Frequently Asked Questions

PROVINCIAL OFFENCES TICKETS

1. I have received a ticket - what are my options?

As indicated on the back of your ticket there are four options available to all defendants and there are 15 days in which to choose an option:

1. Pay the fine - either attend at your local Provincial Offences court to pay the fine in person or forward your payment by using the enclosed self-addressed envelope provided.
2. Walk-in guilty - if you wish to plead guilty to the charge but would like to discuss the fine you must attend at the courthouse during the available day and time indicated on the back of your ticket to meet with a Justice of the Peace. A plea of guilty will be entered and you may seek additional time to pay the fine, or, in certain circumstances, the Justice of the Peace may consider reducing the fine.
3. Not guilty -- trial or first attendence request, to meet with the prosecutor-- attend at any Provincial Offences court in Ontario and complete a Notice of Intention to Appear form. This form will be forwarded to the court in the jurisdiction where the ticket was issued in order for a trial to be set. A Notice of Trial will be sent to you. Be sure to advise the court of your current address and you must follow-up with the court if you do not receive a Notice of Trial within one month.

2. What happens if I don't do anything after I have received a ticket?

Once 45 days has passed, the charge will be placed on a Fail to Respond docket and a Justice of the Peace will review the offence notices and may convict you in absentia. Once you have been convicted it is too late to choose any of the options indicated on the back of your ticket.

3. How do I pay my fine?

Payments can be made in person at any Provincial Offences court in Ontario by cash, cheque, debit, Visa or MasterCard.
Cheques, Visa or MasterCard payments can be forwarded by mail in the self-addressed envelope provided with your ticket. Just complete the payment slip and enclose it with your cheque or credit card information in this envelope.
Please note that a charge of $35.00 will be applied to all cheques dishonoured by the banks.

4. I don't understand exactly what the charge means - how can I find out more information?

To find out more information about your charge the attached link will take you to the Ministry of the Attorney General site. MAG

5. How many demerit points will I receive once I am convicted of this charge?

Only moving violations have demerit points attached to the conviction. These demerit points are determined and administered by the Ministry of Transportation. Follow the MTO link at the bottom of this paragraph to find out more information about whether your charge carries any demerit points and the number of demerit points. The link will take you to the appropriate MTO site where you can select the "Driver Licensing" option. MTO

6. How can I receive more information about the current status of my driving record?

All driving record information is maintained and administered by the Ministry of Transportation. The following link will advise what steps need to be taken in order to receive a driving record abstract. Select the "Ministry Online Services" option. MTO

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' Justice Fund. Money in the fund is used to support programs that provide assistance to victims or witnesses of a provincial or federal crime. The victim fine surcharge must be paid in full and if not, enforcement proceedings can be taken (such as driver licence suspension) by the Provincial Offences court, regardless of the outstanding amount owing.

8. After I receive my ticket will the court forward any other notification? What if I do not receive this notification?

Yes. A Conviction Notice will be sent to the address noted on your ticket upon conviction by the Justice of the Peace.  The notices are forwarded as a courtesy only - if for some reason you do not receive the notices the fine and victim fine surcharge are still outstanding and must be paid in full in order to avoid enforcement and additional costs.
The ticket issued to you by the Officer is your formal notification that a charge has been laid and that you must choose an option within 15 days.

PARKING AND BY-LAW OFFENCES

1. I have received a parking ticket - can I pay it at the Provincial Offences court?

No. The Parking Enforcement office for the City of Kawartha Lakes is located in the By-law Department at 180 Kent Street. Please note that you can only pay Parking tickets issued within the City of Kawartha Lakes jurisdiction at this location. Any inquiries regarding your parking ticket should be addressed to the Parking Department at the location mentioned above or by telephone at 705-324-9411 ext. 1212.

2. I have been charged with a municipal by-law infraction and I would like more information about what this means.

All by-law charges are enforced and prosecuted by the City of Kawartha Lakes or by the County of Haliburton. To receive more information about your charge or to view a copy of the various municipal by-laws, please visit our Municipal By-Law segment on this website.

All by-law charges are filed at the local Provincial Offences Court and all related administration and fine payments are processed at the courthouse.

REQUESTS FOR TRIALS

1. How can I change my trial date once it has been scheduled?

You must attend at the court where your trial is scheduled at least 10 days before the scheduled date of your trial.  You will complete a Notice of Motion advising the court of your request to change your trial date and then swear an Affidavit in support of your request. The motion will be scheduled for the next available court date (approx 3-7 days later) at which time you must attend so that your motion may be spoken to. If your motion is granted a new trial date will be issued at the motion hearing.

If there is less than 10 days before your trial date, than you or someone acting as your agent must attend at the trial date to request an adjournment at that time.

2. I did not receive my Notice of Trial in the mail and now I have been convicted - what can I do?

You must attend at either your local Provincial Offences court or at the court where your trial was scheduled and swear an Affidavit (Section 11 Affidavit) advising the court that you did not receive your Notice of Trial. Along with this affidavit, you must complete a Request for Reopening Form.  This must be done within 15 days of becoming aware that you were convicted. 

The affidavit and Request for Re-Opening will be forwarded to the Justice of the Peace and it will be considered for a re-opening of the case. If granted, a new trial date shall be issued. You are obligated to confirm your address with the court and to follow-up with the court to get this new trial date - especially if there appears to be a problem with your mail delivery.

3. How do I order disclosure?

One you have received a trial date, attend at City of Kawartha Lakes and fill out a Request for Disclosure form. The form will be forwarded to the Prosecutor's Unit. Once disclosure has been prepared you will be notified and you will be required to attend at the court office to pick up the disclosure.

DRIVER'S LICENCE SUSPENSIONS

1. My licence has been suspended because I did not pay my fine by the due date - what should I do now?

An enforcement action that the Provincial Offences Court may choose is suspension of a driver's licence for non-payment of the fine and victim fine surcharge. If a suspension has been ordered you must pay the total amount outstanding at any Provincial Offences court in Ontario. A $20.00 enforcement fee will be added to this total.
After payment is made you are required to go to your local MTO office and pay a $150.00 reinstatement fee. As long as the reinstatement fee has been paid your licence will be reinstated within 3-4 days of paying the total outstanding amount at the Provincial Offences court.

2. Why does it take up to 4 days to reinstate my licence?

Once the Provincial Offences court receives payment the Defaulted Fines Control Centre 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 MTO within 2 days.
MTO will then require an additional day to update your driving record on their system.

3. Why am I notified of my suspension after I have been suspended?

The Ministry of Transportation no longer forewarns a defendant of his/her pending suspension since they (the defendants) have already been provided with notices of outstanding fines from the Court of competent jurisdiction.