Winter tire deadline passes for Quebec drivers
As of Dec. 1, all drivers in Quebec must have winter tires on their vehicles.
The winter tire law lasts until March 15. Anyone caught without winter tires on their vehicle could face fines from police of between $200 and $300.
Despite the deadline for winter tires passing, tire shops in Quebec were busy Wednesday.
"We do have quite a bit of people that come in last minute and after the deadline," says Riley MacGregor, Manager of Bristol Auto Performance in Shawville and Bristol. "We always try to get our regular customers in and promote to get them on as soon as possible, because we could start getting bad weather as soon as October and as soon as the temperature starts to drop below seven degrees."
There is no winter tire law in Ontario, but MacGregor hopes one will come in soon. The auto shop manager also runs a towing business and says despite the lack of snow on the ground, he's already been called to some avoidable crashes.
"There was a car spun out in the ditch and I got a chance to take a look at what was on there," MacGregor tells CTV News. "There wasn't even much left of the summer tires that were on it."
Despite MacGregor's shop being booked solid with winter tire appointments Wednesday, most drivers in and around Shawville seemed to be prepared.
"It's been in effect for a while, I think it used to be the 15th," says driver Nick Renaud, who got his snow tires on a week ago. "Now we just put them on ahead of time to save the fine."
Renaud says he has no problem with the fines associated with the winter tire law, which has become a regular part of winter for Quebecers.
"Not at all, I guess we're used to it now. It's been in effect for a while, they just moved the date ahead now. I mean it's hard nowadays because who knows if we're going to have snow or a mild winter."
Driver Billy Telford also got his winters on well in advance.
"Couple weeks ago, got the tires studded," says Telford from the seat of his pickup truck. "A little afraid I'm wearing on the studs; we need snow."
That's another aspect MacGregor appreciates about Quebec's winter tire law.
"I highly like to promote the studded tires if you can," says the mechanic, adding the studs bite into the ice and snow, allowing for greater peace of mind. "Unfortunately, Ontario doesn't run studded tires, but if you are Quebec plated you can run studded tires."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.