Is a photocopy of the green car ownership paper legal? ON edition

April 9, 2013 6:49 PM

I have a question about whether having a photocopy of your green Ontario car ownership document is accepted by the police if you ever get stopped. Also have conflicting info about where to keep your ownership / insurance. In the car? In your wallet? What if two of you use the car? Small snow bank inside

Mr Meathead and I just picked up our new car from a dealership in Toronto (huzzah!). Tonight, the sales dude handed us our green Ontario ownership along with a photocopy of it and said the copy was to be put in our glove box. I have never been given a photocopy of the ownership before.

Have the laws in Ontario changed regarding what you give to the police? I live in York Region, and don't need the YRP's hassle if I ever get stopped. What is the point of the photocopy?

Second question: Do any of you leave your insurance and ownership in the car? If not, where? Your wallet? If you keep it in your wallet how do you account for multiple drivers? (ahem, and forgetful husbands...)
MTO site isn't too helpful in answering my questions.
Thanks!

posted by MeatheadBrokeMyChair to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

Best answer: From wheels.ca: According to S. 7(5)(a) HTA, it’s sufficient to produce either an original or a “true copy” of the permit (ownership) if requested by police.

This means you must have a copy of both the front and the back of the ownership document.

I agree the MTO website is not very helpful on this topic, but they do recommend keeping ones car ownership in your wallet, which is not exactly practical for a multiple driver situation.

Most insurers give multiple copies of the insurance document, I'm not sure about carrying copies of this document.
posted by Harpocrates at 7:21 PM on April 9, 2013

Best answer: I live in downtown TO, and have only regular old photocopies of the ownership and insurance in my glove box, because our car has been broken into and rifled through often enough that I keep nothing original or of value in it. The original pink insurance and green ownership papers have been scanned and filed on my computer, and extra photocopies are filed at home. Sometimes the originals are in my wallet, sometimes not - depends on what I'm going and which wallet I have. I have been pulled over (on random checks, multiple times, as the husband's license was expired, harumpf) and those photocopies were accepted by the nice officer. That's only anecdotal evidence, but there, you have it.
posted by peagood at 7:44 PM on April 9, 2013

Best answer: I keep the ownership and insurance in the car. If I am driving someone else's car then it would be their insurance that is covering me (right?). I have no support for any of this but it is what I do.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:47 PM on April 9, 2013

I keep the original ownership in the car. I keep one insurance slip in the car and one in my wallet (our insurance provides two originals.)
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 7:50 PM on April 9, 2013

The cops have access to all this stuff on their computer. It's mostly irrelevant these days.
posted by unSane at 8:05 PM on April 9, 2013

I have been pulled over (on random checks, multiple times...

Multiple, not random. Cruisers have automated plate scanners. If there's anything vaguely interesting about your license plate on file, and if you're in visual range, they'll pull you over.
posted by ovvl at 8:57 PM on April 9, 2013

I keep my green slip in the car. I've got copies of my insurance in my filing cabinet, my wallet, my purse and my car -- I've never received fewer than 4 copies of it and my current insurance company sends 6 copies, so there's lots to go around.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:31 PM on April 9, 2013

As for insurance, there is no reason why you can't request extra copies to keep in the car and in both drivers' wallets. Or just make xerox copies.

I agree; never keep originals in the car.
posted by gjc at 2:51 AM on April 10, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the advice, everyone!
posted by MeatheadBrokeMyChair at 3:39 AM on April 10, 2013

Anecdote:

I had a car stolen in Ontario.
The officer that filed the report asked if the original ownership was in the car (it was) and advised in the future to only keep a copy in the car, and keep the original at home.

The reason she gave: If the original is in the car, it makes it easier for the person taking the car to change the ownership to someone else, as they can sign ownership over themselves.

I would have thought the act of changing ownership would make it easier to track down the car, but, the world works in mysterious ways...
posted by csmason at 5:58 AM on April 10, 2013