Fighting Provincial Offences Charges:

Question: How can a paralegal help me if I was charged with a provincial offence in Ontario?

Answer: A paralegal can help you understand how provincial offences work in Ontario, what “quasi-criminal” consequences to expect after a conviction, and how to challenge issues like the notice of offence, calculation of fines, and procedural errors under the Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33.  They can also help you prepare for the court process, review your evidence and disclosure, and explain options that can reduce penalties or improve outcomes while avoiding a criminal record.  If you need guidance on a current provincial offence matter, Lippa Legal Services can assist clients across Ontario, call (416) 241-4529 to get started.

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Provincial Offence Allegations as Being Charges Considered as Quasi-Criminal Matters

Provincial offences are quasi-crimes or regulatory offences in that they are violation of laws enacted to regulate individual conduct for the protection of society as a whole and they are prosecuted by a Prosecutor as an agent of the state, meaning as a representative of the people; however, unlike criminal offences, upon conviction of a provincial offence a person avoids establishing a criminal record.  With this said, although conviction for a provincial offence fails to establish a criminal record, the consequences for conviction of a provincial offence may still carry heavy penalties and consequences for the convicted person.

The Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33, as well as the Rules of the Ontario Court (Provincial Division) in Provincial Offences Proceedings, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 200, provide the procedural law that guides the process by which offences within numerous substantive law statutes are prosecuted.  The range in matters falling under the purview of provincial offences is very broad.  Concerns involving provincial offences include: