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bt
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bt

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Service Ontario Kiosks being shut down permanently

They've been down since June after credit/debit security violations were reported to the Government, and now the government is pulling them completely.

»www.theglobeandmail.com/ ··· 4958645/

donoreo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON

donoreo

Premium Member

Bummer. I always get my sticker from them.
puzz1ed
join:2005-02-20
Markham, ON

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Seems easy enough to just require chip & pin cards. The industry is moving to that already.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
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join:2005-03-12

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Typical McGuinty knuckle-dragging imbecilic incompetents!

I can manage my finances including making cash or cheque deposits, payments, or withdrawing cash at any bank ATM with no security concerns -- but there's no way to get a license plate sticker from a government kiosk without all hell breaking loose!

The problem is easily solved by firing the incompetents responsible and fixing the system using mature and readily available technologies. Instead, higher-level incompetents are covering for lower-level incompetents by abandoning the entire investment (hey, it's only taxpayer dollars, it's not like it's real money) and scuttling any pretext of public service. What a bunch of totally useless imbeciles!

Gone
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join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

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I wish they would have just come out and said they're shutting them down because everything you used to do with them can now be done online, rather than making up excuses like this.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
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join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

said by Gone:

because everything you used to do with them can now be done online...

I agree that sending the message that this was "temporary" was indicative of yet more incompetence.

But as for "doing it all online," I don't see the little slot in my computer where the license sticker would come out. Is it part of the coffee-cup holder that slides out when I press the little button?

Thane_Bitter
Inquire within
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join:2005-01-20

1 recommendation

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It's and old joke but still relevant:
The Ontario Government - "we are closed to better server you!"

Gone
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join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

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said by Wolfie00:

But as for "doing it all online," I don't see the little slot in my computer where the license sticker would come out. Is it part of the coffee-cup holder that slides out when I press the little button?

Assuming you don't have the little slot on your door, it'll magically appear inside a box mounted to the side of your house in 3-5 days.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
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join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

said by Gone:

said by Wolfie00:

But as for "doing it all online," I don't see the little slot in my computer where the license sticker would come out. Is it part of the coffee-cup holder that slides out when I press the little button?

Assuming you don't have the little slot on your door, it'll magically appear inside a box mounted to the side of your house in 3-5 days.

Since I'm in a new suburban area it might appear in the "superbox" down the street which I visit maybe once a month, because all my bills and correspondence are handled over the Internet, and when I do my monthly visit to the physical mailbox it's generally so packed with junk mail that I have to pry it out with a crowbar and throw it en masse into the recycling.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

Haha.

When one thinks about it, there's really no need for validation stickers at all. The only reason they exist is to generate revenue by allowing cops to quickly glance at a sticker and see it's expired without running the plate.

koira
Hey Siri Walk Me
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join:2004-02-16

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Was on the Ontario website today and happened to notice you can now order them online as late as the last day before your birthday. As long as you have an six digit etest pass number if necessary ,credit card and odometer reading, the sticker will arrive in the snail mail. I guess they must provide a letter you can print and show to the popo as part of the process.

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

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I didn't even know these existed or what they'd do for me.

elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
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join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in

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Do it online, they mail it to you and it doesn't cost extra

TLS2000
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join:2004-02-24
Elmsdale, NS
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said by Gone:

Haha.

When one thinks about it, there's really no need for validation stickers at all. The only reason they exist is to generate revenue by allowing cops to quickly glance at a sticker and see it's expired without running the plate.

Considering police cars are capable of running every plate that comes into view on their cameras these days, there's not really any need for the validation sticker at all.

What's retarded is I have a friend with three cars. He has to go get insurance on one of them just to get the sticker even though he hasn't driven it in over a year.

Gone
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join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by TLS2000:

Considering police cars are capable of running every plate that comes into view on their cameras these days, there's not really any need for the validation sticker at all.

Running a plate requires a cop to type in every single license plate into the computer as they're driving, versus the cop just seeing the colour of a sticker and knowing it's expired.

BGB
Wants moar interwebz
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join:2009-07-09
Waterloo, ON

BGB

Premium Member

said by Gone:

said by TLS2000:

Considering police cars are capable of running every plate that comes into view on their cameras these days, there's not really any need for the validation sticker at all.

Running a plate requires a cop to type in every single license plate into the computer as they're driving, versus the cop just seeing the colour of a sticker and knowing it's expired.

There is technology that exists that can read plates and tell you if there is an issue. That's one way certain states knows which cars owe outstanding parking tickets so they can boot them. It's also the way the 407 tells if you enter their toll road.

One plate
@videotron.ca

One plate to TLS2000

Anon

to TLS2000
said by TLS2000:

there's not really any need for the validation sticker at all.

How many prov's still use stickers? I haven't seen that in ages.

Also, how many prov's still require 2 plates? Another thing I haven seen in decades.

Gone
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join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

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said by BGB:

There is technology that exists that can read plates and tell you if there is an issue. That's one way certain states knows which cars owe outstanding parking tickets so they can boot them. It's also the way the 407 tells if you enter their toll road.

The 407's APNR is a bit different than what they use for vehicles on the road, but either way its not cheap. Peel Regional has a few cars equipped with it, so does Buffalo. A few cars is one thing. Equipping *every* car with something that costs a lot of money to buy is another.

CanadianRip
join:2009-07-15
Oakville, ON

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said by bt:

They've been down since June after credit/debit security violations were reported to the Government, and now the government is pulling them completely.

As far as I can tell there's no need for these things anymore anyhow. It seems to me every purpose they once served can now be done and then some online.

koira
Hey Siri Walk Me
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said by Gone:

said by TLS2000:

Considering police cars are capable of running every plate that comes into view on their cameras these days, there's not really any need for the validation sticker at all.

Running a plate requires a cop to type in every single license plate into the computer as they're driving, versus the cop just seeing the colour of a sticker and knowing it's expired.

The other day noticed a SUV in front of me still had MAR 2012 sticker
PS I'm not a cop
peterboro (banned)
Avatars are for posers
join:2006-11-03
Peterborough, ON

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said by Wolfie00:

Since I'm in a new suburban area it might appear in the "superbox" down the street which I visit maybe once a month, because all my bills and correspondence are handled over the Internet,...

I guess visiting more often when one is expecting something is out of the question then...on the other hand people with dogs tend to walk them and perhaps going to the superbox might kill two birds with one trip...or you could walk the other direction I suppose.
MichelR
join:2011-07-03
Trois-Rivieres, QC

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said by One plate :

said by TLS2000:

there's not really any need for the validation sticker at all.

How many prov's still use stickers? I haven't seen that in ages.

Also, how many prov's still require 2 plates? Another thing I haven seen in decades.

Lots of jurisdictions have two plates. That's much better as far as I'm concerned. If cops are looking for a car (stolen, stuff like that) and driving in the opposite direction they can see it right away. Stickers are indeed a pain (I hate trying to put it on right), but as somebody else pointed out it's a quick way to see expired plates.

Lots of things your seemingly haven't seen. Get out more, maybe.
MichelR

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said by donoreo:

Bummer. I always get my sticker from them.

I renewed online last year and got the sticker in the mail a few days (less than a week) later. So that works pretty well.
Bob Anderson
join:2001-05-05
Ottawa, ON

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I moved recently so yesterday I went to city hall to the Service Ontario desk for an address change for my car license, registration and OHIP. Took all of 10 minutes. Previously I tried doing it online but their site was flakey and I couldn't complete the process.

A funny thing: last summer I saw an elderly man's old Buick with both his front and rear plates on upside down. I can't fathom how anyone could make that mistake.

-Bob

TLS2000
Premium Member
join:2004-02-24
Elmsdale, NS

TLS2000

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Obviously he was standing over it and bent down in such a way that the plates looked right side up from his perspective. lol

FaxCaps
@start.ca

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said by koira:

show to the popo as part of the process.

What the heck is the popo?
peterboro (banned)
Avatars are for posers
join:2006-11-03
Peterborough, ON

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said by FaxCaps :

said by koira:

show to the popo as part of the process.

What the heck is the popo?

Slang for police in urban hip hop culture. What you not watch quality television.

LazMan
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join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

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I always found the ServiceOntario kiosk's to be incredibly handy and effective. No wonder the gov't wanted to kill them off...

The level of security required is compariable to an ATM; and less then doing the transaction online - I can't think of any possible reason why the system couldn't be brought back online.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

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Money. Providing these services online through a website they already have rather than those kiosks is, by comparison, is free.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
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join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

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A valid point. However, the purpose of taxpayer dollars is to provide services for the public. The kiosks provided a great convenience, and the costs could not have been that great even considering the bloated bureaucracy that they probably had to support them. Nor is ordering through the web in any way "free" -- it's not just the website, but the whole bureaucracy of order fulfillment. At the kiosk, the whole thing was done with no human intervention at all.