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Toronto, June 4, 1997- The
Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry
Council (OMVIC) has launched a
series of inspections throughout
the Province in order to check
if licensed dealers are actually
operating out of their
registered premises. The
intention of this aggressive
four-month campaign is to verify
that dealers comply with this
important requirement of the
Ontario Motor Vehicle Dealers
Act (MVDA). To date, more than
1,900 site visits have been
conducted.
As planned, OMVIC is giving its
enforcement activities a
noticeable boost. In addition to
the site visits, 115
investigations have been
launched since OMVIC’s inception
in January of this year. These
investigations, plus a series of
mediations, have resulted in the
restitution to consumers of more
than $70,000.
One of the biggest problems that
OMVIC intends to address with
these enforcement activities is
the existence of curbsiders. The
term curbsider refers to anybody
that sells vehicles for
commercial purposes, yet engages
in this activity by posing as a
private individual. By operating
in this manner, curbsiders avoid
registration, taxation and other
legal and financial requirements
that legitimate auto dealers
must fulfill. These obligations
include contribution to the
Motor Vehicle Compensation Fund,
the industry’s own consumer
protection mechanism.
“Curbsiders frequently sell
vehicles of dubious quality. In
contrast, consumers are entitled
to feel confident when
conducting business with
registered dealers,” says Carl
Compton, Executive Director and
Registrar of the Council.
“OMVIC, the industry’s
self-management body, is the
result of motor vehicle dealers’
commitment to consumer
protection, business leadership
and industry professionalism.
Their positive response to and
support of our inspections shows
how strong such commitment
really is.”
For further information, or to
identify a curbsider, call OMVIC
at (416) 226-4500 or
1-800-943-6002.
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