I find this thread interesting.
I was recently in Ontario, and have California HOV stickers on the rear end of my MS, in compliance with California registration. I'm sure most of this forum's users are aware of the meaning of BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicles) and PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicles). In California, there are white HOV stickers for approved BEV's, and green HOV stickers for certain approved PZEV models. HOV stickers and their use, as far as California mandates, is to reduce vehicle emissions. This is also evident in that the San Joachim County Air Resource Board will pay county residents up to $3000 if they purchase, operate and keep ZEV for a certain amount of time. However, it must be noted that California Dept of Motor Vehicles state that the applicable vehicle MUST be registered and the stickers issued and applied properly to the car, to be valid. Others have said they have the sticker in their possession, but have not applied them, nor have they been stopped.
When I was recently traveling in Ontario, I contemplated using the HOV lane if I came across them, but was also traveling with my sister. A fellow MS owner was SpC'ing at the Woodstock location, and they stated the green license plate was the ticket for use in Ontario. I thought of asking an OPP officer if there were any reciprocity for like-registered out of province vehicles, but it didn't come up during the trip. (I have just read the Ontario MTO web site, and yup, would be pulled over and cited, unless subjective leniency was shown by the individual law enforcement officer).
If HOV use is to reduce vehicle emissions, I'd like to see some movement to recognize registrations as the deciding criteria for HOV use, regardless of province or state. I think this is still a relatively new thing, and perhaps hasn't come to light yet in the court system(s).
I'm thinking of writing a letter to the MTO, as a tourist, to highlight a possible oversight on HOV use in Ontario.
Scotty