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Canadian licence plate designs and serial formats

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Revision as of 16:33, 1 May 2011 by 76.65.100.169 (talk) (Current and future standard-issue passenger plate designs and serial formats)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Main article: Vehicle registration plates of Canada

In Canada, licence plate numbers are usually assigned in ascending order, beginning with a starting point such as AAA-001. Thus, someone familiar with the sequence can determine roughly when the licence plate was issued. After Ontario's transition to an ABCD-123 format in 1997, plates were issued in ascending order starting with AAAA-001. It took close to ten years to exhaust the supply of plate numbers with A as the first digit. In late 2006, plates with B as the first digit were assigned, and have continued from there sequentially.

The gradual increase in the use of letters in the serials of licence plates has given rise to an increased possibility of unintentional profane or inappropriate words or messages arising from the use of sequential alphanumeric combinations. Thus, numbering sequences generally exclude certain combinations of letters or numbers that would be potentially offensive. Jurisdictions' attention to excluding offensive combinations varies widely, however. In 1986, Waldale, a Canadian licence plate manufacturer, due to a production error, produced an entire batch of New Brunswick plates that began with the letters ASS. The plates were never issued, and were officially scrapped, but many found their way into the collectors' market.

From 1971 to 1975, Manitoba's licence plate bore the slogan "Sunny Manitoba: 100,000 lakes" but was changed to "Friendly Manitoba", possibly due to conflict with Minnesota's "10,000 lakes" slogan.

Current and future standard-issue passenger plate designs and serial formats

Province/Territory Description Slogan Serial format Image
Alberta red on non-reflective white "Wild Rose Country" ABC-1234
British Columbia blue on reflective white with screened provincial flag / blue and white mountain scene with the 2010 olympic symbol screened "Beautiful British Columbia / The Best Place on Earth (opt)" 123 ABC

AB1 23C (future)

File:Bc license plate.jpg
Manitoba dark blue on white with screened graphic landscape "Friendly" ABC 123 File:Manitoba License plate.jpg
New Brunswick red on reflective white with provincial wordmark and rainbow design "Be...in this place • Être...ici on le peut" ABC 123
Newfoundland and Labrador blue on reflective white with provincial wordmark none ABC 123 File:Newfoundland-and-Labrador-License-Plate 2008.jpg
Northwest Territories blue on white, shaped like a Polar Bear "Explore Canada's Arctic" 123456 File:Lp nwt.JPG
Nova Scotia blue on reflective white with screened image of the Bluenose "Canada's Ocean Playground" ABC 123
Nunavut blue on white, shaped like a Polar Bear, same base as Northwest Territories "Explore Canada's Arctic" 12345N
Ontario blue on reflective white with screened crown separator "Yours to Discover" ABCD-123
"Tant à Découvrir" ABCD-123
green on reflective white with screened white trillium separator (for green vehicles such as plug-in hybrids and battery-powered electric vehicles) "Green Vehicle" GRNN-123
Prince Edward Island green on reflective white with screened photo of windmills "Canada's Green Province" AB 123 File:PEI license plate.jpg
"La province verte du Canada" AB 123
Quebec dark blue on reflective white "Je me souviens" (I Remember) A12 BCD
Saskatchewan green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic "Land of Living Skies" 123 ABC
Yukon black on white with screened miner image "The Klondike" ABC 12
Department of National Defence - All provinces and territories black on reflective white with "Canada" on top flanked by two red maple leaves none 12345

Plate types and serial formats no longer issued but still valid

Province/Territory Description Slogan Serial format Image
Alberta red on reflective white "Wild Rose Country" ABC-123
red on non-reflective white
British Columbia blue on reflective white with screened provincial flag "Beautiful British Columbia" ABC 123
Manitoba none
New Brunswick red on reflective white with provincial wordmark none ABC-123
Newfoundland and Labrador red and blue embossed on white none ABC-123
red on reflective white with screened Viking ship graphic "A World of Difference" ABC 123
red on reflective blue/white with screened Cabot graphic "Celebrate 500 Years" ABC 123
red on reflective white with screened provincial flag graphic none ABC 123
Northwest Territories none
Nova Scotia blue on white "Canada's Ocean Playground" ABC 123
Nunavut none
Ontario blue on white with embossed crown separator "Keep It Beautiful" ABC 123
blue on white with embossed crown separator "Yours to Discover" ABC 123

123 ABC

blue on reflective white with screened crown separator "Yours to Discover" 123 ABC
Prince Edward Island green on white with embossed provincial crest none ABC 123
red on reflective white with screened Anne of Green Gables graphic "Home of Anne of Green Gables" AB 123
green on reflective green/white/blue background with screened Confederation Bridge graphic "Confederation Bridge" AB 123
green on reflective green/white/blue background with screened Province House graphic "Birthplace of Confederation" AB 123
Québec dark blue on reflective white "Je me souviens" 123A456
ABC 123
123 ABC
Saskatchewan green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic none ABC 123
Yukon none

See also

References

  1. Manitoba
  2. "ICBC: Province running out of six-character licence plate numbers". News1130. 2010-05-25.
  3. "Ontario gets new green licence plates". CBC. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2009-11-07.

External links

Vehicle registration plates of Canada (by province or territory)
Category: