Provincial Offences and Tickets

If you have received a ticket, summons, or need to attend court under the Provincial Offences Act, the information below outlines your options, payment methods, and how to attend your court appearance either in person or by audio/video conferencing.

Managing Provincial Offences in Kawartha Lakes

The City of Kawartha Lakes and County of Haliburton Provincial Offences Office is located at City Hall, 26 Francis Street 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 City of Kawartha Lakes 26 Francis Street, Lindsay ON K9V 5R8. 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.

Court Summons: Important Information

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: kawarthalakes.zoom.us/join

or

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)

Accessibility Information

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.

Provincial Offences: What You Need to Know

Learn about your options after receiving a ticket, how to pay fines, request a trial, and access court services in Kawartha Lakes.

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:

Graphic: Number 1 inside a green circle.

Option 1: 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.

Graphic: Number 2 inside a green circle.

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.

Graphic: Number 3 inside a green circle.

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.

Graphic: Number 4 inside a green circle.

Summons to Court

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.

Disclosure Requests - How do I get a copy of my disclosure?

A copy of the officer’s notes and evidence is called disclosure. You are entitled to your disclosure, free of charge and you can request it online by completing a Disclosure Request Form.

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

Please Note: Video disclosure such as Body Worn Camera or In-Car Camera footage will be sent via email. The link will be received from Evidence.com with which you will be able to access your video disclosure.

Speed Measuring Device Manuals

If you have received a speeding ticket from a police officer, where a speed measuring device was used, please see the list below to access the user manual:

City of Kawartha Lakes website has been designed with accessibility in mind. We are working towards having the content on our website meet compliance of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) Level AA. Documents received from external organizations may not be in an accessible format. If these documents are needed in an accessible format, please call 705-324-3962 ext. 2212.

Certified Evidence for a Prosecution Case

The prosecution may present its case through certified evidence without having to call the officer as a witness. Certified evidence consists of the statements in the Certificate of Offence, certified photographs and certified ministry documents.

The admissibility for these offences is set out in the Highway Traffic Act and regulations. Section 48.1 of the Provincial Offences Act also allows for admissibility of Certified evidence for any Part I proceeding where a set fine exists for the offence.

Accessibility

If you have an accessibility question or concern please contact:

Manager of Court Operations
City of Kawartha Lakes - Provincial Offences
26 Francis Street
Lindsay, ON K9V 5R8

Court Forms and Guides

Here are the various forms and guides to support your legal process.

General Forms

Reopening Forms

Appeal Forms

Other Forms

Request for Transcript Application Form

Guides

Complaint Process

You can submit complaints regarding the Justice of the Peace, Paralegals, Counsel, or Court Administration.

Justice of the Peace Complaints

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 Complaints

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

Court Administration

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

Manager of Court Operations
City of Kawartha Lakes - Provincial Offences
26 Francis Street
Lindsay, ON K9V 5R8

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 webpage. 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.

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