Transport Canada wants feedback on proposed changes to the Contraventions Regulations to designate new provisions of the Canada Marine Act and other related regulations as contraventions.
Background
In 1992 the Contraventions Act made it possible for enforcement officers to issue a ticket for federal offences outlined in the regulations. The Contraventions Regulations identify and describe the types of federal offences that can use this system, and set the fine for each one.
Without this simplified process, offenders would have to appear in court, even for minor violations. This could be time consuming and costly to both the offender and the justice system. The contraventions regime represents a simpler way to deal with minor offences. Anyone issued a ticket under the Act can plead guilty and pay a fine without appearing in court or getting a criminal record.
We already issue tickets to enforce some parts of the Canada Marine Act:
- 55 offences under the Seaway Property Regulations, and
- One offence under the Port Authorities Operations Regulations
What we’re proposing
Transport Canada wants to deal with more minor offences by issuing tickets. These would be violations of the Canada Marine Act and the:
- Port Authorities Operations Regulations
- Public Ports and Public Port Facilities Regulations
- Seaway Property Regulations
- Natural and Man-made Harbour Navigation and Use Regulations
These regulations deal with the safety, order and operation of specific ports, harbours and properties managed by:
- Canada Port Authorities
- Transport Canada
- St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, and
- the Department of National Defence
For most violations, we will develop a short description of the banned behaviour and set a fine of $125 to $500. However, some fines for traffic-related offences could be as high as $2,000. These fines are based on existing fines for similar violations already listed in Schedule I of the Contraventions Regulations.