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COVID-19 updates
We’ve temporarily changed some of our services.

Legal Aid Ontario is moving!
Starting April 17, 2023, Legal Aid Ontario’s Provincial Office, Toronto Family Law Services Office, Criminal Senior Counsel Services Office, and Refugee Law Office will be located on the seventh floor of the Atrium on Bay.

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Français LAO Client Portal
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  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
    • Languages
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • LASA 2020 process updates for lawyers
    • Changes to policies and certificate coverage
    • Roster resources
      • Audit & Compliance
      • Billing
      • Case management
      • Forms library
      • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
      • Legal Aid Online
      • LAO LAW
      • Minimum experience requirements
      • More resources
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
      • By-laws
      • Our clients
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Board Advisory Committees
      • Sidney B. Linden Award
      • French Language Services
    • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020
      • LASA 2020 Rules and Policies
      • LASA 2020 glossary
    • Consultations
    • LAO Consultation Registry
    • Open Government
    • Reports
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  • FAQ

Fine

A fine is an amount of money that an offender must pay to the court. It is different from restitution or a charitable donation.

If an offender is given a fine, they will have a conviction registered against them and will have to apply for a pardon to have the fine removed from their record.

A fine can be given instead of, or in addition to, imprisonment, a conditional sentence, or an intermittent sentence. This is true unless the criminal offence requires minimum jail time. If this is the case, a fine can’t be given instead of jail, but can still be given in addition to the minimum jail time.

A fine cannot be given on top of an absolute discharge, a conditional discharge, or a suspended sentence.

Certain criminal offences, like impaired driving or driving over 80, have minimum fines.

If a judge is going to give the offender a fine, and the criminal offence does not have a minimum fine, the judge has to decide whether the offender can actually pay a fine. This usually means that the judge will ask the offender questions such as: Are you working? Do you have children to support? Does your spouse work?

If an offender can’t pay their fine in the time they are given, they may be able to apply to the court for an extension of time. Extensions aren’t automatic. To get an extension, the offender has to show that they have tried their best to pay the fine in the time they have been given.

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Questions

What should I do if I’ve been asked to make a charitable donation?

What types of sentences can a judge impose after a finding of guilt is made?

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