Fine collections
Court Services refers unpaid fines to collection agencies
Individuals whose Provincial Offences Act (POA) fines have gone into default can expect to hear from a collection agency the City of Toronto has retained for the collection of unpaid fines.
Under the Collection Agency Act, an agency is permitted to send letters and conduct follow-up calls for purposes of collecting a debt or unpaid fine. Representatives of the agencies will encourage individuals to pay the defaulted fines and/or make payment arrangements if necessary. The amount of the fine cannot be reduced or varied without a court order.
The collection agencies currently under contract are as follows:
- ARO
- IQOR
- Allied Inc.
- CBV
- ARC
- Nor Don
Consequences of not paying fines for certain provincial offences may include the suspension of a driver's licence. Losing a driver's licence also incurs other costs, including a fee payable to the Province of Ontario to reinstate the licence.
Should your fine remain outstanding, the City of Toronto, Court Services may utilize driver's licence suspension or civil enforcement to recover the fine.
Civil enforcement
With civil enforcement, the fine is transferred to either the Small Claims Court or a higher court. The following enforcement actions may be applied:
- Debtor Examinations - the debtor is interviewed in front of a judge to determine financial ability to pay the debt.
- Execution Against Lands - this is a legal instrument which registers the unpaid fine as a debt against your property.
- Garnishments - this is a legal process which requires your employer/financial institution to pay a portion of your wages to the court as payment towards clearing your debt.
Collection enquiries
If you have any questions or concerns, e-mail us at POACollections@toronto.ca
