City wants its own penalty system for parking and automated camera tickets

The City of Ottawa wants to set up its own system to deal with parking infractions and tickets from its automated speed enforcement and red light camera programs.

The new Administrative Penalty System would take those matters out of the already clogged provincial court system and offer a speedier resolution before an independent arbitrator instead of a justice of the peace.

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Fifteen other Ontario municipalities, including Toronto and Hamilton, have their own penalty systems for parking tickets and are considering adapting them for speed and red light cameras as well.

Under the existing system, a person who wants to dispute a ticket must wait for an appearance in Provincial Offences Court before a justice of the peace. That can mean a months-long wait, in some cases even leading to tickets being thrown out because of the delay. A city report says that having its own system would reduce that wait to a matter of weeks and, unlike the court system, can be at a scheduled appointment time, saving time for both the city and the person disputing the ticket.

With the city system, the person ticketed can request a review by a screening officer, a city employee who has the power to cancel the ticket if he or she believes the case wasn’t proven, or in cases of financial hardship, can reduce the fine or give the defendant more time to pay.

If the defendant still isn’t satisfied, he or she can request a meeting with a hearing officer, an independent adjudicator appointed by city council who would likely be someone with experience in mediating disputes.

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While city procedure would differ from what happens in provincial offences court, “clients are still afforded a fair hearing in front of a trained, neutral decision maker, ensuring a fair and efficient method of resolving penalty disputes,” the City of Ottawa report says.

The number of parking, speeding and red light camera tickets grew by 45 per cent in 2023 and is expected to jump by 108 per cent in 2024 and another 38 per cent in 2025, the report says. It estimates that it will receive an extra 15,000 requests for trial in 2024 and an additional 12,000 requests in 2025.

After a one-time startup cost of $1.57 million, the city estimates the Administrative Penalty System would be fully funded by ticket revenue.

Councillors on the finance and corporate services committee approved the motion Tuesday. If approved by city council, the Administrative Penalty System for parking tickets could be in place by the second quarter of 2025, and for speeding and red light camera tickets by the end of 2025.

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