FAQs
| What happens if I do nothing after receiving my ticket? |
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After 45 days, your ticket will appear on a 'Fail to Respond' docket. The ticket will then be reviewed by a Justice of the Peace or designate and in most cases you will be convicted of the charge. After conviction, additional administrative charges will be added to your fine and you will receive a Notice advising you of the conviction and providing a due date for payment of the fine.
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| Why are there two amounts on my ticket? |
| One amount is the set fine and the other is your total payable amount. The difference between the two amounts represents the Victim Fine Surcharge. This surcharge is set by the provincial government and is added to fines under the Provincial Offences Act. Proceeds from the surcharge are used to maintain and expand provincial services to victims of crime. |
| What if I need more time to pay a provincial offences fine? |
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If you need more time to pay a provincial offence fine, you will need to complete a form, Extension of Time to Pay located in Court Forms, and file it with the court office on the back of your Offence Notice. The court will submit your complete Extension of Time to Pay form to a Justice of the Peace for consideration. You may call the office after 1 week to find out if your request has been granted, or wait for your response by mail. |
| What happens if I cannot attend my trial date that was given to me? |
| You may send an agent to appear on your behalf on the trial date to request a new trial date or to enter a plea on your behalf. The court may or may not grant an adjournment and could order the case to trial. OR You or your agent must complete and file a Notice of Motion located in Court Forms, with the court office indicated on your Notice of Trial, requesting a change of trial date. The motion may be heard on any date prior to your trial date but must be served and filed at least 3 clear days before the hearing of the Motion. You or an agent acting on your behalf must attend court on the date the motion will be heard. Please contact the court at (705) 645-1231 to obtain a list of court dates available for motions. |
| What happens if I miss my trial date? |
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If you miss your trial date you may be convicted without a hearing. You may attend at the convicting court office and complete a Request for Re-opening papers located in Court Forms, within 15 days of becoming aware of the conviction. You will then appear on your re-opening application before a Justice of the Peace who will consider the reasons for your failure to appear at trial. The re-opening may or may not be granted. |
| How do I appeal a conviction? |
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If you were given a Part 1 offence notice (ticket), you must fill out and file appeal forms located in Court Forms within 15 days of your conviction. If you were given a Part 3 summons, you must fill out, serve and file appeal forms located in Court Forms within 30 days of your conviction. In either instance, you must pay the total payable fine given by the court or bring a motion of recognizance and appear before a justice of the appeal court to explain why you cannot pay the fine. If the justice is satisfied that you cannot pay the fine, you will be required to sign the recognizance promising to pay the fine. Should your appeal go forward, you or your agent will appear before a justice of the appeal court. |
| What happens if I miss the time to appeal? |
| If your appeal period has passed, you may fill out a form called Motion to extend time to file an appeal, located in Court Forms. |
| My driver's license is suspended, if I pay my fine today when will I get my license back? |
| It takes 3 to 5 business days to have your license reinstated. |
| How many demerit points will I lose? |
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Demerit points are determined and administered by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Information is available on the MTO website at www.mto.gov.on.ca. You can contact the Ministry of Transportation at 1-800-303-4993. |
| How can I pay my fine? |
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Fine payments may be made by mail with the remittance portion of your ticket, this allows you to use Visa, Mastercard, Debit Visa, cheque or money order. You may also pay the ticket online. |
| When are you open? |
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| How do I make a formal complaint? |
| Please note that court staff is not able to enter into debates about judicial decisions made by the court. Such matters must be dealt with by appealing to a higher court as mentioned above. Court staff cannot give you any legal advice or advise you on how to conduct your appeal. If you have a complaint concerning administrative matters, you may provide your complaint in writing to the Manager of Court Administration at: Ontario Court of Justice The District Municipality of Muskoka Manager, Court Administration 76 Pine Street Bracebridge ON P1L 0C4 If the complaint relates to prosecutions, please direct your complaint in writing to the District Solicitor at: The District Municipality of Muskoka District Solicitor 70 Pine Street Bracebridge ON P1L 1N3 |