Winnipeg, MB - New legislation enacted by the Province of Manitoba will change the way in which City of Winnipeg parking by-law offences are prosecuted.
Under the new Municipal By-Law Enforcement Act, Provincial Court Judges will no longer be involved in the process of challenging a parking ticket. Instead, motorists who wish to contest a ticket will appear before a City of Winnipeg Screening Officer who will review the circumstances of the ticket. Should the motorist not agree with the decision of the Screening Officer, he or she would no longer go to Provincial Court to contest the ticket but may schedule an appearance before a Provincially-appointed Adjudicator located at the Parking Authority offices to dispute the ticket.
All existing ticket payment methods (online, by mail or in person at the Parking Authority) will remain the same.
The new legislation will require the City of Winnipeg to incur upfront costs, as well as ongoing costs of approximately $550,000 a year associated with the Screening Officers and the Provincially-appointed Adjudicators.
The new system is expected to take effect mid-2016; until then, the current process of challenging a parking ticket before a Provincial Court Judge remains the same.
For more information on parking tickets, please see City of Winnipeg - Winnipeg Parking Authority.