Provincial Offences Offices — Local services in Hamilton

New cameras all over the City of Hamilton to enforce new 50km speed zones, so be ready to deal with a lot of incompetence. First, the ticket I received gave a few options, pay the fine, early resolution meeting, or trial. I took the early resolution meeting (virtually), which took over 8 months to schedule, thinking I could get the fine reduced. The meeting is not private, it's a huge group and the first thing the prosecutor says is that he can't reduce the fines for anyone. So, you can go plead guilty to resolve, or go to trial. If you decide to plead guilty, he will immediately move you into another zoom call, with others pleading guilty, including those in person, who get priority over virtual callers. The female clerk is super rude, and abrupt, and at one point told people who had their hands up on zoom, to "put your hands down, because you'll be heard when you're heard". I found another male participant of the court to be appalling, when a gentleman who had been on the line for the past two hours at work in construction missed his name being called. There was a lack of compassion for the fact that he was clearly at work and didn't have the same flexibility that others had, and they quickly bypassed him when he answered a moment too late. It also highlighted how grossly incompetent the whole procedure was. I wasted two hours on this, so save yourself and just pay the fine when you get the letter in the mail because the outcome is the same, without an excruciating two hours waiting to plead guilty. In this case, the fine did not result in any demerit points or affect insurance, so I wasted time for nothing just to have to pay the full fine anyways. The judge will ask you how much time you need to pay, and you can negotiate on that if you need more than the...

Previous review mostly true regarding speed camera tickets. You plead guilty and pay the fine in person or take it to trial. If you lose the trial, your fine will increase. Must be luck, because I only spent 30 mins from walking in to paying my fine. In person does not get priority but red light camera tickets do before speed cameras. Clerks, prosecutors, and judge were all professional. There's no way they can reduce a speed camera fine for any reason, so better...

parking is an issue, and depending on time of day, wait times can arise. Most important though is that the counter staff, who deal constantly with people coming in to deal with a difficult situation, focus on helping folk accomplish their goals. They don't have "happy" customers but the counter staff is always pleasant, hardworking and very effective, both for customers and the legal system. Kudos for a great system manned by great staff! Thanks...