09/07/2021
The importance of paying your traffic/parking ticket fines.
I'd like to comment on traffic tickets and the importance of paying their corresponding - though seemingly "unimportant" - fines. Not only traffic ticket fines; even unpaid parking offenses can cause you great problems.
Many new-Canadians ignore the severity of Canadian laws. Hispanics, especially (I'm one of them and know first hand), who are used to leaving everything for "tomorrow", may create their own demise by "forgetting" or ignoring these fines.
To make things worse, people frequently tend to "forget" to report their change of address, which causes the mailed suspension notification to never reach them and make them aware. This may cause them to be convicted in absence and their driver's license to be suspended.
As a result, they go "happy go lucky" driving around with a suspended license. Fate, most expectedly, will cause these drivers to be stopped on a routine police spot check and be found in contravention of this driving prohibition. This new offense, driving while suspended, is a more serious offense which unless justified by a "life or death situation" will be seen by a judge as contempt for the law and predisposes him/her to be unsympathetic towards a "recidivist" offender.
Not only that. This offense comes with a new six months driving prohibition, added to the initial six months from the first inadvertent conviction and a very high fine, and maybe some compulsory counselling and certainly extra fees for having your driver's license reinstated.
When you finally decide to hire a paralegal to assist you with these offenses you have to be honest and candid about your driving history. Omitting past driving offenses will surely negatively affect your current situation because the MTO keeps a tally of all of them. Further, when your paralegal is in court trying to defend you and is told by the prosecutor about past offenses, which the former is not prepared for, that causes his/her defense of your case to falter. As a result, whatever optimistic outcome your paralegal may have forecast for you is suddenly gone. In fact, not making your paralegal aware of your driving history is sabotaging your own case.
Get some legal advise and leave this serious case in the hands of your trusted paralegal. My primordial obligation towards my clients is to use every available tool under the law to defend your rights, your driving record, and to minimize your demerit points and whatever fine you may ultimately have to pay.
I'll be expecting your call. Onwards for justice!