Overview

The Ministry of Transportation collects personal driver and vehicle information under the authority of section 205 of the Highway Traffic Act. This information is used to administer the Ontario’s driver, vehicle and carrier programs.

The Authorized Requester Program was created in 1994 in partnership with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

The program allows eligible organizations to apply to become authorized requesters who can purchase driver and vehicle information such as names, driver’s licence numbers and addresses for specific purposes such as law enforcement investigations or fraud prevention.

There are about 3,000 authorized requesters, including auto insurance providers, municipal and private parking providers, road tolling organizations, and others.

Protecting personal information

We take the protection of personal information very seriously. To protect people’s privacy, the program limits authorized requesters’ use and disclosure of information through contractual agreements, annual attestations by requesters, annual audits of requesters and more.

Any authorized requesters who violate their contractual agreements with the Ministry of Transportation can be suspended or expelled from the program.

Personal information disclosed

Authorized requesters only have access to certain information, depending on the type of organization and how the information will be used.

About 95% of the authorized requesters have access to:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • gender
  • height
  • whether corrective lenses are worn
  • residential address
  • driver’s licence number
  • number of demerit points accumulated
  • licence plate number and expiry date

Some authorized requesters have access to:

  • personal telephone number
  • Ontario photo card number
  • driver identification number
  • whether a ministry-approved beginner driver education course was completed and the date of completion
  • whether mandatory entry-level training for a Class A driver’s licence was completed, the training results, and date of completion
  • driver test results
  • motor vehicle collision records (driver or passenger) that resulted in charges laid by police
  • record of convictions for the past three years relating to ownership or operation of a motor vehicle in Ontario or in any other jurisdiction with which Ontario has a written arrangement for the collection of that information.
  • record of driver’s licence suspensions in Ontario and in any other jurisdiction with which Ontario has a written arrangement for the collection of that information. This includes:
    • the code and description of the suspension
    • the suspension number
    • any warnings associated with the suspension
    • any conditions of the suspension
  • record of driver’s licence reinstatement after a suspension and if it is subject to an ignition interlock condition. This includes the:
    • reinstatement date of the driver’s licence
    • installation date of the ignition interlock device
    • date that the ignition interlock condition ends
  • name of the insurance company and the policy number for the vehicle

Eligible authorized requesters

Only certain types of organizations are eligible to become authorized requesters, and access to personal driver and vehicle information is only provided after entering into a contractual agreement with the Ministry of Transportation.

The following groups are eligible to become authorized requesters under section 4.2 of the Highway Traffic Act:

Item Authorized requester Purpose of disclosure
1. i. The Crown in right of Canada or an agent of the Crown in right of Canada.
ii. The Crown in right of Ontario or an agent of the Crown in right of Ontario.		 Delivery of statutorily mandated government programs or services, where the disclosure is necessary for the delivery of the program or service or for determining or verifying an individual’s suitability or eligibility for a program or service.
2. i. The Crown in right of Canada or an agent of the Crown in right of Canada.
ii. The Crown in right of Ontario or an agent of the Crown in right of Ontario.
iii. The Crown in right of any other province of Canada or an agent of the Crown in right of that province.
iv. The government of a territory of Canada or an agent of that government.
v. A municipality in Canada.
vi. A court in Canada.
vii. A financial institution in Canada.		 Verification of an individual’s identity or of other information that relates to that individual, if the individual presented a Ministry-issued document, such as driver’s licence, to identify themselves or provide other information about themselves in order to obtain a service or benefit.
3. Federal authorities, a provincial authority or a municipal authority in Ontario. Investigations for the purpose of enforcing applicable law.
4. Operators of public or private parking facilities. Enforcement respecting the unlawful parking, standing or stopping of a vehicle.
5. Persons licensed under the law of any jurisdiction in Canada or the United States as insurers or as brokers. The following insurance-related purposes:
i. Underwriting policies of insurance.
ii. Investigating insurance claims.
iii. Conducting insurance-related research.
iv. Verifying driver records collected under this Act.
v. Maintaining driver safety programs.
vi. Other purposes related to persons who have policies of insurance with the insurer or broker.
6. Employers who require the information. Verification of employee driving records and maintain driver safety programs, where the employee has consent to the employer obtaining this information from the Registrar.
7. The War Amputations of Canada. Operation of the Key Tag Service of The War Amputations of Canada, except respecting an individual who requests under subsection (6) that the Registrar stop disclosing their personal information for this purpose.
8. Vehicle manufacturers. Safety recalls of motor vehicles.
9. Persons licensed under the law of any jurisdiction in Canada as,
i. lawyers,
ii. paralegals, or
iii. private investigators.		 Use in litigation or contemplated litigation, or investigations in respect of such litigation.
10. Process servers. Use in connection with the service of documents for litigation or contemplated litigation.
11. Collection agencies licensed under the law of any jurisdiction in Canada. Debt collection for a failure to pay a debt owing to the following:
i. The Crown in right of Canada or an agent of the Crown in right of Canada.
ii. The Crown in right of Ontario or an agent of the Crown in right of Ontario.
iii. The Crown in right of any other province of Canada or an agent of the Crown in right of that province.
iv. The government of a territory of Canada or an agent of that government.
v. A municipality in Canada.
vi. A municipal or private parking authority in Canada.
vii. A court in Canada.
viii. A financial institution in Canada.
ix. An entity that collects tolls in Ontario, including an entity that collects tolls for the Highway 407 or the Highway 407 East.
12. Public or private road tolling authorities in Canada and the United States. Collection of road tolls owing to the recipient, if the toll is authorized under a statute and the recipient is authorized under statute to collect the toll.
13. Bailiffs or assistant bailiffs. Uses in connection with the repossession of assets.
14. Prescribed recipients. Prescribed purposes.

Current authorized requesters

Opt out from the War Amps of Canada key tag service

You may opt out from having your information provided to The War Amps for their key tag service.

To opt out, please contact the Ministry of Transportation’s Business Information Services Unit:

  • Telephone: 416-246-7110
  • Email: ad-hoc-mto-data@ontario.ca
  • By mail:

     

    Ministry of Transportation
    Coordinator, Business Information Services Unit
    Information Services Office
    87 Sir William Hearst Avenue
    Room 178
    Toronto, Ontario
    M3M 0B4

Become an authorized requester

The authorized requester program is for eligible organizations who need access to personal information for approved purposes. It can also be used by organizations who regularly need to request large volumes of data or records (100 or more at a time), such as:

  • driver records
  • vehicle abstracts
  • collision reports

Before submitting an application to join the program, check if the information you need is already publicly available via ServiceOntario.

Applying to become an authorized requester costs $250.00 and takes at least 12 weeks. As part of the application and approval process you must:

  • provide detailed organization information and supporting documentation
  • complete an online application
  • undertake an audit
  • enter into a legal agreement with the Ministry of Transportation

For more information or to start your application process, please contact ARIS@Ontario.ca.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the collection of personal information or the use of the information, please contact the ServiceOntario Contact Centre:

  • Telephone: 416-235-2999
  • Toll-free: 1-800-387-3445
  • By mail:


    Ministry of Transportation
    Supervisor, Special Enquiry Unit
    Information Services Office
    87 Sir William Hearst Avenue
    Room 178
    Toronto, Ontario
    M3M 0B4