Saskatchewan’s Opposition NDP is calling on the provincial government to remove the requirement for mechanical inspections on used vehicles purchased outside the province before they can be registered and insured, CBC reported.
“If a vehicle is insured and deemed roadworthy in another province, that should be enough to get it on the road here,” said Hugh Gordon, the NDP’s critic for Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), during a news conference Thursday. “It makes no sense that a driver who finds a great deal on a vehicle should face extra costs and red tape.”
Under current SGI policy, used vehicles brought into Saskatchewan from another province must be inspected at an SGI-approved facility before registration. The cost of inspection varies based on the vehicle’s size and condition. Jarrod Callan, an operator with Midas Auto in Regina, said the average cost is just under $200, according to the report.
Callan said he does not support the proposal to remove the requirement. “I think there should be more safety, not less,” he said, pointing to Manitoba’s policy requiring inspections before any vehicle is sold, regardless of where it originates.
SGI said the inspections are in place to promote road safety and reduce insurance-related fraud. In a statement, the insurer said the requirement helps identify vehicles that may have been written off in other jurisdictions or involved in collisions that were not reported.
“Mandatory vehicle inspections also ensure that rebuilt total-loss vehicles (and vehicles involved in unreported collisions in another jurisdiction) are properly repaired before returning to the road,” the statement said.
SGI also cautioned that removing the requirement could increase the risk of Saskatchewan becoming a point of entry for unsafe or stolen vehicles to be registered and resold, the report said.
In 2024, SGI processed 32,200 inspections of non-commercial light vehicles brought in from outside the province, a slight increase from 31,500 in 2023.
The NDP argued that the current rules create inconsistencies between vehicles bought within the province and those brought in from elsewhere. Gordon pointed out that there is no inspection requirement for older vehicles already in Saskatchewan. “You can buy a 20-year-old vehicle in the province and register it without an inspection, but a nearly new vehicle from a neighbouring province requires one. That makes no sense,” he said.
The party also referenced a study by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute that suggested Canada’s gross domestic product could grow by up to $18.1 billion if provinces reduced internal trade barriers through mutual recognition agreements. The NDP said a formal agreement between Saskatchewan and Alberta could help remove the need for out-of-province vehicle inspections.
“We keep hearing about the need to strengthen Canada’s economy and reduce internal trade barriers,” said Kim Breckner, the NDP’s trade and export development critic. “This is one step Saskatchewan could take now.”
