Halton Hills council motion seeking expediency to address court matters

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By Lucy Mazzucco

December 16, 2021 at 11:11 am

Halton Hills Town council motion is seeking expediency from Chief Justice to address court matters.

According to the Town, various parking infractions are still awaiting hearings with the possibility of cancellation due to a backlog of cases and a shortage of judicial resources.

This was discussed at a recent Council meeting, which has prompted the Town to take action.

“Halton Hills has brought forward a motion to urge the Chief Justice to quickly resolve the lack of judicial resources in the Provincial Offences Act (POA) courts so that important hearings can be scheduled and addressed in a timely manner,” said Mayor Rick Bonnette.

“The current judicial delays are directly impacting our enforcement services and the revenue that is derived from these penalties.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, provincial courts were closed for months. Recently, the Ontario Court of Justice approved continuing the reduced operating schedule which began back in March 2020. Both procedures and schedules have also been revised.

The courts have also indicated that trials for parking matters will not resume until in-person hearings can begin again, something which is not anticipated for another full year.

The Town of Halton Hills’ motion noted that copies of the resolution be forwarded to Lise Maisonneuve, Chief Justice in the Ontario Court of Justice, the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, the Honourable Ted Arnott, MPP Wellington-Halton Hills, the Small Urban GTHA Mayors and the local municipalities.