Ontario Fuel Tax Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.35; Regulation 464, R.R.O. 1990. Governs Ontario fuel-tax rates on clear diesel/biodiesel/kerosene (currently 9 ¢/L, permanently set effective July 1, 2025) and the coloured (dyed) fuel regime.
Coloured (Dyed) Diesel: Red dye injected at 170–190 ppm by registered dyers only. Eligible uses: non-licensed (no plate) farm equipment, unlicensed construction equipment, home heating, marine commercial (not pleasure), reefer/auxiliary equipment from a separate (non-vehicle) tank. Prohibited in any motor vehicle licensed under the Highway Traffic Act. First-offence fine for misuse: $440. Up to $1,000,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment for tampering. Penalty assessment can be up to 13× the tax. Records must be kept 7 years.
A comprehensive review of the Fuel Tax Act (CanLII and Ontario e-Laws consolidations) identifies the offence and penalty framework as monetary and custodial only:
No section of the Fuel Tax Act authorizes suspension of a vehicle's licence plate (permit) or driver's licence as a direct penalty for repeat coloured-fuel misuse. The Ministry of Finance Investigations & Inspections Branch (Finance Inspectors are Provincial Offences Officers) lays Certificates of Offence under the Provincial Offences Act, but the Fuel Tax Act itself does not give the Minister or a court the power to suspend a plate or driver's licence.
A plate or driver's licence may be suspended for unpaid Fuel Tax Act fines via the Provincial Offences Act s. 69 default-fine mechanism and Highway Traffic Act s. 46.2 plate-denial / driver-licence-suspension framework. But this is a generic default-fine pathway, not a Fuel Tax Act penalty for coloured-fuel misuse. The agriculture page should not list plate suspension as a direct Fuel Tax Act penalty.
The first-offence fine remains $440 per current Ministry of Finance guidance, sourced to the Ministry "Coloured Fuel" bulletin and the "Attention Truckers" pamphlet.
Confidence: verified (primary source confirmed 2026-05-13; both positive penalty findings and the negative plate-suspension finding).
Ontario Fuel Tax Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.35; Regulation 464, R.R.O. 1990. Governs Ontario fuel-tax rates on clear diesel/biodiesel/kerosene (currently 9 ¢/L, permanently set effective July 1, 2025) and the coloured (dyed) fuel regime.
Coloured (Dyed) Diesel: Red dye injected at 170–190 ppm by registered dyers only. Eligible uses: non-licensed (no plate) farm equipment, unlicensed construction equipment, home heating, marine commercial (not pleasure), reefer/auxiliary equipment from a separate (non-vehicle) tank. Prohibited in any motor vehicle licensed under the Highway Traffic Act. First-offence fine for misuse: $440. Up to $1,000,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment for tampering. Penalty assessment can be up to 13× the tax. Records must be kept 7 years.