Ottawa looks to move photo radar and red light camera tickets out of provincial courts

A report for the city's finance and corporate services committee recommends the city implement an administrative penalty system for adjudicating parking and camera-based offences, with municipally appointed hearing officers adjudicating ticket disputes instead of the provincial courts system.

Ottawa motorists could soon lose the ability to fight their photo radar and red light camera tickets in provincial court, as the city looks to streamline the process for challenging traffic tickets issued on city streets.

A report for the city's finance and corporate services committee recommends the city implement an administrative penalty system for adjudicating parking and camera-based offences, with municipally appointed screening and hearing officers adjudicating ticket disputes instead of the provincial court system.

With the city of Ottawa anticipating more than one million tickets to be issued through automated speed enforcement cameras and red light cameras this year and next year, staff say moving to an administrative penalty system will provide a "fair, efficient, and timely process to manage minor offences and resolve ticket disputes."

Currently, a ticket for a red light or photo radar camera infraction is certified by a Provincial Offence Officer, and the ticket is mailed to the defendant plate holder. If the offender decides to challenge the ticket, they fight the ticket in provincial court. 

In a report, staff say with more photo radar cameras being installed in Ottawa, "growth in high-volume, minor offences is consuming a growing proportion of court time, putting pressure on the allocation of limited judicial resources across all (Provincial Offences Act) offences."

Parking and camera-related tickets currently make up over 95 per cent of all infractions in Ottawa, while the city only has access to two thirds of the judicial resources in provincial offences court compared to pre-COVID levels, according to staff.

If the city implements the administrative penalty system to deal with parking and camera-based tickets, motorists will no longer be able to challenge the ticket in court. Instead, city-appointed officers would manage the dispute and resolution processes for the tickets.