OMVIC (Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council) administers and enforces the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act(MVDA), its regulations and code of ethics, as well as relevant sections of the Consumer Protection Act, on behalf of Ontario’s Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS).

The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) mandate is to maintain a fair and informed marketplace by protecting the rights of consumers, enhancing industry professionalism and ensuring fair, honest and open competition for registered motor vehicle dealers.

OMVIC’s adherence to these ideals is reflected in its mission statement:

We will take pride in the results of our commitment to a fair marketplace, achieved through innovation, enforcement and excellence in service

OMVIC by the Numbers

The following is a brief summary of the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council ‘s 2019 statistics, initiatives and achievements.

Registrants: including

• 8,188 dealers
• 30,693 salespersons

Registration activities:

• 802 new dealer applications
• 4,665 new salesperson applications
• 7,763 dealer renewals
• 13,464 salesperson renewals

Compliance initiatives (includes inspections/ investigations/prosecutions/administrative actions):

• 2,363 inspections conducted (6 per cent of inspections referred to senior management for possible further action)
• 330 investigations opened (curbsider/industry)
• 778 charges laid against 63 entities (428 against 39 alleged curbsiders/350 against 24 registrants).
  Note: As of December 2017, OMVIC Investigators lay individual charges, not single global counts for multiple offences, as had been done historically
• 4 Immediate Suspensions issued related to serious issues of ongoing consumer harm
• 1,267 Registrar actions taken, including 54 Proposals to Revoke, Suspend, Refuse or Impose Conditions on Registration
• 46 Notices of Discipline served for alleged breaches of the CoE
• 318 CoE issues identified requiring action on the part of the registrants involved
• 71 compliance warning letters issued
• 365 dealers provided with advertising assistance

Consumer complaint handling

• 1,149 formal complaints closed
• $1,769,754 returned to consumers after conciliation efforts

Communications:

• 39 bulletins, newsletters and news releases published
• 51 seminars/webinars conducted
• 38 media interviews conducted
• 1,254 social media posts published (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, Instagram)
• 2,533,797 website page views

Online Registration services used by:

• 82 per cent of dealers
• 88 per cent of salespersons

Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund:

• 44 claims received, 19 of which were settled by staff prior to adjudication
• 20 claims approved (or partially approved)
• 4 claims deferred
• 1 claim denied
• Total value of claims paid: $235,192

Leadership

Board of Directors

OMVIC receives guidance from a 12-member Board of Directors comprised of nine elected motor vehicle dealers and three public representatives appointed by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. The Board’s responsibilities include providing business direction to OMVIC while ensuring its financial and functional viability and providing access to appropriate resources.

OMVIC Senior Management

Day-to-day management of OMVIC is provided by a Chief Executive Officer and senior management team.

The Registrar is responsible for the overall administration of the MVDA. This responsibility includes statutory authority to issue Proposals to Refuse, Revoke or Suspend Registration.