EDITOR’S TAKE: MTO bureaucracy gone mad

TORONTO — Sometimes government gets it wrong. Really wrong. No kidding, right?

There are occasions when errors are inevitably part of the human condition. Other times, they’re a symptom of bigger problems that infect an entire bloated, redundant system.

Truckers who get pulled over by MTO inspectors at roadside can attest to both examples. Tire condition, for example, is a common irritant. Sure, a scale inspector can make an honest mistake in placing trucks out of service with tires that are actually within tolerance. But how often is that situation triggered by overzealousness — a government worker trying to meet some real or perceived quota, perhaps? Who knows? You guys, more than me, for sure.

With that in mind, I bring you today’s news, in which a Peterborough, Ont. man was denied the renewal of his vanity plates because the MTO deemed them to be too “religious.”

Sometimes MTO makes honest mistakes. Sometimes,
though, it’s about bureaucracy running amok.

The inscription (which Russell Henry has had on his plates for 20 years) apparently no longer “meet the ministry’s current criteria since (the) configuration could be considered by some members of the public to connotate religion,” says the ministry, which demanded Henry return the expired plates.

So what’s the offensive message the MTO all of a sudden finds unacceptable? GODSGR8? Um, No. JSUSSAVS? Guess again. Try: HV F8TH — as in “have faith.”

Faith in what? Well, presumably Henry is referring to God. But how does some clerk in the ministry come to that conclusion? Or more importantly, why is someone being paid good tax dollars to make that call? For all that MTO staffer knows, Henry could be a die-hard (albeit misguided) Maple Leaf fan imploring Leaf Nation not to give up hope. And seeing the plates are 20 years old, that makes as much sense as anything else!

Quoted by the Peterborough Examiner, Henry says the MTO in this case resembles some state ministry in China or Russia.

Well, it’s not that bad. But clearly, this is a case of bureaucracy gone completely mad. Someone behind a desk, trying to justify their job’s existence, is simply speculating that the plates will be offensive to someone on the road. Obviously, they’re not and haven’t been so in two decades.

Ministry spokeswoman Emna Dhahak told the Examiner that the MTO review committee uses specific criteria to “ensure a plate doesn’t imply, condone or appear to condone anything that could relate to anything such as violence, religion, racism, alcohol or public officials.”

I’ve spoken to Ms. Dhahak on the phone several times, and in my opinion is one of the most pleasant government spokespeople around. But this is the kind of bureaucratic boilerplate just makes me cringe.

The MTO’s actions were a mistake — even an oversight, if it makes them feel better to say that instead. So just admit it, apologize, and move on. But just like that scale inspector who still idles you after he’s shown that the crack is not an OOS violation after all; government hardly ever backs down when it’s wrong.

The only way to prove your point is a trip to court. But as you guys know, the hassle and expense can be inconsequential at that point. You pay up front to have those tires changed — or you get the ultra-secular licence plate — and you get back on the road.

It’s too bad, isn’t it?