Tickets, Fines and Provincial Offences Court, POA

Option 1: Plea of guilty – Voluntary payment

You must pay the fine in the Total Payable box at the bottom of the ticket. You can pay in four ways:

• In person by bringing your ticket and/or your driver's licence to 99 Simcoe St., Peterborough, ON, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., except on public holidays, or any Provincial Offences Court office in the province of Ontario. We accept cash, cheques, money orders, credit and debit cards. Please note the Provincial Offences office is closed to the public as of March 16, 2020 up to and including March 31, 2020. Please phone the office to reach staff.
• By phone at 705-742-7777 ext. 2099 or toll free at 1-855-738-3755 ext. 2099, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on public holidays.

• Online at paytickets.ca with Visa or MasterCard at Paytickets.ca, an additional fee will apply.
• By mail, sending your cheque or money order (payable to City of Peterborough) to Provincial Offences Office, 99 Simcoe St., Peterborough, ON K9H 2H3. Note: Please do not send cash in the mail. When you mail your payment, you assume the consequences if the payment is not received by the Court office by the due date. Dishonoured cheques will have additional charges added to the fine.

Option 2: Plea of Guilty – Submissions as to penalty

You are saying you are guilty but want to ask for a lower fine or more time to pay the fine. You must go to the Provincial Offences Court office listed on the back of your ticket to speak to the Justice of the Peace. Call the Province Offences Court office to get the availability of the Justice of the Peace. The phone number for the Peterborough office is 705-742-7777 ext. 2099 or toll free at 1-855-738-3755 ext. 2099.

The Justice of the Peace cannot:

• Talk to you if you are not willing to plead guilty to the charge
• Change the charge
• Remove or reduce demerit points

Demerit points

The Ministry of Transportation applies demerit points based on a conviction for certain types of charges. The Court cannot change the demerit points that will be applied.

Option 3: Trial and Resolution meetings

You are saying you are not guilty of the charge or you want to discuss your ticket. You must:

• Write your telephone number and sign your name on the signature line under Option 3 on the back of your ticket
• Write down your language if you need a language interpreter
• Check your address on the front of ticket and note any changes to your address in the box provided on the back under the signature line
• Mail or drop off your ticket to the Court office noted on the back of the ticket

You can find more information on the trial and resolution meeting process in the Ontario Court of Justice Guide for Defendants in Provincial Offences Cases. This guide includes general information about the court process for Provincial Offences matters.

The location of the trials and resolution meetings is the Ontario Court of Justice, Courtroom 4, 70 Simcoe St., Peterborough, Ontario.

Resolution meeting

Once the Court receives your signed request, we will automatically schedule a resolution meeting with the Municipal Prosecutor. The Court will notify you of your meeting by mail. The Prosecutor will listen to your comments and refer to the officer's notes before making a decision about offering you a reduced charge. If there is no resolution, a trial date will be scheduled for you at a later date.

If you can't make your resolution appointment date, call the court office at 1-855-738-3755 ext. 2099 and ask for a new date.

Reschedule trial date

If you can't make your first trial date, call the court office at 1-855-738-3755 ext. 2099 and ask for a consent adjournment. If this is the second time you have asked for an adjournment of your trial date, you will have to file a Notice of Motion with the Court and the prosecution office.

Disclosure

You have a right to receive all of the evidence that the Prosecutor has. The Prosecution office will give you copies of any officer's notes, witness statements and/or accident reports if they apply.

Once you have received your resolution appointment date or trial date in the mail, fill out the Request for Disclosure and deliver it in person or send to the Prosecutor by:

• Fax: 705-743-9292
• Email: disclosure@peterborough.ca
• Mail Office of the Prosecution, 99 Simcoe St., Peterborough, ON K9H 2H3

How do I change my court date?

You must file a Notice of Motion at least three days before your scheduled court date. Call the Court office at 1-855-738-3755 ext. 2099 for more information

Will I get any other reminders after I get my ticket? What if I don't receive any more notices?

The ticket you received from the officer is your formal notice that a charge has been laid and you must respond within 15 days.

A Notice of Fine and Due Date is automatically created once a conviction is recorded on the Provincial Database. The Notice is mailed to the address listed on the ticket unless you have contacted the Court office and provided a new one. Changing your address with the Ministry of Transportation does not update your address with the Court.

All fine notices are a courtesy only – even if you don't get any further notices, the full amount of the ticket/fine plus any additional costs must be paid on time in order to avoid late penalties.

What if I can't pay my Provincial Offences Act fine by the due date?

If you were convicted and sentenced to pay a fine but you need more time to pay, you can fill out a Motion for Extension of Time to Pay Fine. You will need to include:

• How much you have paid so far
• Why you need more time
• Ask for a new due date – no more than six months from application date
• Sign the form

Send form to the Peterborough Provincial Offences office. Once we receive your form, a Justice of the Peace will review it. We will mail you a copy of the Justice's decision.

If your driver's licence is already suspended for non payment, you will have to wait three to four working days from the day your application is approved before you can go to the Ministry of Transportation to pay your reinstatement fee and get a new licence.

Where can I find out about my driving record and demerit points?

The Ministry of Transportation runs the demerit point system and keeps all driving record information. Go to www.mto.gov.on.ca for more information.

Why are there two amounts on my ticket?

• The Victim Fine Surcharge is imposed by the provincial government and is used to maintain and expand services to victims of crime.
• The surcharge changes depending on the amount of the set fine.
• The amount in the Total Payable box must be paid in full.

I asked for a court date but I didn't get my notice in the mail. Now I have been convicted. What can I do?

You have 15 days from the day you found out you were convicted to ask for a re-opening of your ticket. You must fill out the re-opening forms, swear the affidavit and file the forms with the Provincial Offences office.

The forms will be sent to the Justice of the Peace for a decision. If granted, the conviction will be reversed and a new court date will be set. You have to confirm your address with the Court and follow up to make sure you get your new court date.

How do I appeal a court decision?

You can find information through the Ontario Court of Justice Guide to Appeals in Provincial Offences Cases.

Pay at Service Ontario

You can pay the past due fines that have suspended your driver's licence at any Service Ontario office. You may be able to get your licence back the same day after you pay all outstanding fines plus the reinstatement fee.

Pay at a Provincial Offences Office

If you pay past due fines that are suspending your driver's licence at a Provincial Offences Court office, you will have to wait three to four business days before going to a Service Ontario office to pay the reinstatement fee and get your new licence.

Apply for an extension of time to pay

If you cannot afford to pay your fines, you can apply for a Motion for Extension of Time to Pay a Fine. You must complete and sign the application and send it to the Provincial Offences office. We would submit the application to the Justice of the Peace for review. If your application is granted, you would have to wait three to four business days then go to Service Ontario to pay the reinstatement fee and request a new driver's licence.