Ontario Enacts Provincial Emergency and Stay-at-Home Order

The Ontario government announced that it is imposing a province-wide Stay-at-Home order and a third state of emergency, effective Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. The government intends to keep the state of emergency in place for at least the next four weeks across the province.

What does this mean for dealers?

Car dealerships are still considered essential. Motor vehicle dealers across Ontario must operate their showrooms by appointment only between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Delivery to patrons is permitted between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

With the state of emergency and stay-at-home order in place, dealers may remain open under the following restrictions:

• Operate by appointment only at 25 per cent capacity
• A safety plan must be prepared and made available upon request
• Dealers must post capacity limits publicly
• Dealers must have passive screening for patrons and actively screen employees
• Dealers must post signs publicly informing individuals on how to screen themselves for COVID-19 before entering the premises
• Individuals must physically distance and wear a mask or face covering inside the premises
• Line-ups and patrons congregating outside must be managed by the venue, standing two metres distance inside and outside. Face coverings are required in line-ups
• Members of the public must not be permitted in areas where the products are neither sold nor displayed for sale
• Service centres attached to dealerships may remain open, so long as they adhere to social distancing, disinfecting and capacity requirements.

Test drive restrictions

The Province will continue allowing test drives under these restrictions:

• Test drives must be limited to a maximum of 10 minutes
• A maximum of two people, including up to one sales representative, may be present in the vehicle during the test drive
• If two people who are not members of the same household are present in the vehicle during the test drive, any windows in the vehicle must be opened at all times
• Masks or face coverings must be worn by everyone participating in a test drive
• Vehicles must be properly disinfected before and after each test drive.

Please direct questions about the restrictions outlined above to [email protected] or the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services’ Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659.