Paying Your Ticket

Option # 1 – Plea of Guilty – Voluntary Payment of Total Payable

You are pleading guilty to the charge and you must pay the TOTAL PAYABLE as set out on the ticket.

Parking Ticket Payment

YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO PAY A PARKING TICKET ONLINE
Payments can be made in person or by mail to 480 Sunset Dr St Thomas N5R 0J5
Or by calling 519-631-1460 x. 300 to make a payment over the phone.

To pay your fine, the following methods are available:

• Online: paytickets.ca, (you will need to have your ‘ticket’ number and date of the offence). When accessing this method of payment, look for the payee pull-down tab, then look for County of Elgin – St. Thomas – 0760 and follow the instructions provided.
• Phone: 519-631-1460 x300 for payment via credit card or visa debit/Mastercard debit.
  In-Person: Payments can be made in person at Elgin’s POA Building or at your local Provincial Offences Office.
• Mail: Provincial Offences Administration (POA)
  480 Sunset Drive
  St. Thomas, ON N5R 0J5.
• Drop Box: Please leave your payment option in the drop box located at the front of the building in an sealed envelope, marked with your name and offence number. Please note that cash payments are not advised.

Option # 2 – Early Resolution – Meet with Prosecutor *

Early resolution meetings are held before a court date to discuss resolution options with the County’s prosecutor. Please note you do not give up your option for a trial.

Early Resolutions meetings are conducted through Zoom Conference, and there is a video or audio (telephone) option. To request an Early Resolution meeting, tickets may be mailed to POA 480 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas, ON NSR 0J5 or requested through the website: www.ontario.ca/ticketsandfines or by email poa@elgin.ca.

Option # 3 – Trial *

You will attend your trial and present your evidence before the Justice of the Peace. Please note that resolution discussions will not be held prior to the court appearance.

To file for a trial, please email poa@elgin.ca to request a Notice of Intention to Appear Form.

If you have requested a trial, you will be notified by mail of the date, time and method that your trial will take place. Please make sure the court has your current mailing address. Your appearance will be scheduled in person, unless you request the Zoom Conference option.

In order to prepare for your trial you may wish to read the Guide for defendants in provincial offences matters which can be found at: www.ontariocourts.ca/OCJPOAGuide

• If you FAIL TO ATTEND, you WILL BE deemed not to dispute and may be convicted in your absence, and additional fees may be added.

Both early resolution meetings and trials can be conducted through Zoom conference. If Zoom is your preferred option, please indicate this option when scheduling your appearance. Please note that there is a video or audio (telephone) option with Zoom conference.

Below is the login information for Zoom:

Zoom Court Information – County of Elgin Courtroom 1

https://zoom.us/j/95877161436?pwd=WDNDZnVoSE1QWnBETFpVVEpQVmhPUT09

Meeting ID: 958 7716 1436 Passcode: 123456

(Audio only) Toll Free 1-855-703-8985

If you receive a summons from the enforcement officer with a date to appear in court and you wish to have resolution discussions prior to your court appearance, please contact the Elgin County Prosecutor at 519-631-1460 ex. 304 or jhuber@elgin.ca.

Process

There are three different types of Provincial Offence Notices. A Part I Certificate of Offence is commonly referred to as a ‘ticket’ that is issued to an individual, a Part II notice is a parking infraction, and a Part Ill notice is a summons to appear before the Court on an assigned court date.

The Federal Government, through the French Language Services Act, has designated the County of Elgin as a bilingual service area. Front counter and Court services are provided in French upon request.

Le gouvernement fédéral, par l’intermédiaire de la Loi sur les services en langue française, a désigné le comté d’Elgin en tant que zone de service bilingue. Comptoir de service et de la Cour sont disponibles en français sur demande.

NOTICE – Regarding Part I and II Appeal Matters:
Effective December 1, 2008 Provincial Offences Act (POA) Part I and Part II appeals must be filed with the Provincially administered Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) court office, which is located at 4 Wellington Street, St. Thomas, Ontario. Appeal forms and information can be obtained at either the POA or OCJ offices or online at:

https://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/self-represented-parties/guide-to-appeals-in-provincial­offences-cases/guide

NOTICE – Regarding Part III Appeal Matters:
Effective December 1, 2008 Provincial Offences Act (POA) Part III appeals must be filed with the

• Provincially administed Ontario Court of Justice, if the trial was presided over by a Justice of the Peace.
• The Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) if the trial was presided over by a Judge of the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ)

Appeal forms and information can be obtained at either the POA or OCJ offices.
Fine payments will ONLY be accepted at the POA office and requests for transcripts MUST be made at the trial court.
PLEASE NOTE: These changes do not affect processes that deal with the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Please read the back of your ticket carefully as within 15 days you must choose one of the 3 Options.

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 license 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 license 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 license 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 license, failure to pay this fee will cause the license to remain suspended. The reinstatement process takes 3-5 business days. The FINES affecting the license 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.