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OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD COMMISSION DE SERVICES POLICIERS D’OTTAWA
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Working together for a safer community La sécurité de notre communauté, un travail d’équipe |
REPORT RAPPORT |
DATE
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12 December 2011 |
TO/DEST.
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Chair and Members, Ottawa Police Services Board |
FROM/EXP.
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Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
SUBJECT/OBJET
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ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF POLICE SERVICES BOARDS WHITE PAPER ON PROVINCIAL OFFENCES ACT UNPAID FINES
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That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive the Ontario Association of Police Services Board’s White Paper on Provincial Offences Act Unpaid Fines and forward it to City Council for information.
BACKGROUND
In 2009, the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards (OAPSB) began to seriously advocate for the Provincial Government to take action to address the large number of Provincial Offences Act (POA) fines that go unpaid. Information provided by the OAPSB indicates that approximately one-third of all POA fines are not paid. As of July 2010, the last year for which statistics are available, there were nearly 2.5 million unpaid POA fines totalling close to $1 billion, owed largely to Ontario municipalities. According to the OAPSB, that number has since grown and outstanding fines now total more than $1 billion.
The magnitude of the delinquency in paying these fines undermines public safety, the rule of law, and accountability. It also has a significant financial impact on municipalities, denying them much needed revenue.
In response to the Association’s advocacy efforts, in 2010 the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services requested that the OAPSB prepare a position paper on the matter. This initiative was supported by the Attorney General. The resulting White Paper enclosed as Annex A (issued separately) was released at a media conference at Queen’s Park on November 9, 2011, and is the product of more than a year of research and extensive stakeholder consultations.
The OAPSB is calling on the Provincial Government to ensure better coordination and data-sharing with municipalities, strengthen enforcement powers, and create payment incentives and alternative penalties to help get the system back on track.
The OAPSB is encouraging police services boards to share the White Paper with their local Councils, and to advocate with their MPPs to take immediate action on the recommendations contained in the Paper. Board Chair El-Chantiry has raised this issue with local MPP’s since the White Paper was released. Fines from POA notices are forwarded to the City and not the police service, and therefore this matter is of keen interest to the City. As revenue from POA fines flows to the municipality, it is recommended that the OAPSB White Paper be forwarded to City Council for information and any action it deems appropriate.
Not applicable.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Not applicable.
CONCLUSION
The OAPSB has made unpaid POA fines one of its main advocacy issues over the past couple of years and in November issued a White Paper on the subject calling on the Provincial Government to take action to address the problem. As POA revenue flows to the City, it is recommended that the Board receive the OAPSB White Paper for information and forward it to City Council for information and any action that it deems appropriate.
(Original signed by)
W. Fedec
Annex A - issued separately