According to information we have read that students in Ontario run the risk of losing their driving privileges if they drop out of school before the age of 18 under legislation passed in December 2006 in the provincial legislature.

The new law has the power to revoke the driver's licence of any student who ends up in truancy court. The changes in law require teens to stay in school two years longer than was previously required, but gives them different ways to earn their diploma through apprenticeships and co-op placements. Those credits have to be granted by a high school principal.

The bill was originally introduced in 2005 where initially the legislature wanted to compel every high school student to prove they were in school before they were granted a license to drive a car. Students applying for their licences would have to show a document to the Ministry of Transportation that proves they're an active student.

The government backed off the 2005 bill after conceding that law would be difficult to enforce. Now, only the small percentage of students who end up in truancy court risk losing their driver's license.

The goal of the government in Ontario is to cut the dropout rate from 30 percent to 15 percent by 2010. Under the new law, students, parents and employers who hire students during school hours also could be fined up to $1,000.

With more research we found that other parts of this law requires that students continue learning until the age of 18 or graduation, broadens the range of high-quality, relevant learning opportunities, and programs available outside of the classroom and approved by the Minister of Education and allows only principals to issue credits for learning outside of the classroom.

Another part of this law is what was discusses above and allows the government at a future date to permit the courts to suspend drivers' licenses for students convicted of truancy. This penalty would be one of several available to the courts and will only come into force when the government's new learning opportunities are available to all students.

To find out when this new law will go into affect and if you need to be in school at this time to obtain a license in Ontario contact the Ministry of Transportation.

Once you are licensed in Canada get a quote for Canadian insurance here.