FAQs

As indicated on the back of your ticket there are three options available to all defendants and there is a maximum of 15 days in which to choose an option. Please see Information for Defendants.

Please read and follow the instructions provided on the back of your ticket.  You must choose an option in 15 days.  Please see Information for Defendants.

Once 45 days have passed, the charge will be placed on a Fail to Respond docket and a Justice of the Peace will review the offence notice and may convict you in absentia.

Demerit points are determined and administered by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).  For further information please see MTO website

All driving record information is maintained and administered by the Ministry of Transportation.

No – The ticket issued by the Officer is your formal notification that a charge has been laid and that you must choose an option within 15 days.

If an option is not selected within 45 days, a conviction notice (Notice of Fine and Due Date) will be sent to the address noted on your ticket upon conviction by the Justice of the Peace.

Provincial offences are non-criminal charges, primarily laid by the police or other Provincial government ministry. Please see Information for Defendants.

The Ministry of the Attorney General website has an excellent section on Tickets and Fines.

• An Offence Notice (ticket) that is issued to a defendant setting out the charge on the front and  various options on the back of the ticket is a Certificate of Offence.
• A parking Infraction Notice – the charging document is a Certificate of Parking Infraction. 
• A Summons to Court – If you receive a summons, you must appear in court on the date and time specified.  If you fail to appear a trial will be schedule in your absence and may result in a conviction.

Methods of payment are available at Payments.

A fine that has not been paid by the due date. 

One amount is the set fine and the second is the total payable.  The total payable consists of the set fine, court costs and the Victim Fine Surcharge.  The costs are authorized by Section 60 of the Provincial Offences Act and the amount is set by regulation.  The Total Payable is due to the Provincial Offences Court.  Please see Payments.

As of January 1, 1995 all provincial offences fines except for parking infractions carry a victim fine surcharge.  The surcharge operates on a sliding scale, depending on the amount of the fine.  All surcharge monies are credited to the Victim’s Justice Fund.  Money in the fund is used to support programs that provide assistance to victims or witnesses of a provincial or federal crime.

Failure to pay your fine in full could result in a conviction being entered against you.  Upon conviction you will be required to pay the set fine including court costs and the applicable Victim Fine Surcharge by the due date.  Failure to pay the fine imposed upon conviction by the due date could result in one or more of the following:

• Refusal by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to issue a vehicle permit
• Driver’s licence suspension
• An additional administrative fee
• Additional collection costs including interest
• Civil enforcement ie: wage garnishment, writ of seizure and sale of personal property

You may visit the designated court office on the back of your Offence Notice and speak with the collections officer to set up payment arrangements.  Or you may contact the Collection’s Officer at (613)933-3780 to make an appointment. Please see Court Forms.

A fine is court ordered and is not the same as a debt. It does not fall under a statute of limitations. 

Under Section 178(1) of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act an order of discharge does not release the bankrupt from a fine, penalty, restitution order or other similar in nature to a fine, penalty or restitution order, imposed by a court in respect of an offence.

The Collection Officer for the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry is mandated to collect all outstanding fines. He/she is responsible for all enforcement activities including assigning files to a collection agency and civil enforcement. 

Failure to pay by the due date results in additional court costs. Once your fine is transferred to the Collection Officer for failure to pay it can result in additional costs for enforcement.

After you are convicted at your trial and you wish to appeal, you will need to complete the appeal forms and submit them to the Ontario Court of Justice within 30 days after you are convicted.  You may need to order and pay for a transcript of evidence. Please see Court Forms.

An Early Resolution is an opportunity for you to discuss a possible resolution to your ticket with the prosecutor. 

A trial date will be set and a Notice of Trial will be mailed to the address on the ticket. 

You must send notification in writing to the court before the scheduled date.  You may only adjourn your Early Resolution meeting once.

You will receive a Notice of Trial in the mail.

You must send notification in writing to the court before the scheduled date of your trial.  Your adjournment request may not be granted if you have previously requested a change of date.

For those cases where a ticket was issued, you must complete a Request for a Reopening.  Forward the completed/sworn forms to the Provincial Offences court indicated on the back of your ticket.  The Justice of the Peace will consider your request and, if granted, a new trial date will be issued. Please see Court Forms.

Disclosure is a copy of the officer’s notes and any other relevant evidence that may exist involving the charge against you. Please see Court Forms.

If you receive a ticket and you wish to receive disclosure prior to your trial you must complete and send a Request for Disclosure form. Please see Court Forms

The Ontario Court of Justice has developed a Guide for Defendants in Provincial Offences Cases.  This provides defendants with general information about the court process for Provincial Offences cases. Please see Information for Defendants.

Please see Complaints.

An enforcement action that the Provincial Offences Court may choose is suspension of a driver’s licence for non-payment of the fine.  If a suspension has been ordered you must pay the total amount outstanding at any Provincial Offences Office in Ontario.  After payment is made you are required to go to your local Ministry of Transportation office to reinstate your driver’s licence and pay the appropriate reinstatement fee.

Once the Provincial Offences court receives payment in full; the Defaulted Fines Control Centre (Ministry of the Attorney General) is advised electronically through an overnight batch reporting system.  The Defaulted Fines Control Centre administers all defaulted fines for the province of Ontario.  Once they have been notified they will clear the suspense from their records and then notify the Ministry of Transportation.  MTO will then require an additional day to update your driving record on their system.  You must pay any reinstatement fees at the Ministry of Transportation.

Yes.  It is in your best interest to contact the court to request accommodation that will best suit your needs.  If you do not request accommodation, the court will not know in advance of your needs and might be unable to provide you with appropriate service.

Yes, the court can deny your request in certain circumstances.  Further details and/or explanation may be provided by speaking to Court Services directly. For other questions regarding Accessibility please see Information for Defendants.

Under most circumstances, the court or its employees will not need additional personal information. Only those persons in the court who need to know about your disability to make a decision or to provide you with accommodation will learn the details of your request and the personal information you give.