A Saskatchewan man made headlines for his response to having his personalized ASSMAN licence plate rejected – even though the seemingly offensive term is his real last name.
David Assman posted a photo to Facebook of an “ASSMAN” decal on his truck’s tailgate, which resembles a Saskatchewan licence plate.
But what about in Manitoba? Would an ASSMAN plate be allowed in this province?
According to Manitoba Public Insurance, applications for personalized plates (which cost $100 per vehicle) have to follow a fairly strict set of guidelines.
Applications won’t be accepted if the plate slogan is “considered offensive, suggestive, or not in good taste, in any language.”
Restrictions include plates that are profane, sexually suggestive, alcohol or drug related, racial or ethnic slang, discriminatory, obscene, religious, or violent.
MPI will also reject plate slogans that are speed-related, promote criminal activity, include political messages, or are about political figures, dignitaries, or law enforcement.
These rules were bad news for Manitobans who have tried to sneak plates like DR POOP, BEAVER, MMMBEER and NOTACOP through.
MPI also banned plate slogans that weren’t as obvious, including HYZNBRG – the name of a drug-dealing character from the show “Breaking Bad”, 50SHADZ – because of the sexually explicit book and film series, and PWALKER – believed to be promoting speeding because of late actor Paul Walker’s role in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise.
The guidelines also prohibit the use of hyphens at the beginning or end of a plate, symbols or punctuation, or duplication of a regular plate series.
MPI states “licence plates are the property of the Crown and The Registrar of Motor Vehicles reserves the right to recall personalized licence plates.”
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-With files from Rebekah Lesko