More than two years after Quebec lifted most of its COVID-19 public health measures, the province has recovered just over a third of the $68 million it imposed in pandemic-related fines.
Quebec has implemented some of the strictest public health measures in the country during the pandemic and was the only province to impose a curfew on its residents. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, authorities have issued nearly 44,000 tickets for violations of thea Provincial Public Health Actin particular for illegal gathering, failure to wear a mask and failure to comply with the curfew.
The vast majority of these tickets were issued before the end of 2022 – most COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in the spring of that year.
However, two years later, the government is still trying to recover the fines. As of June 30, the government had recovered $25.2 million, or about 37% of the total. The average amount owed per ticket is about $1,500.
Cathy Chenard, a spokesperson for the Quebec Justice Department, says that only 17% of offenders pleaded guilty or paid their fine without filing a plea. Another 41% simply ignored the tickets and risk being ordered to pay by default. Finally, 42% pleaded not guilty, and some of these cases are still being processed by the judicial system.