I sat down and had a chat with Rick Di Corpo, the El Presidente of Air Society and Eurokracy as a bit of a follow-up to the province of Quebec’s harsh crackdown on anything and everything stanced late last year. Could what’s happening in Quebec be the start of a crackdown on stance across the country?
Insurance works a little differently for our French-speaking friends. They have what‘s called provincial insurance, which means that a single corporation is responsible for insuring everyone that inhabits said province. SAAQ (Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec) is that corporation, and in an attempt to make the roads safer, the SAAQ has passed legislation entitled “The Hellaflush Law.” I’m pretty sure that Fatlace can sue them for that – remember kids: Hellaflush is a brand, not a fitment.
Initially, it was thought the law would cover the most unsafe practices, like stretched tires and excessive camber, but any kind of rubbing, being “too low” and air suspensions have been made illegal as well. As you can imagine, the enthusiasts aren’t having any of it.
“First of all, we want to get air suspension legalized,” Di Corpo says. “Second of all, we’d love it if the people who inspect trucks and 18-wheelers, who are actual, licensed mechanics, inspected vehicles instead of police officers.”
Both are fair points. Coilovers, should you choose to run them in Quebec, have to be certified by the SAAQ before you can use them. Even if your coilovers are DOT-approved, if they’re seen as poor quality, they will not be certified for street use. Coilovers were actually outlawed in Quebec in the past. Air suspension could be certified the same way.
The second point about inspections and police officers – Di Corpo says it’s even costing enthusiasts who follow the rules.
“The police officers aren’t mechanics, so they don’t know, but they have the ability to send you to an inspection site,” explains Di Corpo. “The mechanic there will know what is legal. If you pass inspection, it still costs you about $120. If you want to certify your coilovers, it’s almost twice as much as an inspection.”
Di Corpo understands the government’s standpoint though. Unsafe cars shouldn’t be allowed on the road, but by the same token, start pulling rusted-out and oil-leaking minivans off the road as well.
“There are extremes in both cases and we’re just trying to find a happy medium,” says Di Corpo.
The scariest of all: Quebec could be serving as a benchmark for other provinces in Canada. It might not be too long before similar legislation is passed in places that also use provincial insurance.
Keep your eyes on the Air Society and Eurokracy social feeds for developments. Also, tell us what you think at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Do you think stance should go extinct, or is this just unfair?
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