AARO says right-to-repair efforts should not be “best-kept secret”

John Cochrane addresses industry representatives at a public meeting in Oakville, Ont. yesterday.

The Automotive Aftermarket Retailers of Ontario says it will hold regular public meetings to keep its members abreast of the latest developments on the right-to-repair front in Canada.

The association, which recently resigned from the National Automotive Trades Association (NATA), held a public meeting yesterday to unveil its new plans to work with a U.S.-based group on right-to-repair issues.

“We’ll be meeting at least twice a year with AARO members on this, and we’ll be looking for other events and opportunities to let people know what’s going on and answer their questions,” said AARO board member John Cochrane. “CASIS was the best-kept secret in Canada, but we intend to get the word out.”

Calling it “a historic day for service information in Canada,” Cochrane said AARO would be aggressive in pursuing the independent aftermarket’s right to access OEM service information, tools, training, programming, and security protocols.

“We’re developing a budget for this. It won’t be cheap, but we intend to investing in our industry,” he said. “This information will be available as a value-add for AARO members.”

The meeting drew representatives from service groups, parts distributors, AARO board members, other associations, and the automotive media.

J.F. Champagne, president of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada promised support for the ambitious plan.

“We have a common goal here,” he said. “AARO has been a great partner of AIA, and we support your endeavour. We want this to work.”