Provincial Offences and Tickets

During Canada Post Labour Disruption:
City of Kawartha Lakes Provincial Offences Court Services clients are encouraged to either attend the court office in-person or electronically file any time sensitive material. If you need further information about the filing process, please contact Courts Administration at 705-324-3962.

The City of Kawartha Lakes and County of Haliburton Provincial Offences Office is located at 440 Kent Street West in Lindsay. We are open to the public Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm.

All Provincial Offences Act (POA) Court Appearances may be held in person or by audio/video conferencing.

If you have received a ticket that you wish to pay, payment can be made through www.paytickets.ca or by calling 705-324-3962 ext. 0.

Option 2 on the back of your ticket for Plea of Guilty with Submissions as to Penalty is available in person or by remote court appearances by appointment only. For more information and to schedule your Option 2 hearing, call 705-324-3962 ext. 0 from Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Please note the Justice of Peace cannot: talk to you if you are not willing to plead guilty to the charge, change the charge on your Offence Notice or remove or reduce demerit points.

If you wish to request a resolution meeting or trial, please sign the back of your ticket under Option 3 and mail it to Ontario Court of Justice 440 Kent Street West, Lindsay ON K9V 5P2. Include your phone number and verify that the address on the face of your ticket is correct.

If you have requested a trial, you will be sent a notice with a time, date and location, along with information for audio/video conferencing to the address that we have on file.

Please direct any questions to: POAAdmin@kawarthalakes.ca or 705-324-3962 ext. 0

If you have been summoned to court by an enforcement agency, please read the following:

Your court appearance on the summons may be held in person or by audio/video conferencing.

On the date and time indicated on the attached summons either appear in person at the location specified below or follow the directions below to connect to the audio/video conference.

IN PERSON APPEARANCES:

440 Kent Street West
Lindsay, Ontario K9V 5P2
Courtroom #7

AUDIO OR VIDEO APPEARANCES:

You will need a phone or a device capable of connecting to the internet and internet access.

By internet: https://kawarthalakes.zoom.us/join

By phone: 1-647-374-4685 or Toll Free 1-855-703-8985

Meeting ID: 994 5996 1910 and Passcode: 424369 (for both phone and internet access)

REQUIRE ASSISTANCE:

If you do not have access to a personal telephone or a computer, you may:

Use a payphone and dial the toll free number (1-855-703-8985) to connect into the court and follow the prompts to enter the Meeting ID and Passcode indicated above; or
If you would like to request a disability-related accommodation or assistance, please contact the court office prior to the date of your appearance by phone: 705-324-3962 ext. 0.

Notice to Public Regarding Provincial Offences Act Matters

Provincial Offences is responsible for the administration and prosecution of non-criminal provincial offences and municipal by-law offences within the City of Kawartha Lakes and the County of Haliburton.

Provincial Offences ticket options

You will find your options on the back of your provincial offences ticket. You must choose one of the following options within 15 days of receiving your ticket:

Option one: plea of guilty - voluntary payment

You are stating that you are guilty of the offence and that you will be paying the total payable within 15 days of the offence date.

Option two: plea of guilty - submissions as to penalty

If you do not wish to dispute the charge but you want to ask for a lesser fine amount or more time to pay the fine you can appear before a Justice of the Peace within 15 days of the offence. You must contact the Provincial Offences Office at 705-324-3962 extension 0 or POAAdmin@kawarthalakes.ca. A Justice of the Peace cannot reduce the charge, remove or reduce the demerit points.

Option three: trial option

If you believe you are not guilty of the charge you must sign the back of your ticket under Option 3 and deliver or mail your ticket to the court office. Please verify your address on the front of the ticket and note any changes on the ticket back under the signature line.

Once the court receives your signed request, a resolution meeting with the Prosecutor will be scheduled. At this meeting a resolution may be offered to you by the Prosecutor. If a resolution is not reached or if you do not attend the resolution meeting a trial date will be scheduled and sent to you by mail.

Summons to court option

If you receive a summons to court you must attend on the date indicated on the summons. If you are not present a trial date will be set and/or a warrant may be issued for your arrest. You will not receive any notification if a date has been set. You are responsible for contacting the court office to determine a new court date.

How to pay a fine

You can pay your fine online or over the phone by calling (705) 324-3962 extension 0.

If your license is under suspension due to an unpaid fine, you can pay the fine amount owing and reinstatement fee at any Service Ontario Office.

Collections and enforcement

Consequences of not paying fines include:

suspension of driver's licenses
plate denials
referrals to a collections agency
civil enforcement of the debt

If a driver's license suspension has been ordered you must pay the total amount outstanding prior to your license being reinstated. More information about reinstating your license is available on the Ministry of Transportation website.

Civil enforcement of the debt could include garnishment of wages or bank accounts, execution against property and transferring debt to property taxes.

Under Provincial legislation there is no time limitation for the collection of unpaid fines.

If you cannot pay your fine in full by the due date you must go to the court office and submit a Motion of Extension of Time to Pay. It is recommended that you make a good faith payment with your application, and then it will be sent to the Justice of the Peace for a decision.

Trial and resolution meeting information

The Ontario Court of Justice - Guide for Defendants provides defendants with general information about the court process for Provincial Offences.

To request a copy of disclosure prior to your resolution meeting or trial date, please send the request by email to disclosure@kawarthalakes.ca Include your name, ticket number(s), resolution meeting or trial date and confirm the email address where you would like the disclosure to be sent.

Disclosure is a copy of the prosecution's evidence which may include the officer's notes, witness statements and collision reports.

Please send your request well before your trial date to allow time for the enforcement agency to provide disclosure and for the Prosecutor to review and provide it to you.

Court forms

General forms

Reopening forms

Appeal forms

Other forms

Request for Transcript Application Form

Guides

Complaint process

Justice of the Peace

If you have a complaint relating to the Justice of the Peace please make your written complaint to:

The Justice of the Peace Review Council
P.O. Box 914
Adelaide Street Postal Station
31 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON M5C 2K3

Fax: 416 327-2339 (Fax)

If you need more information or further assistance please call the Review Council at:

Tel: 1-800-806-5186 Teletypewriter (TTY) users can call 1-800-695-1118

Paralegal or Counsel

If you have a complaint concerning a paralegal or counsel visit the Law Society of Upper Canada website.

Court administration

If you have a complaint concerning Provincial Offences Court Staff please make your written complaint to:

Manger of Court Operations
City of Kawartha Lakes - Provincial Offences
440 Kent Street West
Lindsay, ON K9V 5P2

Ministry Orders

Accessibility

If you have an accessibility question or concern please contact:

Manager of Court Operations
City of Kawartha Lakes - Provincial Offences
440 Kent Street West
Lindsay, ON K9V 5P2

FAQs

Where can I get more information about demerit points?

Demerit points are determined and administered by the Ministry of Transportation.

I have very old fines; do I still have to pay them?

Yes, fines are court orders; they are never written off and remain owing until paid in full. There is no statute of limitation when it comes to outstanding fines even if you claim bankruptcy your fines are still owed.

What can I do if I can't pay my fine in full by the due date?

It is recommended that you make a good faith payment and file a Motion for Extension of Time to Pay with the court office. Your completed application will be sent to the Justice of the Peace for a decision.

How do I request a Transcript

You must submit a Request for Transcript application form. We need at least 30 days to fulfill a transcript request.

How do I file an appeal?

Appeal forms can be found in the Court Forms section of this web page. You must file an appeal with the Ontario Court of Justice within 30 days of the conviction date.

Ontario Court of Justice

440 Kent Street West
Lindsay, ON K9V 5P2
Telephone: 705 324-1400
Fax: 705 324-1401

Why are there two amounts on my ticket?

The set fine and the total payable that appear at the bottom of every ticket are two different amounts. The set fine is the regulated amount for the offence and the total payable amount includes a Victim Fine Surcharge. This surcharge is imposed by the Provincial Government and is added to every fine. Proceeds from the surcharge are used to maintain services to victims of crime.