While Montreal seeks to slash $115 million to limit the increase in property taxes, there is a turnkey idea to allow the City to save millions without it hurting. Quite the contrary.
This solution would have the immense merit of unclogging the courts which are holding duct tapewhile allowing us to better serve citizens who have received a ticket for prohibited parking.
In short, it’s a triple-win solution.
The idea is courtesy of a reader of The Presswho wrote to us in reaction to an editorial which argued for a spin on the justice system incapable of processing cases within a reasonable time, even for serious crimes1.
Former clerk, Jean-Luc Boyer finds it absurd that the causes of prohibited parking occupy a large part of the activities of the Montreal municipal court. “With will and legislative changes, it would be possible to handle files differently. »
He is absolutely right.
Let’s take a look under the hood…
Year after year, the City of Montreal issues 2 million tickets for prohibited parking. The majority of drivers plead guilty and pay within the required time frame or after receiving a courtesy reminder in the mail.
But around 400,000 people give no sign of life, which forces a justice of the peace to render a judgment by default. This operation is costly for the City… and for the driver, who must then pay fees of $66 in addition to the fine of $89 for prohibited parking.
In addition, some 40,000 cases go before a municipal court judge because the driver contests the ticket. These cases without judicial “added value” occupy the precious time of magistrates who could look into much heavier cases.
So why not review the rules?
This is exactly what Ontario did by changing the Municipalities Actin 2006. The province implemented a system of administrative monetary penalties (AMP) which ensures that cases can be handled by civil servants rather than judges.
Drivers can contest a ticket by contacting a reviewing officer. If they are not satisfied with their response, they can then go before an administrative judge.
For citizens, the procedures are therefore more user-friendly than a court hearing, which can be intimidating for some and disturbing for others. Indeed, who wants to lose half a day of work to contest an unfortunate parking ticket?
In 2019, the City of Montreal made representations to Quebec so that the government could implement a system similar to that of Ontario.
It must be said that with the pandemic, Montreal had to cancel 35,000 infraction files suddenly, generating losses of several millions, because processing times exceeded the 18-month limit imposed by the Jordan ruling. .
While the courts are overflowing, a SAP system would free up four courtrooms at the municipal court and achieve net savings of approximately $4 million per year for the City of Montreal.
Four millions. Some will say that it’s not that big of a sum. But there are no small savings. After all, cents make dollars.
Unfortunately, we are in 2023 and the file has remained stationary.
Is there anything that sticks? Not that we know. In fact, Quebec has always been rather favorable to the project. But this requires analyzes which are still in progress, explains the office of Minister of Justice Simon Jolin-Barrette.
This is encouraging…and discouraging at the same time. How is it that a winning idea for everyone – including the other municipalities in Quebec which would benefit from the modification – remains stuck between two chairs for at least four years?
Come on, hop on, a little speed!
This simple story demonstrates that efficiency gains in bureaucracy are possible. If governments want to do more with less, they need to think outside the box.
Hey, speaking of boxes… Before taking out the chainsaw to slash expenses, the City could perhaps set up an ideas box like some companies who ask their employees to put them on the path to efficiency gains, by offering a share of the amount saved thanks to their innovation.
It has been proven that City employees have imagination.