Ottawa’s new Administrative Penalty System starts June
Parking, red-light camera infractions to be reviewed outside of court system
Starting June 2025, the City will start to manage and adjudicate parking ticket infractions through its Administrative Penalty System (APS), transitioning from the existing Provincial Offensive Act (POA) courts. The City’s new APS program will next extend to red light camera and automated speed enforcement infractions.
The Province of Ontario amended the Municipal Act in 2007 and the Highway Traffic Act in 2022, allowing municipalities to adjudicate parking and camera-based penalties under the Administrative Penalty System (APS) program. This provides an opportunity to have parking, automated speed enforcement and red-light camera infraction matters reviewed outside of the Provincial Offences Act (POA) court-based system, helping to alleviate the court’s current backlog.
Through the APS, the City of Ottawa may now adjust staffing levels to have these matters reviewed based on demand, improving the overall experience through a more efficient and streamlined resolution process.
How the new system works
If a person receives a parking ticket after the transition to APS, they have two options:
Option 1: Pay the ticket
The person can pay their ticket:
- Online
- In-person at any Client Service Centre or the POA and APS Service Centre
- By mail
Option 2: Request a review
Within 15 days of the ticket’s issue date, the vehicle owner can request a review with a City Screening Officer by completing a request form:
- Online
- In person at any City Client Service Centre or the POA and APS Service Centre
Remember, while you can walk in and submit a screen review request form at the POA and APS Service Centre, in-person screening reviews are not available.
If you are requesting a review of your ticket
With their request, a vehicle owner should provide written explanation and supporting documentation to demonstrate:
- They are experiencing undue hardship, or
- They did not commit the offence.
Screening Officers are City employees who have been carefully trained to conduct the “screening” review of the penalty by following standardized, consistent, and pre-established criteria in keeping with the by-law that governs the APS program. Screening Officers may uphold, reduce, extend the time to pay, or cancel the penalty based. This decision will be informed by the backup documentation from both the vehicle owner and the Parking Enforcement Officer.
Requesting final review with a Hearing Officer
Should a vehicle owner disagree with the Screening Officer’s decision, they may request a final review with a Hearing Officer by completing a request form:
- Online
- In person at any City Client Service Centre or the POA and APS Service Centre.
Hearing Officers are members of the public that are appointed by Council who have previous experience in the field of law, adjudication, and/or in the interpretation and application of legislation. They are committed to offering unbiased and fair hearings based on provincial legislative requirements that govern APS, the applicable municipal by-laws and policies, and the Statutory Powers Act.
The request for a final review by a Hearing Officer must be submitted within 15 days of the initial screening review’s decision date. An in-person hearing date and time will be issued to the vehicle owner. The Hearing Officer’s decision to either uphold the penalty, reduce the penalty, extend the time to pay the penalty, or cancel the penalty is final. Neither the ticket holder nor the City can appeal the decision.
In-person hearings are scheduled appointments held at the POA and APS Service Centre located at Mary Pitt Centre at 100 Constellation Drive. If a vehicle owner does not attend or arrives late to the scheduled hearing, it will be considered a missed appointment. A failure to appear fee will be added to the ticket amount and the initial screening decision will be upheld.
