ADMINISTRATIVE MONETARY PENALTY SYSTEM (AMPS)

What Are AMPS?

The Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) is an improved way to pay and dispute Penalty Notices (tickets) for By-Law violations. The process allows the Municipality to manage disputes regarding Penalty Notices instead of the provincial courts.

If you receive a Penalty Notice you have two options:

1. Pay within fifteen (15) days of the Penalty Notice being issued. To find out more about payment options please refer to the back of the Penalty Notice.
2. Appeal the Penalty Notice. To request a Screening Review, the individual must request in writing, in person, by mail, or online. Once a Screening Request form is submitted a Screening Review can be scheduled. The Screening Review is conducted in person by a Screening Officer, who has the authority to Affirm, Amend, Rescind, or Extend time for payment.

How to Dispute a Penalty Notice:

Complete the Screening Review Form and return it to the Township Office within 15 days of the date the Penalty Notice was served.

When you request a Screening Review and fail to appear or remain at your scheduled In-Person Screening until your matter has been determined by the Screening Officer, you will be deemed to have abandoned your request for a Screening, the Administrative Penalty will be affirmed, and you will be liable for an additional non-appearance fee as per the AMPS By-Law.

What is different:

Prior to AMPS, ticket disputes were handled through the judicial system, and it could take up to a year to receive a hearing date in court. Under AMPS, Penalty Notice disputes are handled by the Township, through initial Screening Review and Hearing. With AMPS replacing the judicial process for appealing tickets, valuable provincial court time will be made available for more serious matters. The Screening officer is an individual that works for the Township. Penalty Notices issued under AMPS are deemed served, if issued at the time of the violation, hand delivered, sent by registered mail, or sent via email to the individual. 

Failure to respond to a Penalty Notice:

If you do not respond to the Penalty Notice by the due date — either by paying the penalty or scheduling a Screening Review — you automatically waive your right to a review, and the Administrative Penalty is deemed affirmed and not subject to review.

How to pay a Penalty Notice:

Payments for Penalty Notices must be made within fifteen (15) days of when the Penalty Notice issuance to avoid additional administrative fees. If payment is not received by the due date an additional surcharge will be added for late fees. If you fail to choose one of the below options within 15 days of receiving the notice, you will be deemed not to dispute the penalty. If the penalty goes into default, steps will be taken to enforce your defaulted penalty which includes adding the amount to the tax roll.