Municipal Court

You can pay your fine and other court fees in various ways.

• At the municipal court counter
         o By certified cheque
         o By postal money order
         o In cash
         o By debit card

• By mail
        o By certified cheque
        o By postal money order

Your payment must be sent to the following address:

Registry and Legal Affairs
Ville de Rivière-du-Loup
75 Hôtel-de-Ville Street
Rivière-du-Loup QC G5R 1L7

• Online, via the Constats express platform
      o By credit card

Constats express is a secure service, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your credit card number will remain completely confidential, as no information is stored in the system. Information in the municipal court’s software is updated instantly.

Note!

• An administrative fee of $7.00 will be charged for each transaction.
• The amount must be paid in full using your Visa or MasterCard credit card.
• You must have the police occurrence report number, not the case number (see example in the     system), as well as the date of the offence. If you cannot find these, contact the Registry and       Legal Affairs section.
• You will receive a confirmation number by email for each transaction completed. You may also     print out your receipt.
• Once your payment has been made, you must allow three working days for processing by the     Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). If your licence has already been               suspended, you are strictly prohibited from driving. Check that your suspension has been lifted     by calling the SAAQ at 1 800 361-7620.

 

 

 

A statement of offence is a legal document that, once served, initiates criminal proceedings.

Filing of plea
You are required to file a plea of guilty or not guilty within 30 days of the date shown on the “service” part of the statement of offence or on the bailiff’s service report.

If the defendant is an artificial person, the response form on the statement of offence must be signed by one of the directors or another member of management. The person signing must indicate his position title on the plea. Legal counsel for the artificial person may also enter a plea on its behalf.

To indicate a plea of guilty or not guilty of the alleged offence, you must check the box on the statement of offence response form.

If you no longer have the plea form attached to your statement, you may use one of the following:

      • Guilty plea (PDF)
      • Not guilty plea (PDF)

This plea may be submitted:

      • by mail, to the following address:

Registry and Legal Affairs
Ville de Rivière-du-Loup
75 Hôtel-de-Ville Street
Rivière-du-Loup QC G5R 1L7

      • in person, to the Clerk of the Municipal Court, at the address above.

Guilty plea

When a defendant submits a guilty plea to the court or pays the fine, he is deemed to have been convicted of the offence. This means that you have no defence to present against your statement of offence.

In the case of an offence under the Highway Safety Code (RSQ c C-24.2), the prescribed demerit points are entered on your driving record. Demerit points are entered on the statement for information only. Entry of demerit points on the defendant’s record is the responsibility of the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec.

If the fine and other fees are not paid with the filing of a guilty plea or if the payment made does not cover the total amount of the fine and fees, additional fees will be incurred. Note that if your financial situation does not allow you to pay the total amount indicated on your statement, you may be able to obtain payment terms under certain conditions.

All payments must be made within 30 days following the service date. After that date, additional fees may be incurred without further notice.

Link to pay a statement of offence

Not guilty plea

You may plead not guilty of an offence by submitting a written plea to the municipal court within 30 days of service of the statement. You must respond using the response form on the statement of offence, in the space provided.

If you no longer have the plea form attached to your statement, you can use this form:
      • Not guilty plea (PDF)

You may also submit explanations with your not guilty plea. These must be submitted in writing and may be written on a separate page from the response form. This page must also show the statement of offence number. Your explanations will be verified by the municipal court.

The clerk will subsequently inform you in writing of the date and time set for hearing your case before the judge (the hearing).

Link to the Notice of Hearing and Fees section

Failure to submit a plea for the amount claimed

A defendant who does not file a plea or pay the full amount of the fine and fees claimed may be convicted by default and a decision will be rendered without further notice, even in his absence. Additional fees will be incurred beyond the initial amount of the fine.

 

 

 

Judgment
A defendant convicted of the alleged offence has 30 days from the date of the judgment to pay the amount of the fine and fees imposed by the court, unless the judge has granted a different period.
 
Link to the Payment of a Statement of Offence section
 
Payment agreement
 
A defendant who cannot meet his obligation to pay within the prescribed time may contact the collector of fines within the prescribed time limit, to request an analysis of his financial status for the purpose of reaching a payment agreement, obtaining additional time, or providing work in lieu of payment.
 
The collector of fines may meet with you by appointment, during the municipal court clerk’s business hours. Please call 418 867-6628 to make an appointment and know the supporting documents you must bring with you to support your request.
 
If you sign a payment agreement with the collector of fines for the statements of offence against your driver’s licence, the suspension will only be lifted by the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) once the full amount due has been paid.
 
If you do not comply with your agreement and fail to make a payment, your agreement will be cancelled and enforcement proceedings will continue in your case without further notice.
 
 
 

 

 

 

·        Address modification
·        Revocation of judgment
·        Reduction of costs
·        Bilingual plea form