The Ontario Ministry of Transportation introduced discriminatory restrictions and special testing for senior drivers in Ontario, under the false pretense that older drivers constitute a significantly higher risk in traffic.  The Ministry is well aware this claim is a total fabrication that serves to justify a simultaneous tax grab and the inappropriate favoritism of a business at the horrific expense of senior drivers and their families.  

We can understand the Ministry of Transportation’s apparent vested interest in promoting grave injustice against the safest drivers in Canada, perhaps in the world.  But how can we wrap our heads around the totally biased reporting of Sun News who simply run with the drivel provided by Ministry staff without checking the facts.  No wonder they are out-of-business…closed down not soon enough!

In November of 2012, I conducted in-depth research, obtaining every valid statistic in Canada and a major Australian Study, that used Canadian statistics.  These studies, including statistics from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation itself, revealed that consistently, year after year, the older drivers have had fewer accidents than any other drive group, and as they age,  have fewer still.

A charge was laid against the Ministry of Transportation , in November of 2012, under the Ontario Human Rights Act.  After six months of intense correspondence, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal dismissed the complaint,  on the grounds that the Ministry, and all it’s Agencies had exempted itself!  This would mean that the Ministry of Transportation has decided it need not honor the Constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms nor the Criminal Code of Canada

I continued my pursuit, by going directly to the Minister of Transportation.  After hounding him for a number of weeks, I received an email from him, wherein he admitted that the Ministry did not have the statistical justification to enact the discriminatory legislation against the elderly drivers, but proceeded anyway.  No doubt they harbored very handy preconceived views about  the elderly.

This does not only make this law illegal, but it violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, The Human Rights Act, The Criminal Code on Elder Abuse,  and the persons right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Opinion and bias should never trump facts and statistics in a democracy.

If you are  feeling comfortable with how the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Hon. Del Luca is behaving regarding your rights, consider what is coming.

The Toronto Star featured an article called “Driving With Dementia, The New Impaired Driver”.   In this article, it states that 28% of drivers over 65 years of age and older, have dementia, and suggests that these people should be given a test, presently being used in Alberta, called the Simard MD Protocol.  This is despite the Alzheimer’s Society statistics showing that seniors are the least demented of all driving groups and these stats are incorrect.  So the misinformation due to lazy journalism continues to harm senior drivers.

This test has no credibility with the academics and professional organizations who have come out  stating that they are surprised that the government of a democracy would use a test which is not scientific, is unreliable, and sets the seniors up for failure.  20% fail, 20% cannot be determined.  This test is paid for by the elderly at the rate of $250.00 each time tested, and paid to a private firm favored by the Ministry.

Rumour has it that the  Ontario Ministry of Transportation will be introducing the Simard test in April of 2014, but with the fuss raised by informed seniors, it will have a tweak here and there and a new name…so the Ministry will distract us with semantics, when ANY test is a violation of senior driver rights.

Please give this issue as much distribution as possible, in order to make the people of Ontario aware of what their Government is doing.  The only way to exercise our rights is to seek remedy through the Courts.  However, only  wealthy citizens can afford their rights unless we pull together to build a legal fund to defend those targeted.  This has been done in other issues successfully, so contribute to the legal effort at this website generously.

A top legal firm is waiting in the wings to take this on…all we need do is get informed and enraged enough at this abuse to pull together to do something about it NOW.

Sgt. Ed. Rockburne, RCMP, Retired.