The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Manitoba is modernizing how numerous provincial offences are prosecuted and how municipal bylaws enforced. The NDP government on Monday introduced Bill 38, the Provincial Offences Act, which would replace the 50-year-old Summary Convictions Act. The legislation would deal with regulatory offences, including speeding tickets, hunting and fishing offences and Liquor Act violations. Under the proposed law, most regulatory offences would result in tickets with pre-set fines. This would give people the option of paying their fines without having to go to a court office or make a court appearance. Individuals who would wish to speak to a justice or have a hearing would continue to have these options available. Another change would allow police officers and equipment testers to submit documents to court, called certificate evidence, to prove technical or routine matters. For example, this could be used to show speed-timing devices were operating properly at the time a ticket was issued. Police officers and testers currently have to be in court to present this evidence. This new system would allow police officers to spend more time on the street. The use of certificate evidence would be allowed only in matters with a pre-set fine. The courts would still have the authority to require a police officer or tester to attend in person if necessary. The NDP also introduced complementary legislation, the Municipal By-law Enforcement Act. It would create a new, standardized administrative approach to adjudicate municipal parking bylaw infractions, and could be used for other bylaw infractions where municipalities elect to do so. Municipalities would appoint municipal screening officers to hear disputes with a right of review by an adjudicator. Justice Minister Andrew Swan said nearly 200,000 provincial regulatory offences are processed in Manitoba courts every year. 'This legislation is a further reform to ensure a modern and efficient justice system,' he said. 'Our priority is to ensure legislation dealing with provincial regulatory offences remains clear and relevant and today we are taking an important step forward. 'Manitoba has set high standards for public welfare, health and safety that will be better protected through a modernized approach to enforcement.' _ Compiled from a Government of Manitoba news release
