Provincial Offences Administration

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.

• Court costs are an amount to be paid by the defendant for the service of the offence notice and/or summons and upon conviction of an offence. The costs are authorized by Section 60 of the Provincial Offences Act and the amount is set by Regulation.
• The Victim Fine Surcharge is imposed by the Provincial Government and is added to every fine imposed under the the Provincial Offences Act. The amount of the Victim Fine Surcharge is variable, and is based on the amount of the set fine. Proceeds from the surcharge are used to maintain and expand provincial services to victims of crime.

If a provincial offence fine is not paid within the prescribed time, your licence may be suspended and a $20.00 charge will be added to the fine. You will receive notification of the suspension by mail from the Ministry of Transportation. To have your licence reinstated you must:

• Pay all the outstanding fines that are suspending your licence.
• Pay the MTO reinstatement fee to the Ministry of Transportation.
• Allow 3-5 business day processing time after paying the fine(s) for the suspension order to be lifted.
• Check with the Ministry of Transportation before driving to ensure that your licence is valid.

To find out how much you owe in fines, call or visit your local Provincial Offence Court office, have the offence number, file number or your driver’s licence ready when calling.

A. For a Part I or Part II offence, the appeal must be filed within 30 days of conviction. For a Part III the appeal must be filed within 30 days of conviction.

• Under the rules for Appeal the fine is to be paid first, and must be at the POA office where the charge is from.
• Forms may be obtained at any Provincial Offences Court or Ontario Court of Justice office, but must be filed at the Ontario Court of Justice office where the charge is from.
• Part III appeals require transcripts from the original trial – 3 copies must be ordered, one for the Justice, one for the Prosecutor and one for the Appellant, the transcripts are to be ordered at the POA office and a deposit will be required.

Ontario Court of Justice – Guide to Appeals in Provincial Offences Cases

When there is no fine amount written on the ticket, you must appear in court on the date and time assigned.

For a Part I offence if you do not appear you will be deemed not to dispute under Section 9.1(b) of the Provincial Offences Act and a conviction will be registered by the Court upon review of the Offence Notice. Court costs in the amount of $5.00 will be applied on top of the fine imposed for failure to appear.

For a Part III offence if you do not appear on the date that you have been summonsed or any subsequent court date you may have a bench warrant issued,or trial may be scheduled and proceed in your absence. Court costs in the amount of $30.00 will be applied on top of the fine imposed for failure to appear.

Part I and Part II Matters – To obtain DISCLOSURE you will receive a form to submit with your Notice of Early Resolution Meeting or Notice of Trial. Part III Matters – To obtain DISCLOSURE or to have a RESOLUTION MEETING contact the Crown’s Office at: 4 Wellington Street, St. Thomas, Ontario, N5R 3G1 T: 519-631-4810 or F. 519-633-9629

If you have a Notice of Suspension please note that the MTO reinstatement fee is NOT payable to the Court Office. It MUST be paid at MTO prior to any reinstatement of the licence, failure to pay this fee will cause the licence to remain suspended. The reinstatement process takes 3-5 business days. The FINES affecting the licence ARE payable at the Court Office and not at MTO. If paying your FINE by personal cheque it MUST be certified for suspended matters. 

If you require more time to pay your fine you may apply to the Justice of the Peace for more time by filling out an Motion for Extension of Time to Pay Fine Time to Pay form. The form will be given to the Justice of the Peace and they will either grant or deny your application. YOU MUST CONTACT THE OFFICE AFTER FILING TO VERIFY THE OUTCOME OF YOUR APPLICATION. The ORIGINAL form will need to be filed with the Court Office at 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas, Ontario.