Answering Your Questions about AMPS

About the AMPS Program

What is Brampton’s Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS)?

The City of Brampton’s Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) is an emerging approach to dealing with minor parking by-law infractions, in a manner that is fair, effective and efficient. This approach has been adopted by numerous municipalities, the province and the federal government and is designed to streamline the enforcement process and increase compliance with the City of Brampton’s parking by-laws.

The AMPS program of enforcement transfers parking by-law disputes from the courtroom to the municipality through the use of independent Screening and Hearing Review Officers who are able to modify, cancel, or affirm penalties. This approach aids in reducing congestion in the courts as well as providing a more local and accessible dispute resolution system. The phasing in of the new AMPS program began June 2, 2014.

Why did the City of Brampton move to the new AMPS program?

The use of the AMPS program has become a common practice amongst numerous municipalities, the province, the federal government, and in other jurisdictions around the world. In Ontario, the use of municipal AMPS is legislated under the Municipal Act, 2001.

This measure was introduced to help the over-burdened courts by streamlining the process and allowing municipalities to handle minor parking by-law infractions. Brampton City Council first adopted the use of AMPS in February 2013.

How is the new AMPS program better?

Resolving minor parking by-law infractions could potentially take months in the congested court system. The new AMPS program helps to speed up the process by resolving minor parking by-law infraction matters in weeks while maintaining an individual’s right to request a review of their Penalty Notice.

The AMPS Program is more effective because:

Citizens can resolve parking by-law matters in a more convenient and citizen-friendly environment
The City is more capable in dealing with minor parking by-law infractions in a timely manner;
Citizens may request an extension of time in which to request a review by a Screening or Hearing Review Officer;
Citizens may request an extension of time to pay a penalty from a Screening or Hearing Review Officer;
It reduces congestion in provincial courts; and,
Better use of court time and other resources for more serious matters – the AMPS Program allows the over-burdened provincial courts to address more serious matters such as Highway Traffic Act offences.

About Penalty Notices

What is a Penalty Notice? And what do they look like?

A Penalty Notice is the same as a “ticket” except that it requires payment of a penalty instead of a fine. The Penalty Notice is issued by a Municipal By-Law Enforcement Officer to an individual when they have committed a parking by-law infraction.

An image of a Penalty Notice can be seen on the right.

Click here to view a larger image.

How are Penalty Notices issued?

The City of Brampton Municipal By-Law Enforcement Officers can issue a Penalty Notice through the following methods:

In person
On vehicle

Note: Parking-related Penalty Notices are generally issued by attaching the notice to the vehicle or by serving the notice directly to the operator.

Do Penalty Notices cost more than traditional fines?

No.

Penalty Notices issued under the City of Brampton AMPS program do not cost more than traditional fines. However, in certain cases, additional administrative fees may be applied to the original penalty amount.

Are there any additional administrative fees?

Yes.

Under specific circumstances, additional fees are applied to the original penalty due. For instance, additional administrative fees are applied to late payments ($15), the failure to attend a scheduled Screening ($50) or Hearing ($100) review, and to retrieve registered vehicle owner information ($10) from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) in order to communicate with the vehicle owner about the penalty notice.

What do I do if I have an Accessible Parking Permit and received a Penalty Notice?

There are a few circumstances where a person with a valid Accessible Parking Permit receives a parking penalty notice may request the parking penalty be cancelled or voided.

Unless the penalty notice is for one of the parking infractions eligible to be cancelled or voided, the person receiving the penalty notice is responsible for the parking penalty notice and may dispute the penalty notice through a Screening Review and/or Hearing Review.

If a driver is given a Penalty Notice and does not have the Accessibility Parking Permit displayed, but can produce the valid Accessibility Parking Permit at a later date, penalty notices may be cancelled or voided as determined by the City.

Evidence must be provided to establish that the criteria to cancel or void a penalty notice has been met, including:

1. A valid copy of the Accessible Parking Permit

2. If the vehicle is not registered to the Accessible Parking Permit holder, an original letter signed by the Accessible Parking Permit holder stating that they were with the registered owner on the date and at the time of infraction.

This information must be provided at the time of request to cancel or void a penalty notice due to a valid Accessible Parking Permit.

I just received a Penalty Notice. What now?

What are my options when a Penalty Notice is issued?

1. Pay the Penalty Notice; or
2. Request a review by a Screening Officer.

How can I pay a Penalty Notice?

1. On Line (create a link) (VISA, MasterCard, American Express)
2. By mail (cheque only)
3. In person (cash, cheque, debit, VISA, MasterCard, American Express)
4. By telephone (VISA, MasterCard, American Express)

How can I request a review of my Penalty Notice?

The registered owner of the vehicle or the person named in the Penalty Notice may request an initial review ("Screening") of the Penalty Notice by a Screening Review Officer by submitting a request for a Screening Review by calling Brampton 311 or calling 905-874-2404 and speaking to a customer service representative or Attend in person to schedule a Screening Review at:

Ontario Court of Justice, Provincial Offences Office

5 Ray Lawson Blvd., Brampton Ontario

Southwest corner of Hurontario (Hwy 10) and Ray Lawson Blvd.
Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Type of screening that can be requested:

In-Person Screening at the City of Brampton’s POA court facility

What if I am not satisfied with the result of a Screening?

If the matter is still in dispute following the review by the Screening Review Officer, you may request a review by a Hearing Review Officer at Brampton’s POA Court Facility. A request must be made within fifteen (15) calendar days following the receipt of the Screening Review Officer’s decision. It is important to note that you may only appeal the Screening Review Officer's decision and that only the information/evidence submitted at the Screening will be considered at the Hearing Review.

Does it cost anything to request a Screening or Hearing?

No.

A fee is not charged for a review of a Penalty Notice.

Can I authorize someone else to act on my behalf?

Anyone can make payment on your behalf as long as they have your Penalty Notice and licence plate number.

The registered owner of the vehicle or the person named in the Penalty Notice is the only one who can request a Screening or Hearing Review and must attend the scheduled Screening or Hearing Review appointment.

An authorized representative (witness) may also attend a Screening or Hearing Review provided that they are authorized by the registered owner of the vehicle or the person named in the Penalty Notice.

When and where are Screening and Hearing Reviews held?

All Screening Reviews are held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (and sometimes Thursday) of each week and all Hearing Reviews are held on a Friday of each week at the City of Brampton POA court facility, Ontario Court of Justice, Provincial Offences Office - 5 Ray Lawson Blvd. (Southwest corner of Hurontario (Hwy 10) and Ray Lawson Blvd.) Brampton Ontario Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. While every attempt will be made to accommodate your preferred appointment time period, you should be aware that specific requests cannot always be guaranteed.

What if I don’t attend a scheduled Screening or Hearing Review?

The penalty notice amount will be affirmed and the registered owner of the vehicle or the person named in the Penalty Notice will be assessed a Failure to Appear fee of $50 for a Screening or $100 for a Hearing.

What if I missed the deadline to schedule a Screening?

You may request an extension in time to schedule a Screening. The request must be made within 30 days of the Penalty Notice being issued. The decision to grant an extension in time may or may not be approved by the Screening Officer.

What happens if I do nothing and ignore the Penalty Notice?

Failure to pay a Penalty Notice not only results in additional administrative fees but in addition parking penalties will be sent to the Ontario Registrar of Motor Vehicles who will deny the renewal of existing, or the issuance of new vehicle licence plates.