Members will recall, prior to his resignation in September 2023, over a spot of bother in Las Vegas, that then Minister of Public and Business Services, Kaleed Rasheed, followed through, earlier in 2023, despite strenuous industry objections, with a gutting of OMVIC’s Board.

Reducing the number of Directors on the OMVIC Board from 12 to 9, and reducing the number of dealers on the Board to 3 from 9, the Ministry effectively ended industry self-management; the very reason OMVIC was created in the first place.

In its stead, the Ministry gave industry an Industry Advisory Council (IAC). Trade associations, like the UCDA, dealers, salespeople and others could be on the Council and raise issues of importance to the industry with OMVIC. In theory.

The reality is, unlike other advisory councils in Ontario, the OMVIC Council Chair is appointed by OMVIC, from OMVIC’s own Board of Directors and it is the Chair, and the Registrar of OMVIC, who sets the Agenda for the IAC.

The effect of that, as we feared, is that much that is presented to the Council, is what OMVIC wants to talk about, not what concerns industry. And most of what OMVIC wants to talk about concerns consumers, not dealers.

In addition, the IAC is more and more being expected to have joint meetings with the Consumer Advisory Council, rather than just meet on its own … care to guess the subjects that come up at those meetings? OMVIC performance metrics, registrant non-compliance reporting, OMVIC branding, a Quebec class action on hidden fees and consumer survey results.

Are those issues top of mind in your business? No? Here either.

With caution, we decided to give this process a chance, on certain conditions. OMVIC agreed to approach the Ministry for a meeting after 18 months to seek an amendment to allow the IAC to appoint its own Chair and set its own Agenda. To create circumstances where industry would have the autonomy to tell OMVIC what IT wants to discuss and what IT considers of importance.

That time has passed and we have given OMVIC until the end of August to honour their commitment to set the meeting or will we will resign from the IAC.

We want our Members to know where things stand and the reasons why.

We will continue to advocate for UCDA members and this industry, as we always have, with OMVIC, and where necessary, the Ministry in charge of OMVIC over things that really matter to industry like, for example, OMVIC spending, fee increases, OMVIC communications, poor service, policy and curbsiders.

We will continue to do so in our own way and always on your behalf.