By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Essex County Council received the Windsor-Essex Provincial Offences Program (POA) Annual Report as information during the May 21 meeting.
Melissa Ryan, Director of Financial Services/Treasurer, explained her report details the key highlights from the 2024 POA document, which is administered by the City of Windsor on behalf of the region.
“Overall, 2024 was a strong year for the program,” Ryan said. “Charges laid increased by nearly five-percent, court hours rose by over 20%, and the program closed the year with a net surplus of $1.43M.”
Her report outlines that there was a total of 29,577 charges laid, while increased judicial availability enabled a 22.8% rise in court hours, resulting in 38,692 matters being heard.
In addition, total fines collected reached $6.18M, up 14.2% from the previous year.
The surplus continues to be distributed among municipalities, including all seven of the local municipalities within the County of Essex, based on the weighted-assessment.
The Red Light Camera (RLC) revenue, Ryan pointed out to County Council’s attention, generated nearly $1.1M in revenue, making it a significant contributor to the POA program last year. That was despite a decrease of 16.8% in total tickets, down from 21.8% in 2023, Ryan outlines in her report.
The City of Windsor, however, is expected to transition the RLC enforcement to an Administrative Monetary Penalty system this year.
Once that transition occurs, RLC revenue will no longer be processed through the POA program or shared under the existing agreement, Ryan continued. Instead, at that point, that revenue will be retained by the City of Windsor, reducing the shared revenue of the POA program for the local municipalities.
“We will continue to monitor the transition and assess its financial implications, but I want to ensure Council is aware of this upcoming change,” Ryan commented.
In her report to County Council, it notes the province enacted Bill 108, amending the Provincial Offences Act in 1998, enabling the various responsibilities of the POA Court System to be transferred to municipalities. The Windsor-Essex Provincial Offences Program was created to accept this transfer of responsibility and provide services for the region.
The POA, it adds, is governed by the Inter-Municipal Court Service Agreement for the City of Windsor, the County of Essex, and Pelee Island. At least annually, the Windsor-Essex Court Service Area Liaison Committee has to report outlining the Committee’s activities to the Councils it serves.
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