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Toronto, April 07, 1998
- The
first Annual General Meeting of
the Ontario Motor Vehicle
Industry Council (OMVIC) was
held yesterday (April 6) in
Toronto at the Regal
Constellation Hotel.
Since January 7, 1997, OMVIC has
been performing all of the
responsibilities relating to the
administration of the Motor
Vehicle Dealers Act previously
performed by the Ministry of
Consumer & Commercial Relations.
These activities include
registration of dealers and
salespersons, dealership
inspections, investigations,
prosecutions, handling consumer
inquiries and mediating
complaints.
In his speech to attendees,
Chairman of the Board John
Carmichael described the
accomplishments of the Council
in its first year of operation.
OMVIC has initiated a number of
programs designed to increase
the professionalism of the
industry. A Code of Ethics has
been developed, Rules of
Business Practice have been
drafted, and a certification
program for new dealers and
salespersons is planned for the
fall of 1998. The certification
program is being developed in
conjunction with the Canadian
Automotive Institute at Georgian
College.
In its first year of operation,
OMVIC staff have handled a
record number of consumer
inquiries, and successfully
mediated some 1100 disputes.
Dealership inspections have
increased and the number of
entities charged and convicted,
particularly curbsiders, is
equal to the combined total of
the previous four years.
Under OMVIC, registration
requirements under the MVDA -
honesty, integrity and financial
responsibility - are being more
strictly enforced than ever
before. The number of
Registrar’s actions, including
registration refusals and
revocations, is several times
higher than the year immediately
prior to OMVIC’s creation.
According to Carmichael, “This
increase in the level of
activity of the Registrar’s
office reflects OMVIC’s
commitment to the people of
Ontario to significantly raise
the standards of the motor
vehicle retail industry in the
shortest possible time."
OMVIC was delegated
responsibility for administering
Ontario's Motor Vehicle Dealers
Act (MVD Act) on January 6,
1997, pursuant to the Harris
government's Safety & Consumer
Statutes Administration Act
(SCSA Act).
The SCSA Act allows Consumer
Minister David Tsubouchi to
delegate responsibility for a
number of statutes to non-profit
associations formed for the
specific purpose of
administering the legislation.
The motor vehicle industry was
the first sector to achieve
self-management pursuant to the
SCSA Act.
According to Minister Tsubouchi,
"Our government believes that
mature industries are far more
effective in regulating the
marketplace than government.
OMVIC has demonstrated its
commitment to consumer
protection through successful
initiatives such as its
crackdown on curbsider."
Carmichael pointed out that
OMVIC's performance in its first
year of operation certainly
confirmed that belief.
Other administrative authorities
created pursuant to the SCSA Act
include the Real Estate Council
of Ontario, the Travel Industry
Council of Ontario and the
Technical Standards and Safety
Authority.
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