The Gatineau Police Service (SPVG) is asking residents to report neighbours who have had non-Quebec licence plates on their vehicles for more than three months.
Provincial law requires new residents to register their vehicles with the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) within three months to receive a Quebec plate. Failure to do so can result in a $200 fine.
In a news release Wednesday, Gatineau police called on residents to inform 3-1-1 about anyone who has had out-of-province licence plates for longer than 90 days. The reports can be made by phone or online starting in March, police said.
“The situation of Gatineau residents with licence plates from another province is a problem known to the SPVG,” police said in French. “In fact, it is working with the City of Gatineau, Revenu Québec and the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec to identify possible actions to reduce this problem.”
This comes as the City of Gatineau is adding a new vehicle registration tax in an effort to fund public transit.
Last year, Gatineau city council approved a new tax on the registration of passenger vehicles for Gatineau residents, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Each registered vehicle will be subject to a tax of $60 in 2025, and $90 per vehicle starting in 2026.
The vehicle registration tax to fund transit will be collected by the SAAQ, and it will apply to all automobiles, motor homes, SUVs and minivans, but not motorcycles, mopeds, and vehicles for institutional, professional and commercial use, according to the city.
The new $60 vehicle registration tax imposed by the City of Gatineau is in addition to a $30 fee that has been charged by the province since 1992.
Police said they would take action against residents with improper licence plates for “an indefinite period” once reports to 3-1-1 are received.