Fighting Provincial Offences Charges:

Question: What should I do if I’m facing a provincial offence allegation in Ontario and want to avoid delays and minimize consequences?

Answer: If you are dealing with provincial offence allegations, a paralegal at DefendCharges.ca can help you understand how the Provincial Offences Act governs process in provincial offences proceedings and what next steps to take so you are prepared for hearings, disclosure, and deadlines, while also explaining common potential impacts of a conviction even though it does not create a criminal record.   For fast guidance in Ontario, call (647) 559-3377 to discuss your matter and set up a free 15-minute consultation so you can protect your rights and plan an effective defence with DefendCharges.ca.

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: