Council is pursuing a newer, easier way to go about dealing with minor bylaw infraction cases.
The city will apply to the Province for a new “bylaw notice process.” The change means you can fight things like parking tickets and noise complaint in front of a local adjudicator, instead of a judge.
Currently, trials also require investigators, witnesses, and accused to be present. Lawyers can cost hundreds of dollars and hour, and scheduled court times often change.
The new system through the Local Government Bylaw Notice Enforcement Act will sidestep a lot of these formalities. The chosen adjudicator will cost a fraction of a lawyer. You won’t even have to be present to explain your side of the story; a written letter or phone call will do, which means you don’t have to take time off work for court dates.
Another benefit, according to City Manager of Bylaw Services Fred Crittenden, is the new process will be much faster than the current system.
“We have a ticket before the courts right now, we have a trial set for it in August. That ticket was written last summer so we’re talking a year before we got to a trial. That won’t happen with the adjudication process.”
Crittenden calls this a win for taxpayers, the city, and those fighting a ticket.
“This gives people an opportunity to be heard locally, to be heard fairly quickly, and to feel like they’ve gone through a process that was fair and impartial.”
The city will seek permission from the Ministry of Attorney General to add Prince George to the Bylaw Notice Enforcement Regulation. It could take about a year before it’s approved and comes back to Council.
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