The By-Law Enforcement Department and the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS)
The By-Law Enforcement Department and the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS)
A municipality's By-law Enforcement Department is responsible for ensuring that local by-laws, regulations and policies are respected. Its responsibilities generally include :
In summary, the By-law Enforcement Department plays a crucial role in maintaining order and safety in the community by ensuring that standards are respected.
The Town uses a ticketing system called the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS). This system was implemented in 2024 and applies to parking tickets and other municipal by-law infractions in the Town of Hawkesbury. AMPS is managed entirely by the Town of Hawkesbury and will eventually replace the judicial appeal process.
AMPS is an emerging approach to dealing with minor by-law infractions in a fair, effective and efficient manner. This approach is designed to streamline the enforcement process and increase compliance with the Town of Hawkesbury's parking by-laws, among others.
AMPS transfers by-law disputes from the courtroom to the municipality through independent Hearing Review and Control Officers who can modify, cancel or confirm penalties. This approach helps reduce congestion in the courts and provides a more local and accessible dispute resolution system.
The use of AMPS has become standard practice in many municipalities, in the province, in the federal and provincial governments, and in other jurisdictions around the world. In Ontario, the use of Municipal AMPS is permitted by the Municipal Act, 2001.
This measure was introduced to help overburdened courts by simplifying the process and enabling municipalities to deal with minor by-law infractions. It provides a faster, more flexible process for the payment, appeal and collection of municipal penalties. The AMPS program helps speed up the process by resolving minor by-law infraction issues in a matter of weeks, while maintaining a person's right to request a review of their penalty notice.
A Penalty Notice is the same as a ticket, except that it requires payment of a penalty instead of a fine. A Notice of Penalty is issued by a municipal By-law Enforcement Officer to a person who has committed a by-law violation
Town of Hawkesbury By-law Enforcement Officers may issue a Notice of Penalty by one of the following methods:
Note: Parking penalty notices are generally issued by attaching the notice to the vehicle or by sending it directly to the operator.
You have two options: pay the penalty notice or request a review by a Screening Officer.
If you receive a penalty notice, you have the right, within a limited period (15 days), to contest the penalty by requesting a screening review. You can file a request :
If the matter is still in dispute following the Screening Review, you may request a review by a Hearing Officer. A request must be made within fifteen (15) week days (excluding weekends) of receipt of the Screening Officer's decision. It is important to note that you can only appeal an investigation once the Screening Officer's decision has been issued, and that only the information and evidence presented during the review will be considered during the Hearing Officer's review.
It's important to mention that the Screening Review and Hearing process is completely free of charge.
