passionate about how important winter tires are when driving in snowy and icy conditions.

“Winter tires are your safest investment for winter driving in this province,” Ontario Safety League president Brian Patterson said.

His group, along with the Canadian Automobile Association and the Ontario Hospital Association, are just some of the groups that make up the Winter Driving Safety Coalition.

“We’re asking the government to provide something in the area of $25 a tire in rebates, so we’re asking the province to give you one season’s worth of cost,” Patterson said.

He said a set of the tires costs between $750 to $1,000 and should last five seasons.

“They can actually reduce the stopping distances by 25 per cent, which is actually two vehicle lengths, compared to all-season tires, so the benefits are wide. I mean, if this is about safety on roads,” CAA spokesperson Faye Lyons said.

Less than half of the drivers in Ontario use winter tires, which are mandatory in Quebec.

In the last two years, transportation officials in Quebec said winter-related crashes were down almost 20 per cent.

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