Inquiry: In january 2012 I was charged roughly $2300.00 for driving without insurance, driving with expired license, and driving with unregistered plates. I was given 12 months too pay but have not been able to pay any of the fine yet, will my license be automatically suspended until paid? And is it possible to get fines lowered this long after due date in certain finacial situations?
Response: If your deadline for fine payment was January 2013 (9 months ago), then your licence may currently be under suspension for non-payment. One of the unfortunate situations we often see clients mired in is when they simply ignore an outstanding fine without working with the court to address it. Shortly after a fine’s due date is missed, the court will update the MTO regarding the unpaid fine, the MTO will then suspend the driver’s licence. This can cause a lot of hardship such as loss of employment and difficulty in meeting family, medical, and community responsibilities where driving is required. As well, once the fines have finally been addressed the MTO charges $150.00 to reinstate a licence after it has been suspended. Generally, so long as the Defendant has been making some form of payment to the court on a regular basis, an Application For An Extension Of Time To Pay Fine may be made to the court. The application is a very simple one-page form. Again, so long as the Defendant has been showing good will in making even modest regular payments, the Court will almost always grant an extension to the payment deadline. If you are nine months beyond your deadline, you may not be able to make this application. Best advice would be to speak with a court clerk about your fine and see what options are currently available to you.
Sincerely,
Greg Currie
Office Manger (London)