Municipal Ticketing Pilot Program Expanded

Legislative amendments introduced in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Minister of Municipal Affairs, will expand a pilot program to allow six of the larger municipalities in the province the ability to enforce property-related by-laws through ticketing. The expanded project requires amendments to the Municipalities Act and the Urban and Rural Planning Act as a component to allowing communities to collect fines for property violations.

“These amendments are providing our larger municipalities the authority to ticket property owners who violate by-laws, while also creating a better way for municipalities to collect the fines issued,” said Minister O’Brien. “This is another tool to help municipalities ensure compliance with the rules and regulations of their cities and towns, where enforcement capabilities currently exist. Through ongoing discussions with these six communities, all have expressed a strong interest for enhanced ticketing capacity in an effort to further enforce by-laws within their boundaries.”

In 2007, the Provincial Government initiated a pilot project in municipal ticketing which allowed St. John’s, Mount Pearl, and Corner Brook to issue tickets for property-related offences such as violations of occupancy and maintenance, snow clearing, garbage collection and noise regulations. Similar to property tax, an unpaid fine associated with a ticket will attach as a lien upon the property which is the subject of the ticket. At that time, amendments were made to legislation to provide the initial three communities the necessary authority. Under this expanded initiative, the municipalities which will now benefit from the project are Conception Bay South, Paradise, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Labrador City, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

“Communities which began municipal ticketing initiatives under the pilot project have found great success in their ability to enforce by-laws and ensure compliance,” said Minister O’Brien. “Through this expanded program, when certain property-related offences occur within these additional communities they will be able to take direct action and have the offences ticketed and payable through Provincial Court.”

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Media contact:
Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Municipal Affairs
709-729-1983, 693-1865
TansyMundon@gov.nl.ca 

2012 04 03             3:40 p.m.