Despite Canada being a country known for its winter weather, Quebec is the only province that mandates winter tires on all passenger vehicles.
Fifteen years ago, Quebec became the first — and to date only — province to require all resident-owned vehicles to be outfitted with winter tires during the winter season. Three years later, in 2011, a study by the province’s Ministry of Transport and Mobility showed that the number of winter accidents had materially decreased since the mandate came into effect.
The study showed a 36 per cent reduction in the average annual number of winter accidents causing death or serious injury, and a 17 per cent reduction in all winter accidents since the mandate took effect. It is unclear whether the study controlled for other variables, such as weather conditions or general increases in passenger safety.
An earlier 2001 Transport Quebec study had found that winter tires provide cars with superior braking, handling and acceleration in cold weather. And a 2007 test by the company Tire Rack found that a car equipped with winter tires took 18 metres to go from 50 km/h to a full stop, whereas a car with all-season tires took 27 metres.
And yet, most Canadian jurisdictions do not require vehicle owners to use winter tires.
Warm and balmy British Columbia has made mud-and-snow tires — a tire designed for milder winter conditions — mandatory, but only on certain mountain highways.
And only three other provinces have taken steps to encourage motorists to use winter tires.
In Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, insurers must offer discounted rates to drivers who install winter tires. In Manitoba, the provincial insurance plan offers car owners low-interest loans to purchase and install their tires.
The rationale for not mandating winter tires varies by province. Alberta indicated in a statement that it is a matter of personal judgment.
“In Alberta, drivers are ultimately responsible for ensuring their tires are appropriate for the weather conditions,” the Alberta Ministry of Transportation told Canadian Affairs. “Winter weather conditions vary greatly in Alberta and places such as Medicine Hat have much less snow than Jasper or Grande Prairie.”
In other provinces, governments seem reluctant to force consumers to assume the additional expense. The average cost of purchasing four winter tires and having them installed is approximately $1100, according to the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, a trade group. Canadians with limited storage space, such as condo dwellers, may additionally incur storage charges during warmer months.
“These tires are a significant investment and may be a difficult expense for many of our customers,” said a spokesperson for Saskatchewan Government Insurance, a government-run car insurance company. The company says there are no plans to make winter tire use mandatory. “Although they provide improved traction, slowing down and leaving adequate space between vehicles are still the most important things motorists can do while driving in the winter.”
In 2008, in New Brunswick, a van carrying a high school basketball team slid into an oncoming semi-trailer transport truck, killing eight people. A police report found the van’s worn, all-season tires contributed to the cause of the accident.
The provincial coroner’s office recommended all vehicles transporting students be fitted with winter tires between November 1 and April 30. But the province’s Department of Public Safety said at the time that it would not make winter tires mandatory, as that would place an undue financial burden on motorists.
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario said in a statement that “Ontario has taken steps to encourage the use of winter tires across the province. Proper use of winter tires is only one aspect of safe winter driving. It’s important for motorists to also stay alert, slow down and stay in control.”
But Rico, who works in the parts department of a Toronto car dealership, says he “always, always, always recommends winter tires.”
“It’s a proven fact that the tire compound is much more effective on cold, frosty roads than a regular, all-season tire. A normal tire becomes like a hockey puck, so it loses its traction. [Whereas] the sipes — jagged edges — on winter tires move and give you traction,” he said.
A 2022 study by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada found that 70 per cent of Canadian motorists now use winter tires. Outside of Quebec, it’s 63 per cent.
The top reason cited for not installing them was that respondents believed all-season tires were good enough. As Canadians head into a green Christmas, some drivers may see that as an additional reason to put-off installing winter tires.
But that is faulty thinking according to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, a research institute.
“The more resilient compound of winter tires is beneficial when the air temperature is seven degrees Celsius or lower, regardless of whether the roads are dry, wet, snow-covered or icy,” the foundation said in a report.
