Penalty Order Options
Options
If you would like to speak to a staff member with respect to a Penalty Order or you have questions about Essa's Automated Speed Enforcement Program please contact us at 1-877-748-1025.
Please be advised that abusive language and bullying or threatening behaviour towards our staff will not be tolerated. Such behaviour will result in termination of the interaction.
If you have received a Penalty Order, you have the following two options available:
Make Payment
You can pay your penalty order using one of the following methods:
- pay online - the payment portal used for secure online payments is PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can select "Checkout as Guest" to proceed with your payment.
- pay in person by attending Township of Essa Administration Centre located at 5786 County Road 21, Utopia (acceptable payment methods - cash, debit, cheque, Visa/Mastercard)
- pay by mail - you can mail your payment to the Township of Essa Administration Centre located at 5786 County Road 21, Utopia, L0M 1T0
You are required to provide your Penalty Order Number as well as the registered license plate in order to make payment.
Appeal
There are 2 stages to an appeal of your Penalty Order.
Stage 1 - Request Review of Penalty Order by Screening Officer
You can appeal your Penalty Order by requesting a review of the Penalty Order by a Screening Officer. You have 30 days from the time the Penalty Order is issued to request a meeting. Screening Officer reviews are held on pre-determined dates and are held virtually.
Stage 2 - Request Review of Screening Officer's Decision by Hearing Officer
If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Screening Officer, you can request a review of the Screening Officer's decision by a Hearing Officer. Hearing reviews are held on pre-determined dates and are held virtually.
Frequently Asked Questions about Penalty Orders
The Province of Ontario passed Ontario Regulation 355/22 in 2022 to allow municipalities to issue Penalty Orders (Administrative Penalties) under the Provincial Administrative Penalty regime for contraventions of subsection 128(1) of the Highway Traffic Act that were captured using automated speed enforcement cameras. Administrative Penalties do not go through the court system; rather, they are collected and reported by the participating municipality to the Province.
Administrative Penalties are issued for contraventions that are captured utilizing automated speed enforcement cameras where motorists are driving in excess of the posted speed limit.
The amount of the administrative penalty associated with automated speed enforcement penalty orders for contraventions of subsection 128(1) of the Highway Traffic Act where the contravention is captured utilizing automated speed enforcement devices is determined based on rates that are pre-set by the Province of Ontario (refer to section 6 of Ontario Regulation 355/22).
Each Administrative Penalty associated with a Penalty Order is comprised of the following amounts:
- penalty rate (the number of km/hr over the posted speed limit times the penalty rate in community safety zone or school zone as pre-set and described in Table 1 of section 6 of O. Regulation 355/22),plus
- the corresponding victim component surcharge (as pre-set and described in Table 2 of section 6 of O. Regulation 355/22), plus
- $8.25 (as referred to in subsection 6(1) paragraph 5, to reflect costs incurred by the authorized person to access the name and most recent address of the person who is subject to the penalty order.
No demerit points are issued by the Ministry of Transportation for HTA infractions captured utilizing automated speed enforcement cameras.
There is no impact on the registered owner's driving record for Penalty Orders that are issued utilizing automated speed enforcement cameras.
There is no impact on your insurance that is the result of a Penalty Order having issued to the registered owner of a vehicle captured (by image) utilizing automated speed enforcement cameras.
Township of Essa
5786 Simcoe County
Road 21, Utopia, ON
L0M 1T0
Phone: 1-877-748-1025