Tickets and Fines

About

Administrative Monetary Penalty (A.M.P.) system is a fast and flexible process for payment, appeal and collection of minor by-law infractions. This approach is used by many municipalities, the province and the federal government and is designed to streamline the enforcement process and increase compliance with City of Oshawa by-laws.

A.M.P. enforcement transfers by-law disputes from the courtroom to the municipality using Screening and Hearings Officers who can modify, cancel, or affirm penalties. This approach helps reduce congestion in the courts and provides a local and accessible dispute resolution system.

Enforcement

City of Oshawa Municipal Law Enforcement Officers can issue a Penalty Notice through the following methods:

In person
Through registered or regular mail to the individual's last known address
By facsimile (fax) to the individual's last known facsimile transmission number
By email to the individual's last known email address
On vehicle

Note: Parking-related Penalty Notices are generally issued by attaching the notice to the vehicle or serving the notice directly to the operator; however, they may also be issued through any methods noted above.

Administrative fees

Penalty Notices issued under the A.M.P. system do not cost more than traditional fines. However, in certain cases, additional administrative fees may be applied to the original penalty amount such as:

Fees
Type	Fee
Ministry of Transportation Search for parking tickets	$10
Late payment of parking ticket	$15
Late payment of by-law ticket	$25
Notification to Registrar of Motor Vehicles for plate permit denial	$22
Failure to attend Screening	$50
Failure to attend Hearing	$100

A Penalty Notice is similar to a "ticket" except it requires payment of a penalty instead of a fine. A Municipal Law Enforcement Officer issues the Penalty Notice to an individual or corporation when they have committed a by-law infraction.

Questions

Why did the City move to the A.M.P. system?

The A.M.P. system is used in many municipalities, the province, the federal government, and other jurisdictions worldwide. In Ontario, municipal A.M.P.s are legislated under the Municipal Act, 2001. This system helps the over-burdened courts by streamlining the process and allowing municipalities to handle minor by-law infractions.

How is the A.M.P. system better?

Resolving minor by-law infractions such as parking matters could take months in the busy court system. The A.M.P. system helps speed up the process by resolving minor by-law infraction matters in weeks while maintaining an individual's right to request a review of their Penalty Notice.

The A.M.P. system is more effective because:

Community members can resolve by-law infraction matters in a convenient and friendly environment

The City is more capable of dealing with minor by-law infractions in a timely manner
Community members may request an extension of time in which to request a review by a Screening or Hearings Officer
Community members may request an extension of time to pay a fine from a Screening or Hearings Officer
It reduces congestion in provincial courts
Better use of court time and other resources for more serious matters

Does the A.M.P. system apply to all by-law infractions?

No. This system currently applies to infractions related to:

What are tiered and escalating A.M.P.s and why has the City implemented them?

Tiered and escalating A.M.P.s are a progressive system of penalties intended to encourage compliance with the City's municipal standards and discourage repeat offenders.

This system applies to numerous by-laws and is comprised of three tiers (e.g. Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3). Penalty amounts increase with every progressive tier. Tiered and escalating penalties apply as follows:

Parking infraction: If the same individual and/or licence plate repeat the same parking infraction within 90 days from the previous infraction.

For example:

An individual who receives an A.M.P. for a parking infraction on November 1, 2020, would receive a Tier 1 A.M.P.
If that individual (or licence plate) repeats the same parking infraction within 90 days from November 1, 2020, they would receive a Tier 2 A.M.P.
If that individual (or licence plate) repeats the same parking infraction within 90 days from the date the Tier 2 A.M.P. was issued, they would receive a Tier 3 A.M.P.
Should the individual (or licence plate) continue to repeat the same parking infraction within 90 days from the date the Tier 3 A.M.P. was issued, they will continue to receive Tier 3 A.M.P.s until more than 90 days have passed without the same infraction being committed.

Non-parking infraction: if the same individual repeats the same infraction within one calendar year, from the previous infraction.

For example:

An individual who receives an A.M.P. for an infraction with tiered and escalating penalties on November 1, 2020, would receive a Tier 1 A.M.P.
If that individual repeats the same infraction within one calendar year from November 1, 2020, they would receive a Tier 2 A.M.P.
If that individual repeats the same infraction within one calendar year from the date the Tier 2 A.M.P. was issued, they would receive a Tier 3 A.M.P.
Should the individual continue to repeat that infraction within one calendar year from the date the Tier 3 A.M.P. was issued, they will continue to receive Tier 3 A.M.P.s until more than one calendar year has passed without the same infraction being committed.

Can I make a suggestion to improve the the A.M.P. system?

Yes. The City is committed to continuous improvement and suggestions for enhancing the administrative processes of the A.M.P. system. Submit the suggestion in writing to Service Oshawa. Examples of administrative processes include:

Which individuals are authorized to request an appeal
Suggestions on other formats to request or submit an appeal
More time to dispute a penalty notice

Please note:

Suggestions about the administrative processes for the A.M.P. system have no impact on existing fines.

Individuals interested in disputing their penalty notice must do so through the City's Screening/Hearings process.