Brampton requesting changes to Bill that would change resolution process for speeding, traffic-related offences
Published October 21, 2021 at 3:20 pm
Brampton City Council is requesting adjustments to a provincial bill, Bill 177, Stronger, Fairer Ontario Act, that would make changes to the Provincial Offences Act, which deals with things such as speeding and traffic violations.
Council is specifically concerned with changes to early resolution, which allows those who have been charged with an offence to meet with a prosecutor and resolve the ticket without having to go to trial.
According to Jane Iacobucci, a Manager, Court Administrator, with the City of Brampton, these changes would make it more difficult for those charged under the Provincial Offense Act to resolve the charge through early resolution.
“There are proposed changes to early resolution that would it much more tedious for an individual to request to go through with the early resolution process,” she said. “We feel, when defendants learn how long it takes to proceed with the early resolution process, they may choose not to do so.”
Currently, when a person is charged with a provincial offence, they have the option to go through early resolution, which can resolve the charge without having to go to trial.
As part of early resolution, after the charge is resolved, a Justice of the Peace must put it on record.
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Under these changes, after a resolution has been reached, a clerk of the court would put it on the record, but there would also be a 15-day grace period.
During this grace period, the accused could change their mind, rendering the decision void, and reopening the case.
“There’s a proposal for enhanced reopening which would allow an individual who has made a resolution to change their mind and ask for a reopening, so it is making it more difficult instead of streamlining the process,” she said.
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