Province of Manitoba | Manitoba Justice | Fines and Traffic Tickets

The two tickets most commonly used in Manitoba are used for provincial and federal offences. The information on this website refers to these two tickets – the Regular Ticket and the Photo Enforcement Ticket. Follow the links below to view the tickets.

For a list of the most common offences these tickets are used for, and the suggested fines, please see the Brown Book.

Tickets issued in the Province of Manitoba can be paid in person at the Summary Conviction Court Office at 373 Broadway Avenue, Winnipeg or at any rural Manitoba court centre Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays).

All court centres accept debit cards (Interac), credit cards (Visa and Mastercard), money orders, cheques and cash.

You can also mail a cheque or money order to the court centre address shown on your ticket or use a credit card (Visa or Mastercard). There is an added fee for paying by credit card. It is based on the amount of the ticket fine.

Brandon	1104 Princess Avenue	R7A 0P9
Dauphin	114 River Avenue W.	R7N 0J7
Flin Flon	104 – 143 Main Street	R8A 1K2
Minnedosa	Box 414, 70 - 3rd Avenue S.W.	R0J 1E0
Morden	301 Wardrop Street	R6M 1X6
Portage la Prairie	25 Tupper Street N.	R1N 3K1
Selkirk	101 – 235 Eaton Avenue	R1A 0W7
Steinbach	284 Reimer Avenue	R0A 2T3
Swan River	201 - 4th Avenue S.	R0L 1Z0
The Pas	300 - 3rd Street E.	R9A 1L2
Thompson	59 Elizabeth Drive	R8N 1X4
Virden	232 Wellington Street W.	R0M 2C0
Winnipeg	100 – 373 Broadway	R3C 4S4

You may attend Traffic Court in person or have an agent appear on your behalf. If you want a lawyer or paid agent to represent you, arrange for one as soon as possible, preferably before you enter a plea or set a date for trial. An agent is someone you authorize to represent you in court. It can be a friend, relative, associate, lawyer or non-lawyer who represents people in traffic court for a fee.

The lawyer or agent will need time to prepare your case. If you don’t have a lawyer or agent by the trial date, the court may not grant you the time (an adjournment) to get one, and may insist that you represent yourself.

On or before the “Respond” date shown on your ticket you must do one of the following:

If you do not respond or pay your ticket by the final response date a warrant may be issued for your arrest or you may be convicted in your absence (default conviction). Default convictions carry a fee of $50.

If you do not respond or pay your ticket by the final response date in the “Respond” box on your ticket, you may be convicted in your absence. This is called a default conviction. You will receive a default conviction notice in the mail explaining your options and will be charged a default conviction fee of $50 in addition to your fine.

Yes. If you have been convicted by default and would still like to dispute your ticket, you may do so by applying for a new hearing (Hearing De Novo) by the date shown on your default conviction notice. Details explaining this process are printed on that notice.

If you have received a ticket with no fine amount shown, this means you have been charged with an offence that includes a range of fines that may be ordered. Your ticket must be reviewed by the court to decide the fine amount, based on the circumstances surrounding the offence. The court can decide how much the fine will be based on what happened that resulted in you being charged.

To have your fine assessed, you must go to the Summary Conviction Court office at 373 Broadway Avenue in Winnipeg or any rural court centre between the response dates indicated on your ticket. All court centres are open Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays).

The court may hear an explanation from you once you have entered a guilty plea to the charge. This is called “guilty with an explanation.” The court will consider your explanation when setting the amount of your fine.

In the case of a photo enforcement ticket, the registered owner is named in the ticket and therefore must respond. If the owner was not driving, he or she can obtain a statement from the driver and attach it to the ticket. If the driver goes to court, he or she needs written authority from the owner saying the owner is pleading “guilty” and that the driver is attending to provide an explanation. The owner is still responsible for any fine.

10. What will happen to my merit points on my licence if I am convicted on a traffic violation?

The court is not responsible for administering merit or demerit points on your driver’s licence. For further information, see Manitoba Public Insurance regarding Merit Mark and Demerit Point Programs.

If the ticket is not overdue, go to the nearest court centre and ask for time to pay your fine. You will be given at least 14 days. If you require more than 14 days, you may need to provide a reason.

If your ticket is overdue, you may be referred to a collections officer to discuss your fine payment. For more information on overdue fines, click here.

You must appear in court between the dates specified in the “Respond” section on your ticket and enter a not-guilty plea. Once this is done, a trial date will be set for you to appear at a later date. If you request a trial by entering a not-guilty plea, you must appear at the trial to plead your case. If you do not attend, a warrant may be issued for your arrest or the trial may go ahead in your absence.

In the case of a photo enforcement ticket, the registered owner named in the ticket must enter a not-guilty plea. The owner can get a written statement from the driver to present at the trial or have the driver attend the trial on his or her own. If the driver (who is not the registered owner) goes to court, he or she needs written authority from the owner saying the owner is pleading “not guilty” and that the driver will attend the trial.

If you cannot appear in person to enter a not-guilty plea, sign the back of the ticket and check off the box indicating that you wish to plead “not guilty.” Sign it and mail your copy of the ticket to the court address in the “Respond” box on the front of the ticket. The court centre will advise you of the trial date by mail.

Trial dates are scheduled in the court centre nearest to where the offence occurred. For example, if you received a ticket in Thompson, the trial would take place in Thompson, even if you live in Winnipeg.

If you do not attend your scheduled trial date, a warrant could be issued for your arrest or the trial could proceed in your absence. This is called an “ex parte hearing.” If you are found guilty, you will receive an ex parte notice in the mail advising you of the outcome.

If you disagree with the court’s decision after pleading guilty to a ticket or after your trial, you may file a formal appeal in the Court of Queen’s Bench within 30 days of that decision. There is a fee for filing an appeal in the Court of Queen’s Bench. If your conviction resulted from an ex parte hearing and you wish to appeal the decision, you will need to get a transcript of the trial. There is an additional cost to get a transcript.

Brandon	1104 Princess Avenue	R7A 0P9
Dauphin	114 River Avenue W.	R7N 0J7
Flin Flon	104 - 143 Main Street	R8A 1K2
Minnedosa	Box 414, 70 - 3rd Avenue S.W.	R0J 1E0
Morden	301 Wardrop Street	R6M 1X6
Portage la Prairie	25 Tupper Street N.	R1N 3K1
Selkirk	101 - 235 Eaton Avenue	R1A 0W7
Steinbach	Box 21480 284 Reimer Avenue	R0A 2T3
Swan River	Box 206, 201 - 4th Avenue S.	R0L 1Z0
The Pas	Box 1259, 300 - 3rd Street E.	R9A 1L2
Thompson	Box 34, 59 Elizabeth Drive	R8N 1X4
Virden	Box 1478, 232 Wellington Street W.	R0M 2C0
Winnipeg	100 - 373 Broadway	R3C 4S4

There are several reasons people receive trial slips. You may have pled “not guilty” to the offence; or you may have been default convicted and would like the opportunity to explain the circumstances to the Court. The trial slip tells you the date has been set and you are required to attend court. If you fail to do so, you can be found guilty without being present. Following is useful information for people who attend court without a lawyer or representative.

You are expected to attend court on the date indicated on the trial slip. You need to arrive at least 15 minutes before the time indicated to check in. If an emergency arises and you cannot attend on the date set, you must contact the Crown attorney’s office as soon as possible at 204-945-2852 in Winnipeg. Tell the receptionist the time and court room number for your trial, and you will be put in touch with the person handling your case.

When you arrive in court you must present yourself to the Crown attorney. The Crown attorney will ask you how you plan to plead. Your options are pleading "not guilty" or “guilty with an explanation.” The Crown attorney will note that you are present and may give or show you some documents. If you have relevant documents, you must bring them with you. They will not be considered if you cannot produce them for the Court and you must show any documents you want to use in your case to the Crown attorney ahead of time. If you are planning on calling witnesses, you must tell the Crown attorney ahead of time, because any witnesses have to leave the room while others are testifying.

*”Not guilty” means you did not do what you have been accused of doing. For example, you were travelling within the speed limit; you were wearing your seatbelt, your meter had not expired, etc. It is not appropriate to plead “not guilty” and then take the stand to say you did do what was indicated on the ticket, but it is not your fault or that you should not have received a ticket. You should only plead “not guilty” if you believe the offence described on the ticket did not happen at all.

“Guilty with an explanation” means you did do what you have been accused of doing, but you would like to explain the circumstances. For example, you were above the speed limit, but your speedometer was faulty and you have brought proof; you did not receive the parking ticket on your windshield and would have paid it promptly to avoid paying the full fine; you could not wear your seat belt due to medical reasons and have brought the medical certificate which was valid at that time.

The Court may consider your explanation when deciding how to deal with your offence. This does not mean you will be acquitted. The Court may decide to dismiss the charge or impose the maximum penalty.

If you plead “guilty with an explanation,” the Crown attorney will first tell the Court how the offence was committed. You will then have the opportunity to give your explanation. The Court will then tell you what the decision is.

If you plead “not guilty,” a trial will take place. The Crown attorney will present his or her first witnesses. The witnesses will be asked questions about the incident. After each witness has been questioned, you have the opportunity to ask your own questions, although you are not required to do so.

This is not the time for you to give your explanation. You are only allowed to ask the witness relevant questions. If you want to present documents, you must show them to the witnesses while they are on the stand. When the last witness has been called and the Crown attorney has presented his or her documents, you may call any witnesses you have brought with you.

You will ask the questions first, then the Crown attorney may ask your witnesses questions. When your last witness is finished, or if you have none, you may choose to testify yourself but you are not required to do so. The Crown attorney may also ask you questions. Any documents you have brought should be presented to the court clerk while you are on the stand. After you are finished on the stand, the Court will give it's (decision) verdict. Make sure you ask all your questions and give all your information, because you will not have another chance to speak. If you forget to ask something important or you forget to tell the Court something and the case is closed, there is no going back. Just as the Crown attorney is not allowed to reopen his or her case if they forget something, an accused cannot reopen his or her case.