More than 21,000 fines totalling nearly $12 million are estimated to have gone unpaid since 2009.
These provincial offences fines range from Highway Traffic Act infractions – speeding tickets, parking tickets, illegal and unsafe turns – as well as fines stemming from noise complaints, animal control, health and safety offences, and more.
“The longer a fine is outstanding, the more difficult the ability to collect full payment,” said Jennifer Charles, the city’s general manager of legal and court services, in an email to GuelphToday.
“Municipalities operating provincial offences courts across the province face legislative and systemic challenges when attempting to collect outstanding fines.”
She said the city has implemented collection practices, and has collected an average of $960,000 in defaulted and aged fines every year, “in addition to any current fine revenues received.”
But the ledger hasn’t budged too much over the last couple years.
At the end of 2021, the unpaid fine balance stood at $12,452,009. At the end of 2022, it dropped down to $11,490,036, a difference of $961,973.
At the end of last year, the number jumped back up nearly $500,000 to $11,967,990.
In 2016 the number of outstanding fines was around 31,000, totalling $14 million. In 2017 the city began using a collection agency to help collect money owed.
The money includes the fines imposed, as well as any victim fine surcharges, collection agency fees and court costs.
