Licence Appeal Tribunal
FILE: 7789/MVIA
CASE NAME: 7789 v. Registrar of Motor Vehicles
Appeal under Section 50.2 of the Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 from an Impoundment Pursuant to Section 55.1(3) of the Act.
Applicant: 7789 -and- Respondent: Registrar of Motor Vehicles
REASONS FOR DECISION AND ORDER
ADJUDICATOR: ANTOINE AOUAD, M.D., Member
APPEARANCES: For the Applicant: Self-represented For the Respondent: RUSSELL MCKNIGHT, Agent
Heard by teleconference: December 19, 2012
REASONS FOR DECISION
A hearing was held on December 19, 2012, by teleconference to consider the Applicant’s appeal pursuant to section 50.2 of the Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O., 1990, c. H.8 (the “HTA” or the “Act”).
THE TRIBUNAL RULED TO CONFIRM THE IMPOUNDMENT pursuant to section 55.1(3) of the HTA. As a result, the Applicant’s motor vehicle will remain detained at the impound facility for 45 days.
BACKGROUND
A motor vehicle was impounded pursuant to section 55.1 of the Act and the impoundment was appealed by the owner. The owner, motor vehicle, and date of appeal in this matter are as follows:
Owner: The Applicant
Motor Vehicle: 2000 TOYT ECH (the “vehicle”)
Date of Appeal: December 4, 2012
All documents were entered into evidence as exhibits with the consent of both parties
ISSUES
As set out in the Applicant’s request for hearing (Exhibit #1), the owner appeals on the basis that the loss of the vehicle will result in exceptional hardship, as provided in section 50.2(3)(d) of the Act.
Should the Tribunal order the Registrar to release the motor vehicle on the basis that the impoundment will result in exceptional hardship?
FACTS
Evidence for the Applicant
A summary of the Applicant’s evidence follows.
The Applicant’s written submission filed with the Tribunal in support of the appeal was entered as Exhibit #1. In her Notice of Appeal, the Applicant pleads for the return of the vehicle on the ground that she was out of town when her car was taken without her knowledge or consent, and that the loss of the vehicle will cause exceptional hardship as she is “an elderly lady, living alone”.
The Applicant testified, at the hearing, that she lent her vehicle to her daughter and did not expect the car to be driven by a suspended driver.
In cross-examination, the Applicant confirmed that she was aware of the suspension and attested to her knowledge of her daughter and her daughter’s partner’s financial situation.
According to the Applicant, the suspended driver has agreed to pay for the impoundment fees; nonetheless the Applicant asserted that she needs a vehicle now. The Applicant pointed out that she has been able to maintain her daily routine with the help of friends who drive her to her regular activities.
With respect to her health, the Applicant affirmed that she is in “excellent health” and has not missed any medical appointments.
Evidence for the Registrar
A summary of the Registrar’s evidence follows.
The documents tendered by the Registrar and admitted into the record on consent of the Applicant were as follows:
Copy of the Ministry of Transportation records indicating that, among other things, the impounded motor vehicle is registered in the name of the Applicant as owner;
A copy of the notice prepared by the officer who detained the impounded motor vehicle indicating, among other things, that the vehicle at the time it was detained was being driven by the person convicted of the offence under the Criminal Code of Canada outlined in point 4 below;
Copy of the Notice forwarded to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles regarding the impoundment;
Copy of the Ministry of Transportation records indicating that the driver at the time of impoundment had been convicted of Impaired Driving Causing Bodily Harm under the Criminal Code of Canada pursuant to which the driver’s licence of the driver was then under suspension For Life.
The Registrar did not call any witnesses.
LAW
Section 55.1 of the Act provides that a motor vehicle may be detained and impounded, and section 50.2 provides the motor vehicle owner’s right of appeal to the Tribunal. The Tribunal on the appeal may, pursuant to subsection 50.2(5) of the Act, confirm the impoundment or order the Registrar to release the motor vehicle. Pursuant to subsection 50.2(8), the decision of the Tribunal is, final and binding.
Subsection 55.1(3) of the Act states:
(3) A motor vehicle detained under subsection (1) shall be impounded as follows:
For 45 days, if there has not been any previous impoundment under this section, within a prescribed period, with respect to any motor vehicle then owned by the owner of the vehicle currently being impounded.
For 90 days, if there has been one previous impoundment under this section, within a prescribed period, with respect to any motor vehicle then owned by the owner of the vehicle currently being impounded.
For 180 days, if there have been two or more previous impoundments under this section, within a prescribed period, with respect to any motor vehicle then owned by the owner of the vehicle currently being impounded.
Regulation 631/98 provides that the prescribed period, referred to above, is two years.
The owner may appeal the impoundment on only four specific grounds set out in subsection 50.2(3):
(3) The only grounds on which an owner may appeal under subsection (1) and the only grounds on which the Tribunal may order the Registrar to release the motor vehicle are,
(a) that the motor vehicle that is impounded was stolen at the time it was detained in order to be impounded;
(b) that the driver’s licence of the driver of the motor vehicle at the time it was detained in order to be impounded was not then under suspension;
(c) that the owner of the motor vehicle exercised due diligence in attempting to determine that the driver’s licence of the driver of the motor vehicle at the time it was detained in order to be impounded was not then under suspension; or
(d) that the impoundment will result in exceptional hardship.
The Applicant here appeals on the basis of section 50.2(3)(d).
The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. defines “exceptional hardship” as follows:
Exceptional : Of the nature of or forming an exception; unusual.
Hardship: 1. The quality of being hard to bear; hardness; severity. 2. Hardness of fate or circumstance; severe toil or suffering; extreme privation.
Also, where the owner appeals on the ground of exceptional hardship, subsection 50.2(4) provides:
(4) Clause (3) (d) does not apply if there was a previous impoundment under section 55.1 with respect to any motor vehicle then owned by the same owner.
Section 10 of O. Reg. 631/98 provides the criteria to be considered and those not to be considered in determining the appeal under this section. First, the Tribunal must consider whether no alternative exists for the impounded vehicle and if there is no alternative, then whether the impoundment will result in a threat to the health or safety of any person ordinarily transported by the motor vehicle or a threat to public health and safety or to the environment or property of a community in whose service the vehicle is ordinarily used.
Second, the section provides that the Tribunal may not, except in certain circumstances, consider certain factors:
- inconvenience to any person, financial or economic loss to any person,
- loss of employment or employment opportunity to any person, or
- loss of education or training.
These factors may be considered if the owner demonstrates that
- there is no alternative to the vehicle available,
- the loss will be immediate, significant and lasting,
- the impact will be on a person ordinarily transported by the vehicle and
- the impact of the loss will be on someone other than the suspended driver and will not be the result of a loss by the suspended driver of the type described above.
All elements of the grounds of appeal must be proven on the balance of probabilities by the owner of the vehicle.
APPLICATION OF LAW TO FACTS
In closing the Applicant stated that she feels she is innocent and should not be suffering because of this incident. According to the Applicant she has been inconvenienced by not having her car. Further, she believes that the suspended driver will not have the funds to cover the expenses.
In closing, the Registrar’s Agent pointed out the vehicle was impounded correctly, and the law cannot be adjudicated on compassionate grounds.
Further, exceptional hardship as defined by the Regulation was not met, according to the Registrar’s Agent, as there are alternate modes of transportation available to the Applicant. In this matter, the Registrar’s Agent emphasized that the Applicant has procured rides from her friends to continue to meet her needs to get around.
With respect to financial loss, the Registrar’s Agent maintains that there has been no loss of income. According to the Registrar’s Agent, the only loss is the impoundment fee, nonetheless the law does provide for recovery from the suspended driver.
In summary the Registrar’s Agent concluded that there are no health and safety issues and no medical appointments have been missed.
In rebuttal, the Applicant noted that she does not have the money to retrieve the car from the impoundment facility. She feels she is an innocent victim who was out of the country at the time and had no control over the events that occurred.
The Tribunal sympathizes with the Applicant. Had the Applicant appealed on different grounds, perhaps the decision would be different. Nonetheless, as the Applicant appealed under section 50.2(3)(d) of the Act, the onus is on the Applicant to establish exceptional hardship as the ground of appeal.
Section 10 of Regulation 631/98 provides the criteria to be considered and those not to be considered in determining the appeal under this section, as follows:
- (1) In determining whether exceptional hardship will result from an order to impound under section 55.1 of the Act, the Tribunal shall consider whether no alternative to the impounded motor vehicle is available…
Only if no alternative exists does the Regulation permit the Tribunal to proceed to consider other enumerated factors.
It is clear from the evidence that alternate modes of transportation are available to the Applicant. Albeit inconvenient, the Applicant’s friends have been able to assist her maintain her regular activities.
Thus, having found that an alternative to the impounded vehicle exists, the Tribunal’s enquiry must come to an end and the Applicant’s defence of exceptional hardship must fail.
The Tribunal cannot assess exceptional hardship based on the cost of impoundment as the legislation provides options for the recovery of losses.
As such the Tribunal finds that the criteria of Section 10 (1) of the Ontario Regulation 631/98 are not met.
DECISION
After considering the evidence, pursuant to the authority vested in the Tribunal under section 50.2(5) of the Act, the Tribunal confirms the impoundment of the Applicant’s motor vehicle, and it will remain at the impound facility for 45 days.
LICENCE APPEAL TRIBUNAL
Antoine Aouad, M.D., Presiding Member
RELEASED: January 2, 2013