Ontario is tightening who can apply for a driver’s licence, but safer roads may also require a harder look at how drivers are trained and tested before they are allowed to drive independently.
By Staff Writer
Ontario’s new driver’s licence rules are being introduced as a way to strengthen the licensing system, reduce fraud and improve road safety. As of May 11, 2026, applicants for a Class G or M licence must declare that Ontario is their primary place of residence and that their presence in Canada is legal. Commercial licence applicants face additional requirements, including proof of Ontario residency, legal presence in Canada and work eligibility.
Those changes may help close gaps in the system, especially around commercial licensing and driver eligibility. But they also raise a larger question: should Ontario be looking not only at who is allowed to apply for a licence, but also at whether the province’s driver training and road tests are rigorous enough for today’s roads?
Ontario’s graduated licensing system includes a knowledge test and two road tests for new drivers. DriveTest says the G2 and G tests are meant to assess whether drivers can apply the rules of the road, handle a vehicle and demonstrate safe driving practices. But the full G road test remains modified at full-time DriveTest centres, with some elements already covered in the G2 test removed from the full G test.
That matters because passing a road test is not just a paperwork step. It is supposed to show that a driver is ready for real traffic, including highways, intersections, neighbourhood streets, school zones, pedestrians and cyclists.
Concerns about Ontario’s testing system are not new. The province’s Auditor General has previously found that some rural and suburban DriveTest centres had higher pass rates, and that novice drivers from urban areas who took tests at rural or suburban centres later had collision rates 16 to 27 per cent higher than comparable drivers who tested closer to home.
That does not prove that an easier test directly causes collisions. But it does suggest Ontario’s licensing system should be judged by more than wait times and convenience. If some drivers are shopping for easier road tests, or if the test itself does not reflect the complexity of real-world driving, the public has reason to ask whether the system is doing enough to protect people outside the vehicle.
For Richmond Hill and other suburban communities, the issue is especially relevant. Local roads often combine high speeds, wide intersections, heavy traffic, school routes, plazas, bus stops and pedestrians trying to cross roads designed mainly for vehicles. Better driver training will not replace safer street design, but it is still part of the safety picture.
Ontario’s new rules may make the licensing system harder to misuse. The next question is whether the province is also willing to make driver training and testing strong enough to reduce the risk of death and injury on the road.