Ticket Process
What You Can Do With an Ontario Traffic Ticket
Ontario traffic tickets go through the provincial offences process, not the criminal courts. Most tickets give you three general options — the exact choices available depend on the ticket and municipality.
The three general options
Under Ontario’s Provincial Offences Act process, a ticket generally gives you three paths, and the Ontario Court of Justice’s own guide for defendants describes them this way:
- Pay the ticket. Paying the fine shown on the ticket is treated as a guilty plea. A conviction is registered and you don’t need to go to court.
- Request an early resolution meeting. On many tickets, you can check a box requesting a meeting with a prosecutor to discuss the charge before trial. Requesting this meeting doesn’t give up your right to a trial afterward if the matter isn’t resolved there.
- Plead not guilty and request a trial. Filing a Notice of Intention to Appear starts the trial process. You’ll typically receive a Notice of Trial by mail within 6 to 8 weeks.
The response deadline
You generally have 15 days from receiving the ticket to choose one of the options above. If you don’t respond within that window — or don’t appear for a scheduled trial — you can be found guilty without further notice.
Requesting disclosure
If you’re proceeding toward a trial, you can generally request disclosure — typically the officer’s notes and related evidence — so you know the case against you before the hearing. The process for requesting disclosure can vary by municipality.