Ontario looking into complaints new licence plates are unreadable at night

The provincial government is looking into complaints that the new Ontario licence plates are “virtually unreadable” at night.

A Kingston police officer posted a photo on Twitter of a car with an unreadable license plate in what he says was a well-lit parking lot.

Sgt. Steve Koopman said he was off duty when the image was taken. “Did anyone consult with police before designing and manufacturing the new Ontario licence plates? They’re virtually unreadable at night,” Koopman added.

Ok, this was taken off duty in a relatively well lit parking lot with my headlights on. Did anyone consult with police before designing and manufacturing the new Ontario licence plates? They’re virtuallly unreadable at night. pic.twitter.com/CoLxnp3iTQ

— Sgt Steve Koopman (@SgtKoopman) February 16, 2020

Freelance photographer Andrew Collins snapped a similar photo and posted it on Twitter on Friday, saying the licence plate was “totally unreadable” from a distance at night. “Submitted screen grab taken from a 1080P dash camera. Could be an issue for GTA police forces in the future,” Collins said.

Has anyone else noticed that the newly designed @ONgov license plates are totally unreadable from distance at night? Submitted screen grab taken from a 1080P dash camera. Could be an issue for GTA police forces in the future. pic.twitter.com/EN4hvoTYBL

— Andrew Collins (@ACollinsPhoto) February 15, 2020

The Office of the Minister of Government and Consumer Services confirmed to CHCH News that it is looking into the “readability” of the plates to the naked-eye under certain light conditions, adding that it takes the feedback seriously.

The new plates are dark and light blue and feature the words “a place to grow.”