A Cobourg man is livid that in order to fight a municipal by-law infraction it will cost him more that the ticket he was given for the alleged offence.
The person who asked not to be named stated he was given a ticket for $175 from the Legislative Services Department on August 7.
At the bottom of the Order of Compliance it states the procedure to appeal.
“You may appeal this Order to the Hearings Officer by paying the fee prescribed by the Town’s General Fees and Charges By-law ($250) and by giving to the Director written notice of the appeal that includes particulars of all grounds upon which the appeal is made within (10) ten business days of the date of the delivery of this Order.”
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and may have their day in court.
But for the laws of Cobourg and in this case, it will cost the person $75 more to appeal than the ticket is worth.
“It should be your right to appeal and it shouldn’t cost you more money to appeal something that you are charged with.”
Communications Manager for the Town of Cobourg, Kara Euale stated, “the $250 is to appeal an Order, which are issued to a person who has violated a by-law for which corrective actions are required to correct deficiencies/violations.”
“Appeals of Orders, which are issued to a person who has violated a by-law for which corrective actions are required to correct deficiencies/violations, are heard by a third-party Hearings Officer. The fee is to cover the cost of the hearing and to ensure there is no cost to the tax levy. In the case of appeals to the Hearings Officer for non-parking matters that fee is $250.”
But the man added, “I understand court fees and stuff, but $250 just to appeal is stupid. We already pay taxes for these people to do their jobs – why do I have to pay more?”
Euale added that fees for such services are based on best practices and are common in most municipalities.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
