TORONTO – Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s administration is backing away from its previous decision to seek court intervention to block the release of documents related to its troubled blue licence plates.
Lawyers representing the government had requested a judicial review of rulings made by Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner, which mandated the province to disclose documents following a freedom-of-information request from The Canadian Press.
However, the government has now decided against pursuing this legal action and plans to withdraw its application, according to a spokesperson for the premier’s office.
This change in direction was confirmed last week, according to Ford’s office. Nonetheless, it was not mentioned when they were asked for comments on Thursday morning or earlier on Monday by Stephen Crawford, the minister responsible, during question period regarding this issue.
Instead, he chose to discuss economic matters.
Crawford, who oversees public and business service delivery as well as procurement, has led efforts aimed at tightening public access to government records through changes in freedom-of-information laws that keep records belonging to the premier, cabinet ministers, and their staff private.
The accessibility of documents concerning the blue licence plates should remain unaffected by these recent changes. The government now intends to comply with the IPC’s order regarding disclosure, said Ford’s office.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized the government for being willing to engage in lengthy disputes instead of opting for transparency and honesty.
“When we raised this in question period, the minister had the opportunity to come clean,” she stated. “Instead, they obfuscated endlessly. It’s hard to take anything this government says seriously.”
Liberal critic Stephanie Smyth remarked that this reversal leaves many questions unanswered.
“If the government really withdrew the judicial review last week, why did nobody say so until after this story became public?” she noted in her statement.
“Why was the judicial review filed in the first place if there was supposedly nothing to hide?”
The blue plates debuted in early 2020 with colors that critics claimed resembled Progressive Conservative branding. Shortly after their introduction, a Kingston police officer shared an image online showing they were “virtually unreadable” at night; ultimately leading the government to halt further issuance of these plates.
Despite that decision, many of nearly 200,000 originally issued blue plates remained on Ontario roads.
The Canadian Press made numerous inquiries about how these plates would be phased out. Government spokespeople consistently stated that drivers with blue plates would receive guidance on replacing them “when the time comes.”
A lack of concrete plans nearly three years after their introduction prompted The Canadian Press to submit a freedom-of-information request in late 2022 seeking documentation regarding those plans.
The government identified 15 records but denied complete access based on exemptions protecting civil servants’ advice as well as information pertaining to a “pending policy decision.”
The Canadian Press appealed this denial before the information and privacy commissioner (IPC), who determined earlier this year that while those exemptions applied, there exists a significant public interest warranting document release outweighing those exemptions.
This IPC ruling came out after details about phasing out blue plates publicly surfaced-essentially stating they’d be gradually eliminated through attrition.
The IPC concluded there is still more information that needs sharing with the public.
“I note that since the access request was filed, many of the government’s plans for replacing the blue license plates have already been announced,” wrote an IPC adjudicator.
“However, even considering what is already accessible publicly now doesn’t change my finding; there remains compelling public interest justifying disclosure of these records which provide detailed insight into Ontario’s strategy for replacing blue license plates along with various options considered alongside costs and benefits.”
The government requested formal reconsideration from IPC regarding its ruling; however once again it directed Ministry officials responsible for Public Business Service Delivery and Procurement toward compliance with releasing those records.
The initial response from officials involved challenging IPC conclusions legally arguing their findings were erroneous due largely upon insufficient evidence available then,” lawyers expressed through written communication submitted within court proceedings associated herewith.”
Additionally noting prior disputes against orders demanding cell phone record disclosures resulting from FOI requests lodged by where outcomes hadn’t favored them either post-new regulations enforcing tightened controls restricting such access thereby eliminating chances too altogether moving forward henceforth thereafter… ”
This report by The Canadian Press was first May 25 , 2026.
Allison Jones , The Canadian Press
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