Inquiry: About 150 years ago I got an $80 speeding ticket which I paid in Napanee Ontario. A few months later I received notice of suspension for not paying the fine. I informed them I had paid it but they claimed to have no record. I could not find the receipt ( i was 20 years old & didnt think to keep track of it). Being young and stupid, instead of just paying it again I said “forget that” and kept driving as I felt I should not have to stop driving because of their screw up. Anyways I was stopped at a random check at a later date and clearly was charged for driving while suspended. I went to court, but in preparation i turned my apartment upside down and found the receipt for that original speeding ticket payment proving I had paid it. I went to court and presented this as evidence that I had paid and therefore the suspension should not have applied. The Justice agreed and dismissed the driving suspended charge…. but, the crown argued that I should still be charged with driving without insurance. I also had proof that I had insurance and was fully up to date. The argument made that the Justice ended up agreeing with was that regardless if I had insurance, I had not informed the company that I was under suspension ( justly or not) and that HAD I been in an accident the insurance company would not have covered me as I was under suspension thereby technically putting me in the position of not having insurance.
Although that may be ridiculous and unfair etc etc, I ended up with $5000 fine for the no insurance. My question now is, it’s 15 years later, In those 15 years I have had to take care of my family and have been confined to $10 or $12 an hour jobs, barely making enough to take care of my family let alone have so much as an extra $5 here and there to pay off $5000. I have been passed over for better paying jobs that would actually allowed me to start paying off this fine because the positions required a valid drivers licence.
There is now another position available that will double my current pay, but once again requires at least a G1 licence. If I can get this job I can actually be able to pay off this fine. Is there anyway to get my licence back with a payment plan with the courts?
Response: You will need to contact the court to see what options are open to you. Had you dealt with the outstanding fine earlier, it may have been possible to file a simple application for an extension of time to pay the fine. Given the age of the outstanding fine, that may no longer be an option. For the small time investment of speaking with a court clerk, it is worth investigating what options are currently open for you in dealing with the outstanding fine.
Sincerely,
Greg Currie
Office Manager (London)