New Home for Provincial Offences Court

Mayor Drew Dilkens was on hand this morning for the official opening of the new location for the Provincial Offences (POA) Courts at 400 City Hall Square East in Windsor.

The move was necessary after a fire in November of 2019 heavily damaged the former location in the Westcourt Building. City administration carried out a facility review to find a new permanent home for the courts, prosecutors and court administration offices (collectively POA) that would meet both the requirements of the Ministry of Attorney General (MAG) and the needs of the public. Stakeholders were consulted, and the available options were presented to Council.  

After deliberation, Council decided that POA would move to the City Hall campus. “I am so excited that the grand opening of the new Provincial Offences Office is finally here,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. “This office was without a permanent home for almost three years. The new location features courtrooms with state-of-the-art technology that will allow for in-person, virtual, and hybrid court. It is also located in close proximity to a large number of services that residents use, including Service Ontario, which makes this location a perfect choice.”

The move also brings the City’s Legal Department under one roof, allowing for better utilization of resources. Being situated in a City facility also means that a high standard of facility and information technology operations are now overseeing the POA operating areas for staff and the public.

The new space was designed with modernization and accessibility in mind. The meeting rooms, public waiting area, cashier’s desk and courtrooms are Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) compliant, ensuring accessible service to all members of the public.

Some of the services provided to the public at the new location include the following:

·       Handling general inquiries about Provincial Offences fines 

·       Processing Provincial Offences charges

·       Accepting fine payments for Provincial Offences charges

·       Scheduling trials and management of the courtrooms 

·       Accepting filing of Provincial Offences Act matters, including re-openings, motions, and extensions of time to pay

·       Enforcement and collection of unpaid fines

The Provincial Offences Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), enabling the public to attend to pay a provincial offences ticket or access provincial offences counter services throughout the week.

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