Scrapped front licence plates can be recycled through Service New Brunswick

Vehicle owners who want to get rid of their front licence plates can now drop them off at any Service New Brunswick centre to be recycled.

As of Monday, front plates are no longer required on passenger and light commercial vehicles in the province.

The Blaine Higgs government announced the controversial change on June 18, saying it was what motorists wanted.

Although it won't save motorists or the province any money, it will spare them the "annoyance" of having front plates, Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart has said.

Police see safety problem

The New Brunswick Association of Chiefs of Police and the school bus drivers union have both criticized the move,  saying it will diminish public safety.

Motorists can choose to continue to display their front licence plate, Urquhart said in a statement on Monday.

Front plates are still required for larger vehicles, including tractor-trailers, buses, school buses, fire trucks, dump trucks and bucket trucks.

Vehicle owners who decide to dispose of their front plates are encouraged to take them to Service New Brunswick centres as the preferred method of recycling them, said Urquhart. 

"By taking them there, motorists can be assured that the plates will be disposed of properly."

Now motorists will have the option of displaying a novelty plate instead, he said.

The seasonal plate program will be eliminated effective Nov. 1. The registered owners of vehicles with seasonal plates will receive details about how they can replace them with regular plates, department officials said.

3 provinces keep both plates

Only Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba still require front licence plates on passenger vehicles.

The province also plans to do away with annual motor vehicle inspections, likely this fall, Urquhart has said. New vehicles won't require any inspection for the first three years. All other vehicles will be inspected every two years.

Changes to annual vehicle registrations are also being considered, but that could cost the government about $59 million in lost revenue.