Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Fine for riding uninsured ATV in Ontario

I have a friend who is thinking of taking his ATV to Ontario this fall, but I've heard you can't cross the border without proof of insurance, and that if you get caught riding it without insurance the fine is pretty hefty. Anyone know the real scoop?

Thanks.
Steve

Here in Alberta a $2500 fine is the norm for not having insurance.

Ontario is $5000 max. They will hassle you at the border for paperwork, proof of ownership and insurance. Why is he bringing it up here?

I have been pulled over by police with my ATV on the trailer, so they could check my ownership and insurance for it. But they didn't care about the truck papers...

He is bringing it up for a bear hunt. The outfitter suggests bringing an ATV so that hunters can get to their baits on their own. My sense of it is that those who enforce the laws there are not very sympathetic to American hunters. That's not a criticism of Canadian LEO -- it's the same here between states.

The story is that last year a hunter failed to put his gun into a case on the return from his hunting site to the camp because it was pouring rain. He didn't want to get the inside of the case wet. Didn't matter -- he got fined just the same.

If the fine for riding an uninsured ATV maxes out at $5000, my guess is that even a minimal fine is likely to be more than a token amount. I'm recommending that he either get insurance, or don't bring the quad.

Steve

The set fine under Part I of the Provincial Offences act for driving an ATV without insurance, pursuant to section 15(1) of the Off Road Vehicles Act is $260.00. Add to that a Victim Fine Surcharge and costs, and I believe that the total payable is $315.00. If the police lay the charge under Part III of the POA, the fine CAN go higher, but typically, it is under part I so the fine above will apply.

(I do prosecutions for these type of offences. )

I gotta ask, Why would anyone not have the required insurance when riding? Even if it isn't required where you live, it is easy enough to buy a policy to cover the time you will use the ATV in places where it is required.

Thank you. That is very helpful, and I'll pass that info along.


You gotta ask, and I gotta say I can't answer on behalf of someone else.

Steve

+1 on the insurance. I have owned a trail bike & ATV's for years & wouldn't think about owning one with out coverage. To many things can happen that results in a liability. A friend in a Bass Club years ago has his boat destroyed by a ski boat. Neither had insurance so the ruling was each replace their own boat. He made payments for several years & fished with others while sucking his thumb for being stupid.

Just another comment. I owned a booking business years ago & sold a lot of Black Bear Hunts in Canada. I have never heard of a top quality bear outfitter that didn't take & pick up clients from their stands. I would believe hes probably wasting his money on a hunt for The Cheap. These type of hunts are rarely successful.

I can definitely see how you would think that if the outfitter required hunters to bring an ATV, but he doesn't. He does drop off and pick up the hunters, but having your own ATV gives you more freedom during daytime hours if you want to do some sightseeing or fish some of the more distant lakes. The ATV is not required, and from what I've heard most guys inthe group aren't taking one.

Also, the guy who organized this trip (he has hunted all over the world) told me last week that this is his third year going to this camp, and so far they've been 100% not just in opportunities but also in success. I think their biggest bear last year was 450 lbs. He says that up until 2005 this was purely a fishing camp, so they've hunted bears only 2 years and there are still plenty of bears there.

Thanks for your input. We'll see if it works out that way.

Steve

I am leaving tomorrow for Ontario but my ATV will stay at home.I have a 900 mile drive up there and pulling a trailer just double the chance of a mechanical problem. I'll be driving myself to my bait,not because the outfitter doesn't but because I have been left sitting in the woods for 2 hrs after shooting light was gone,while the guide made his rounds picking everyone up.He will show me the bait the first time and I'll drive myself after that. As far as "on the cheap". I have been up there 6 times,I have killed six bears and have never paid over $1200 for the package. This year I got a cabin, boat and motor and the hunt, I'll be taking my wife and grandson to go fishing. It is costing me $1050 without meals plus my license. If I do my job as a hunter I have a good chance of taking number 7.

One dirt biker or horse backer etc etc comes around one corner to be smack into a trail full of yamaha and you'll be wishin it was back home in a BIG way

Exactly!!

Um, wouldn't a dirt bike fall under the same law as an atv?? Seems to me that 2 uninsured vehicles would cancel each other out. A horse backer/pedestrian on the other hand, would be a whole nother deal.

Can't know what atv'ing is like in Ontario, besides crowded, but where I ride in B.C., a $450/year insurance policy is just a money grab. We don't have designated atv trails and meeting another vehicle/atv is a rare occurance; where I ride anyway.
If there were policies in the $50- $100 range, I would likely consider getting insurance, but until then, I guess I'll continue to roar around at 15-20 mh and take my chances....grin

RO

Of course you are only assuming that the dirt bike is uninsured.Many people do buy off road insurance.

The insurance for an ATV is only a few hundred bucks a year anyway.

Besides proof of insurance and proof of ownership is there anything else required to bring and ATV into Ontario? That was all I was aware of, but I want to double check.

Thanks.

Just got back. The five or six who took ATVs (and one dirt bike) were not asked about proof of ownership, registration or insurance at the border, and said they never have been. No LEO stopped them while riding.

So, the direct answer to your question is that nothing -- none of these things -- are required required to bring an ATV into Ontario. But, as several posts above have indicated, you don't want to get caught without insurance, whether or not you have an accident or cause damage.

I see no reason any sensible citizen of the United States would be careless about anything when a guest in another country. It equates to foolhardiness.

One more thing -- I believe they have a helmet law, so take a helmet and wear it.

Steve

Yeah, they're sticky on the helmets...

As for the fines, it depends where you are riding. Off road (where hunters would normally be), I can see the $300 fines. However in my area we can ride on the paved roads and in the villages also. When on these roads, you are considered to be "on-road" and are subject to the same fines as an automobile, hence the $5000 for no insurance.

That said, I've never been stopped by a LEO while riding an ATV...

They can pull you over when your ATV is on a trailer to check for insurance? WTF! I sure am glad I don't live in a country that the police can just stop and search you for no good reason.