Fighting Provincial Offences Charges: Various Cases Within Provincial Courts

Question: What are provincial offence allegations, and how do they differ from criminal charges in Ontario?

Answer: Provincial offence allegations in Ontario are considered quasi-criminal matters, addressing breaches of regulatory law for societal protection. While a conviction under the Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33 avoids creating a criminal record, it may still result in severe penalties such as substantial fines. For those navigating these complex proceedings, Defend-it Legal Services offers guidance to mitigate potential consequences, aiding clients in Pickering, Hamilton, Oshawa, and beyond.

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: