Contraventions Act (S.C. 1992, c. 47)

Short Title

Marginal note:Short title

1 This Act may be cited as the Contraventions Act.

Interpretation

Marginal note:Definitions

2 In this Act,

Attorney General

Attorney General means the Attorney General of Canada or the Attorney General of a province, and includes counsel or an agent exercising any of the powers or performing any of the duties and functions of the Attorney General for the purposes of the applicable laws of a province or this Act, as the case may be; (procureur général)

contravention

contravention means an offence that is created by an enactment and is designated as a contravention by regulation of the Governor in Council; (contravention)

contraventions court

contraventions court means, in respect of a contravention alleged to have been committed in, or otherwise within the territorial jurisdiction of the courts of, a province, a court designated by order of the Governor in Council in respect of that province; (tribunal des contraventions)

enactment

enactment means any Act of Parliament or any regulation, rule, order, by-law or ordinance made under an Act of Parliament; (texte)

enforcement authority

enforcement authority means, in respect of a contravention,

• (a) any police officer or constable, including a special or auxiliary constable,

• (b) the minister responsible for administering the enactment creating the contravention,

• (c) any person, or member of a class of persons, designated by the minister responsible for administering the enactment creating the contravention, or

• (d) the corporation or other body that made or is responsible for administering the enactment creating the contravention; (agent de l’autorité)

fees

fees means any of the amounts provided for under paragraph 8(1)(e); (frais)

forfeitable thing

forfeitable thing[Repealed, 1996, c. 7, s. 1]

Minister

Minister means the Minister of Justice; (ministre)

prescribed

prescribed means prescribed by regulation; (réglementaire)

ticket

ticket means a ticket issued under this Act; (procès-verbal)

young person

young person means, in respect of a contravention, a person who, at the time of the contravention, is or, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, appears to be twelve years of age or more but under eighteen years of age; (adolescent)

youth court

youth court[Repealed, 2002, c. 1, s. 167]

youth justice court

youth justice court means, in respect of a contravention alleged to have been committed by a young person in, or otherwise within the territorial jurisdiction of the courts of, a province, the court established or designated by or under an Act of the legislature of the province, or designated by the Governor in Council or lieutenant governor in council of the province, as the youth justice court for the purposes of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. (tribunal pour adolescents)

Her Majesty

Marginal note:Binding on Her Majesty

3 This Act is binding on Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province.

Purpose

Marginal note:Purpose

4 The purposes of this Act are

• (a) to provide a procedure for the prosecution of contraventions that reflects the distinction between criminal offences and regulatory offences and that is in addition to the procedures set out in the Criminal Code for the prosecution of contraventions and other offences; and

• (b) to alter or abolish the consequences in law of being convicted of a contravention, in light of that distinction.

Relationship with Other Acts

Marginal note:Relationship with Criminal Code and Youth Criminal Justice Act

5 The provisions of the Criminal Code relating to summary conviction offences and the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act apply to proceedings in respect of contraventions that are commenced under this Act, except to the extent that this Act, the regulations or the rules of court provide otherwise.

6 [Repealed, 1996, c. 7, s. 3]

Marginal note:Relationship with arrest provisions

7 A power of arrest in respect of an offence that is conferred by an enactment may be exercised in respect of the offence even though the offence is designated as a contravention, but nothing in this Act confers or enlarges a power of arrest.

Designation of Offences

Marginal note:Regulations

• 8 (1) The Governor in Council may, for the purposes of this Act, make regulations

  • (a) designating as contraventions offences created by any enactment, other than offences for which an offender may be prosecuted only on indictment;

  • (b) establishing short-form descriptions of contraventions;

  • (c) establishing, in respect of a contravention, an amount as the amount of the fine for the purposes of proceedings commenced by means of a ticket;

  • The following provision is not in force.

    (d) prescribing the form of tickets and other forms that may be used for the purposes of this Act;

  • (e) providing for the fees, costs, penalties and other amounts that

    • (i) shall be imposed in respect of a contravention, or

    • (ii) may be imposed in respect of a contravention,

    in the circumstances prescribed, at any stage of the proceedings; and

  • (f) prescribing classes of contraventions for the purposes of this Act.

• Marginal note:Fees

  (1.1) Different fees may be provided for in respect of each province.

• Marginal note:Revocation of designation

  (2) For greater certainty, the Governor in Council may revoke the designation of an offence as a contravention.

• Marginal note:Maximum fine

  (3) An amount established under paragraph (1)(c) may not exceed the maximum amount established for the relevant offence by the enactment creating the offence.

• Marginal note:Maximum fine for contraventions by young persons

  (4) An amount established under paragraph (1)(c) in respect of a contravention, other than a contravention relating to parking a vehicle, may not exceed one hundred dollars, if the contravention is committed by a young person.

• Marginal note:Minimum fine

  (5) An amount established under paragraph (1)(c) may not be less than any minimum amount prescribed for the relevant offence by the enactment creating the offence.

• Marginal note:Corporations and individuals

  (6) Different amounts may be established under paragraph (1)(c) in respect of corporations and individuals committing the same contravention if the enactment creating the offence differentiates between them in prescribing the punishment for the offence.

• Marginal note:Sufficiency of short-form description

  (7) The use on a form prescribed under this Act of a short-form description established under paragraph (1)(b) or of a description that deviates from that description without affecting its substance is sufficient for all purposes to describe the contravention.

• (8) [Repealed, 1996, c. 7, s. 4]

Completion and Service of Tickets

11 [Repealed, 1996, c. 7, s. 5]