Provincial Offences Act (POA) Representation

Provincial Offences Act

The Canadian provincial offences act addresses the prosecution of offences by residents living in a particular province. All legal proceedings under this act must meet the statutes and regulations of the province’s by-laws. According to the Ontario POA, municipalities oversee these court proceedings’ administration. All POA matters in Ontario are often redirected to the appropriate municipal on behalf of the Attorney General.

At Salahi Paralegal, we help our clients decide the actions required of them.

Provincial Offences

In Canadian law, provincial offences are considered non-criminal (minor) offences. Most Canadian residents with charges under the POA get minimum prison time (if any). Here are some of the common provincial offences in Canada:

Careless driving, over speeding, driving without using the seat belt – Highway Traffic Act
Possessing a fake or expired insurance card (Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act)
Consuming alcohol in public or caught selling to an underage individual (minor) – Liquor License Act
Found trespassing or failure to evacuate after being instructed to move – Trespass to Property Act
Smoking in a confined area or selling tobacco to an underage (minor under 19) – Smoke-Free Ontario Act
Occupational Health and Safety, Ministry of Environment, Transportation, Natural Resources, Labour, or Finance violations
Disobeying municipal bylaws (parking, zoning, and noise)

About 85% of all provincial offences charges attract out-of-court fines with strict directions from the court. Tickets issued by the court under the Provincial Offences Act always have complicated legal terms. Most court instructions often come with a list of options available to the offenders.

Who Can Issue Provincial Offence Notices (Tickets)?

Ministry of Transportation
Ministry of Natural Resources
Ministry of Environment
Ontario Provincial Police
City By-law Enforcement (Toronto Public Health, Municipal and Licensing, and Standards officers)
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
Ministry of Health
Toronto Fire Services
Go Transit
Ministry of Labour
Toronto Police Service
T.T.C.

Types of Provincial Offence Notices (Tickets)

POA tickets are divided into different types to help the offenders understand what’s expected of them. There are three categories of POA tickets and they are:

Part I: Tickets issued to individuals

Part II: Parking tickets

Part III: Summons (including a court date)

The Offence Notice (ticket) Process

When an enforcement agency serves you a POA notice, it often comes with a duration. If you’re confused about where to begin, contact us at Salahi Paralegal for legal advice. After getting your offence notice, you’d be left with these three options:

Pay your fine (conviction is registered)
You plead guilty to the charge with an explanation
Head to the court office to file for trial. You must first send in your request for a Notice of Intention to Appear. You need a prosecutor for this option. Reach out to us at Salahi Paralegal, and let’s get you sorted

Time Limitation

Offenders with POA notices have less than two weeks to decide what action to take. 15 days is enough time to decide on either of the above-mentioned options for your POA ticket.

If you fail to comply, the court would forfeit you the option of disputing the charge. After the 15-day timeframe, your case would be reviewed by a Justice of the Peace.

The court can always issue a conviction in your absence if you do not appear for trial.

Provincial Offences Courts

What exactly should you expect from provincial offences courts?

They provide the following:

Review and receive payments of provincial offence fines (excluding parking fines)
Summon and schedule POA trials
Offer intake court services (for example, application reopening, walk-in guilty pleas, and request to extend payments, etc)
Help with the info needed for filling out an appeal
Accepting and working on transcript orders for your court proceedings
Manage all POA-related issues including appeals
Help with the info on all provincial offences

Why Choose Salahi Paralegal for POA representation?

Professional services

Salahi Paralegal provides soliciting legal services to all POA proceedings in conjunction with the Court of Justice Act.

Competent team

We are a team of competent paralegal professionals with years of representing legal motions, serving plaintiffs’ and defendants’ claims, as well as trial representations related to POA representation.

Reliable

You can also trust us for the most reliable legal representation during all examination hearings and enforcement of judicial procedure.