Espanola, Elliot Lake and Blind River Courts

Unless otherwise advised or indicated, matters will be heard in person at the court address listed on your certificate of offence or roadside summons.

Individuals who require a disability-related accommodation or assistance are required to contact the Provincial Offences Office to advise that they wish to appear in-person.

If you have chosen the option to have your matter proceed via zoom, please see the call-in details below

 Below are the zoom details on how to join court. 

IMPORTANT!  If you wish to participate in your trial remotely (by video) you must complete the form below and submit to the Court Office with your completed Office Notice.

REMOTE APPEARANCE FORM (VIDEO METHODS)

Online:
(A minimal fee of 1.75% of the total ticket owing to a maximum of $3.00 will be applied to each payment)
VISA® or MasterCard® by clicking on the Paytickets Logo below:

Or, visit  www.ontario.ca/ticketsandfines

1. Find out the status of your case
2. Find out how to pay your ticket or fine

You'll need the location code and offence number printed on your ticket or notice. If you’ve been issued a summons, you’ll also need your case number.

By Phone:
Call 705-862-7875 with Valid VISA®  or Master Card®  during business Hours
The office hours are Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm and from 12:45 pm to 5:00 pm

By Mail:
Cheque, money order, bank draft, VISA® or MasterCard®
Provincial Offences Court
100 Tudhope Street, Suite 4
Espanola, ON P5E 1S6

All cheques should be made payable to the Town of Espanola.

In Person:
Cash, debit card, VISA®, MasterCard®,  cheque, money order or bank draft.

Provincial Offences Court
100 Tudhope Street, Suite 4
Espanola, ON P5E 1S6

All cheques should be made payable to the Town of Espanola.

When you receive your offence notice (ticket) you have 15 days to exercise one of the options listed on the back of the offence notice. These options are explained below.

However, failure to take action within the 15 day time frame, you will be deemed not to dispute the charge and a conviction will be entered, subject to an administration charge.

Arrangements for Option 2 (Guilty with explanation) and Option 3 (Trial Date Request) are made through the office.

OPTION 1: Plea of Guilty  - Payment of Fine Out of Court

Remit the full amount indicated in the "Total Payable" box on your offence notice to the Provincial Offences Office.

OPTION 2: Plea of guilty With an Explanation

By choosing this option knows as a “walk-in-guilty” you are stating that you are guilty but wish to provide more information about your ability to pay the fine or that you need more time to pay. Contact the court office listed on the Offence Notice to schedule an appointment to speak with a Justice of the Peace. The Justice of the Peace after hearing your submissions, may reduce the dollar amount of the charge or give an extension of time to pay. The Justice of the Peace cannot change the charge nor the demerit points.

Please call the court office at 705-862-7875 to schedule an appointment for a  Walk in Guilty Plea.

OPTION 3: Trial

Sign the reverse side of your offence notice (blue copy) and send it to the Provincial Offences Office.

Ensure to indicate your proper mailing address, if it is different from the address on the front of the ticket.  You will receive a Notice of Trial in the mail.

Summons:

If you received a Summons, it will indicate a court date instead of a fine.  You are required to attend court on the date indicated on the Summons. If you cannot attend, you must make arrangements for an agent to attend on your behalf.   If you or an agent fails to appear in court, a warrant may be issued for your arrest, or the court may proceed to trial in your absence. The procedures indicated above do not apply to Summons.   If you require additional information, call the Provincial Offences Office at 705.862.7875.

To speed up the administrative process, Court Services has made some forms available online. Please print out the form you require, fill it out and forward to our office for processing.

1. If you wish to schedule a trial, but lost your copy of the certificate of offence  fill out  Form POA813 (Notice of Intention to Appear - Fillable).
2. Extension of Time to Pay Fine Forms:
   
   1. Application for Extension of Time to Pay Fine (Fillable)
   2. Application to Justice to Strike out Conviction (Fillable)
3. Reopening: Forms  POA0801 English (Fillable) Record of Reopening Application POA 0801 French (Fillable)
4. In order to ask for an adjournment of your trial you must complete the Notice of Motion and Affidavit.  The original must be filed in our office 3 business days prior to the court date:

General Form for Affidavit  A written statement that must accompany the Notice of Motion (POA0007)
Notice of Motion  Please use if you want to bring an application before the court.  Please file well in advance of your court date.  A General form for Affidavit (POA0006) must accompany this form.
Change of Address Form

GUIDE for Defendants in Provincial Offences Cases
GUIDE to self-represented parties for Appeals in Provincial Offences Cases
Cour de justice de l'Ontario-Guide pour les défendeurs dans les causes liées aux infractions provinciales

**Please note that court staff cannot provide legal advice**

Who are we?

In June 2000 The Espanola Court Services Area began the administration functions for the Elliot Lake and Blind River Court Service areas. The Court Service Area includes the City of Elliot Lake, The Town of Blind River, The Township of North Shore and The Town of Spanish

How many demerit points do I have?

Demerit points are controlled by the Ministry of Transportation. The Provincial Offences Court is only concerned with the administration of justice and has no control over demerit points. For driver and vehicle information, you should contact your local Ministry of Transportation office at 416.235.2999 or 1.800.387.3445.

What if I need more time to pay my fine?

If you need more time to pay a Provincial Offences fine, you need to make an application for an extension of time to pay the fine. The forms are available at any Provincial Offences Office. You will need to indicate a specific date that you would like the fine extended to. For larger fines, the Justices of the Peace in this area will require you to indicate your proposed payment plan, i.e. how much monthly are you able to pay.  Once the forms are completed you must return them to the Provincial Offences Office and they will be submitted to a Clerk of the Court/ Justice of the Peace for a decision.

What happens if I do not pay my fine?

• Failure to pay your fine will result in enforcement activities. 
• Suspension of driver's licence  (Part I and III offences);
• Unable to renew your licence validation plate sticker  (Part II offence - parking ticket);
• Matter will be referred to a collection agency;
• Civil enforcement which may include: garnishment of wages, bank accounts, registering liens against your property ; etc.
• Additional costs

My driver's licence has been suspended.  What do I do now?

If you have received notification that your driver's licence has been suspended due to unpaid fines, please contact your local Provincial Offences Office.

The unpaid fine will have to be paid in full in order to reinstate your licence.  Once the fine is paid, you will also have to attend a Service Ontario Office (Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office) in order to reinstate your licence.  

If you pay your fine and not pay the reinstatement fee, you will still be considered to be a suspended driver.  If you drive, you could subject yourself to a driving while under suspension charge.

What is the victim fine surcharge (VFS) indicated on my ticket?

The Provincial Government adds a victim surcharge to every fine, excluding parking tickets, imposed under the Provincial Offences Act. The proceeds of the Victim Fine Surcharge fund are used by the province to maintain and expand services to victims of crime.

What if I cannot attend court on my scheduled trial date?

If you are unable to appear on the scheduled date, a motion and supporting Affidavit have to be filed requesting an adjournment. These must be completed and filed at least three (3) days before your scheduled court date. You may have an agent or representative attend on your behalf to speak to the motion. 

The forms can be obtained at any Provincial Offences Office or by contacting us at 705.862.7875.

If you take no action, or do not file the required documentation, you will be found guilty of the offence in your absence.

Office Hours:
Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30 pm
Closed Noon to 1:00 pm

Location:
Provincial Offences Court Office
100 Tudhope Street, Suite 4
Espanola, ON P5E 1S6 
Phone 705.862.7875        Fax 705.862.7876

Manager of Court Services: Christine Desjardins

Email: [email protected]

Disclosure request should be done as soon as possible to avoid any delays with your court matter.

 OFFENCE NOTICE (PART 1)

If you received an offence notice (part 1) and have requested a trial, you are entitled to receive disclosure prior to your court date.  Please fill out the form below as soon as possible and send to Mr. Fournier's office at [email protected].  You can also call his office to set up a telephone meeting to have resolution discussions.  This will speed up your court process and avoid any delays with you matter.

Disclosure Request Form

SUMMONS TO DEFENDANT (PART 3)

If you received a summons to defendant (part 3) to appear in court, you can contact the Crown Attorney's office to request your disclosure. 

If your summons indicates to appear in Elliot Lake or Blind River, email your request to the following:  [email protected]

If your summons indicates to appear in Espanola, email your request to the following:  [email protected]

Remember to include the following in the subject line:  Your name, your court date, disclosure request

If you are unsure who to request your disclosure from, call the Provincial Offences office at 705-862-7875 and someone can assist you.

If you would like to verify the status of your driver's licence, please visit this link and follow the instructions. . www.dlc.rus.mto.gov.on.ca/dlc