On Jan. 10, as political turmoil embroiled the federal government, Transport Canada informed dealerships that the EV rebate program would run out of money before its scheduled end in March.

“Due to the high uptake, the iZEV Program will be paused in a few weeks,” stated the email sent to dealerships just before noon on the Friday, obtained by the Star.

By Monday, all the money was gone and Transport Canada announced the EV rebate program was “paused.” It shut down the online claims portal for dealers, leaving hundreds without recourse to recoup their money.

“Tesla had a run on the bank,” said Williams. “Somehow, Tesla gamed the system.”

The crux of the matter is when paperwork called an “eligibility assessment” needs to be filed by the dealership.

On the one hand, Transport Canada says dealers “must always submit an eligibility assessment prior to an incentive being paid.”

On the other, it says, “there is no rule” to prevent them from submitting the paperwork in bulk, after the cars have already been delivered.

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