Ontario claims power to seize, crush modified cars.

[nightfire]

I still can't believe that this is real; there has to be more to the story. What crime is one charged with? Can't someone take this to the supreme court?

Forfeiture laws are only legal because the judge makes the call that the assets were purchased with the proceeds of crime (or were stolen), thereby making them not yours to begin with.

If it cannot be established that you stole your upgrades or paid for them with "illegal money" then there is no legal option that can be taken to strip you of said property... as I understand the law. Now my law knowledge dates back 10 years, so maybe in this f---ing post-9/11 world we don't own anything anymore...

My god this makes me angry. Maybe we should start a political action group of auto enthusiasts and submit a warning that if the powers that be try attacking people who haven't even committed a crime, they will be abandoning 10,000 votes (or however many we could get)...

The irony of all this is.. i suspect that if you look at car enthusiasts as a percentage of the population, I bet the accident rate would be lower than average. Better brakes, suspension, and even engine power makes a car safer, and modders who invest hundreds of hours have so much to lose. And are usually more competent drivers to begin with.

[Nd4SpdSe]

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/227464

“We can seize that car if we have information from police and, just on the balance of probabilities, if we can establish that that car is being used for the unlawful purpose of street racing, we will seize it and you will never see it again,” he said.

http://www.thestar.com/article/227900
http://www.thestar.com/article/227370
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bzFTm6F05T4

[Mooneggs]

by the time you got a lawyer you car would probably be history... especially if you were ACTUALLY street racing... just saw this on cardomain:

http://blog.cardomain.com/blog/2007/06/ ... sion=Jun25

[tehbrookzorz]

My car is and will be further modified. Should it be crushed? No. Do I streetrace? No. Do I drive faster than the speedlimits? Yes, sometimes. So did the off duty police officer my girlfriend followed to the lake the other day.
I'm not saying that it is right for me to speed because someone in authority does too. I go faster because I understand my vehicle's capabilities in cornering and braking and that the speedlimits are set based on what the average vehicle can safely do, and because I do not feel I am endangering myself or others since I am still well within what my cars limits are. I don't expect a police officer doing his or her job to be understanding of this, as it is only their job to enforce the rules laid out for them, so to receive a speeding ticket is acceptable to me.
Having my car seized and destroyed based on the assumption that my performance modifications were endowed to my car for the purpose of street racing when I do not streetrace, but see my car as an expression of self and an opportunity to learn about physics and mechanics, would create in me a rage against authority which could not stand to prove fruitful for society. That is not a threat, but a recognition of a reasonable reaction to this level of injustice.
I totally understand the anti-street racing movement. I understand that there is great suffering from families of individuals who involved themselves, or were unwillingly involved in streetracing and who met terrible destinies. I too am saddened and my heart goes out to them. Yet I do not see the logic behind making the public perceive hobbyist tuners as terrorists and willingly stripping them of their valuable belongings without proof of a crime that in most cases has never been commited.
This looks like some scheme thought up by the schoolyard bully.

On the bright side, I imagine that more people will be showing up at the polls for the next election.

[nightfire]

My car is and will be further modified. Should it be crushed? No. Do I streetrace? No. Do I drive faster than the speedlimits? Yes, sometimes. So did the off duty police officer my girlfriend followed to the lake the other day.
I'm not saying that it is right for me to speed because someone in authority does too. I go faster because I understand my vehicle's capabilities in cornering and braking and that the speedlimits are set based on what the average vehicle can safely do, and because I do not feel I am endangering myself or others since I am still well within what my cars limits are. I don't expect a police officer doing his or her job to be understanding of this, as it is only their job to enforce the rules laid out for them, so to receive a speeding ticket is acceptable to me.
Having my car seized and destroyed based on the assumption that my performance modifications were endowed to my car for the purpose of street racing when I do not streetrace, but see my car as an expression of self and an opportunity to learn about physics and mechanics, would create in me a rage against authority which could not stand to prove fruitful for society. That is not a threat, but a recognition of a reasonable reaction to this level of injustice.
I totally understand the anti-street racing movement. I understand that there is great suffering from families of individuals who involved themselves, or were unwillingly involved in streetracing and who met terrible destinies. I too am saddened and my heart goes out to them. Yet I do not see the logic behind making the public perceive hobbyist tuners as terrorists and willingly stripping them of their valuable belongings without proof of a crime that in most cases has never been commited.
This looks like some scheme thought up by the schoolyard bully.

On the bright side, I imagine that more people will be showing up at the polls for the next election.

I agree 100%.

This really seems to be the "look at me; I'm a tough guy!" approach to garnering votes from stupid people who admire the "tough guy" persona. It is not based on rationality, justice or reason.

I just can't fathom how anyone could tolerate the theft of someone else's property by the very people who have sworn to uphold the law. The AG must have been talking out his a--, or there must be more to the story.