PICK A SIDE: Should Ontario’s license plates have been redesigned at all?

Just as quickly as they were announced, Ontario’s new license plates have been scrapped… sort of.

The new plates, which the Province began issuing on February 1, were the result of the first redesign in nearly 40 years.

However, they might have benefitted from a little more time, as the Ontario government is trying to fix some of the glaring issues the new plates present–namely, they’re almost impossible to read at night.

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

At first, after many people began voicing concerns with the new plates including front-line police officers, the government denied there was a problem.

However, after several days, “Plate Gate” has become a major controversy, and the Province has agreed they need to be fixed.

Part of the reason for the redesign was the intention of saving taxpayer money–the new plates were projected to save millions of dollars according to the Province.

However, because of this new defect, they will have to be replaced.

According to a release from the Province, 3M Canada, the company that designed the plates will be working on fixing the visibility problem.

It is unclear how much money it will cost to fix the problem, but the Province said in a statement they expect 3M to fix the problem.

But, after all the controversy these new plates have sparked, it begs the question: were they worth it?

So, Mississauga, what do you think?