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Defending Charges: Provincial Offences Issues
Question: What is a provincial offence in Ontario, and does it constitute a criminal record?
Answer: Provincial offences in Ontario, governed by the Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33, are regulatory violations involving laws protecting societal interests. While they are quasi-criminal, convictions do not result in a criminal record. However, they can lead to significant penalties. At Legacy Legal Services, you can find guidance to effectively navigate and defend against these charges. Contact us to safeguard your rights.
Provincial Offence Allegations as Being Charges Considered as Quasi-Criminal Matters
Provincial offences are quasi-crimes or regulatory offences in that they are violation of laws enacted to regulate individual conduct for the protection of society as a whole and they are prosecuted by a Prosecutor as an agent of the state, meaning as a representative of the people; however, unlike criminal offences, upon conviction of a provincial offence a person avoids establishing a criminal record. With this said, although conviction for a provincial offence fails to establish a criminal record, the consequences for conviction of a provincial offence may still carry heavy penalties and consequences for the convicted person.
The Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33, as well as the Rules of the Ontario Court (Provincial Division) in Provincial Offences Proceedings, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 200, provide the procedural law that guides the process by which offences within numerous substantive law statutes are prosecuted. The range in matters falling under the purview of provincial offences is very broad. Concerns involving provincial offences include:
