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Yes, the penalties for a Stunt Driving charge in Ontario are severe.  Stunt Driving may be a charge under the Highway Traffic Act, but it is very different than your average speeding ticket.  The consequences of a regular speeding ticket will affect your insurance rates, but life goes on.  Stunt Driving in Ontario, on the other hand, can ruin your insurance completely, leaving you without the ability to drive.  This can have dire impact on your ability to work, take care of your family, and earn income.  It's that serious. Even if you are younger, it will stain your driving record, making it hard to get proper insurance rates as you get older. Bottom line?  You need help to minimize the penalties of a Stunt Driving charge in the Ontario courts.  But first, you need to understand the penalties that are available to the Province in a Stunt Driving charge. Fines The minimum fine for a Stunt Driving charge is $2,000.  That is the MINIMUM.  This means that the prosecutor, if t...
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COVID-19, DUI, Police Treatment and the Charter I'm Dan Joffe, Criminal Lawyer in Ontario. Iust want to do a short video on COVID, safety precautions all in the context of DUI charges. Here's a real client story... So I had a client that was charged with a DUI with impaired.   And when the client was pulled over by the Police, he was asked to give a breathalyzer. He complied but now because of COVID and saliva regarding breathalyzer test, there obviously were safety precautions taken by the Police. Now, let's think about those precautions in the context of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I've done many detailed videos on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and how this impacts your charges and the potential to get your charges withdrawn. But in short, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has specific rules that the Police must follow as they prosecute the case against you. And those rules touch every part of your case from the minute of your first interacti...
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It's so important to get DUI / Impaired legal advice When you retain a lawyer, obviously, our job is to do the best that we can for you and hopefully get your charges withdrawn and get the absolute best outcome for you. But that first initial meeting that you have with a lawyer is really, really important. What we're trying to do is get all the relevant facts from you. And we try and take those facts and we put them in the context of your charges - in the context of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Analyzing Your Evidence There's a lot of things that we need to do to analyze your case. To get the most out of your meeting and for you to learn a lot about your charges and what those charges mean in the context of the facts of your case, it's important to accurately describe to your lawyer what, in fact, happened when you were charged. Meet with a lawyer sooner rather than later Now, what I always recommend is to sit down as soon as you can, after the charges ...
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Below is the ultimate guide to understanding what the court room will look like when you have to appear for Stunt Driving, No Insurance or Drive Suspended Charges. Step 1 - Line up to check-in with the Prosecutor When you arrive at court, it is generally based on a "first-come / first-serve" basis. This means that you form a line starting near the prosecutor, and it can run right outside the court room, and sometimes, depending on how busy, right outside the court house. When it is your turn, you approach the prosecutor, and they will give you your options, evidence, etc. Once you are done with the prosecutor, you take a seat in the public area of the courtroom (if available). Step 2 - The Court Clerk will announce the entrance of the Justice of the Peace You will be asked to stand up (rise) while the Justice of the Peace enters. Once the Justice sits, you may sit as well. Step 3 - The prosecutor will begin to call the cases in the order in which they were checked-i...
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One of the biggest fears we get when speaking to potential clients is “will I get a criminal record if I get convicted of my Drive Suspend charge?”. The good news, is that the answer is “no”, but the bad news is that the penalties are very similar to criminal charges. This is referred to as “quasi-criminal”. This is defined by the Attorney General site of Ontario as: Quasi-Criminal Offence. A non-criminal offence that carries a penalty similar to that of a criminal offence, but that is subject to less complex court procedures than are criminal offences. For example traffic and workplace safety offences. What Does a "quasi-criminal" conviction mean for me? This means that, depending on the circumstances of your Drive Suspended charges, the prosecutor has the right to ask for harsh penalties like jail time or severe fines that sound a lot like criminal penalties. But, at the end of the day, they will not translate into a criminal record. Rather they are deterring penaltie...
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A Driving Under Suspension charge in Ontario can be scary.  For most people, the thought of losing their drivers license for an additional 6 months could be devastating.   Think of the all the life tasks that are associated with driving? - Work - Family - Meetings - School Enough said?  Now, many clients get this charge and don't even know their license was suspended.  The main reason licenses get suspended are the following: - Failure to pay fines from any traffic tickets - Failure to pay child support (FRO) - Medical suspensions - Previous convictions of driving offences - Other various reasons What happens when I get to court? You can read my other articles on the court process, but to sum up, you will check in with the prosecutor.  Many people charged with Drive Under Suspension, try to tell their story, or their reasoning why their license was suspended, to the prosecutor.  However, the MINIMUM fine for this charge, is the $1,000 and 6-months...
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Officer vs Prosecutor in Stunt Driving Cases: The Critical Distinction That Determines Your Fate The most dangerous misconception in stunt driving cases is believing that the friendly, professional officer who charged you has any influence over your case outcome—in reality, once the officer submits evidence, prosecutors hold complete control over plea negotiations, charge reductions, and case resolution, making self-representation a potentially catastrophic mistake. Legal representative Jon Cohen of Nextlaw, recognized as Ontario's premier stunt driving legal representative, has analyzed this critical power dynamic to help drivers understand why the officer's roadside demeanor is irrelevant to their case's ultimate resolution. With Ontario recording 13,843 stunt driving charges in 2024—a 146% increase since 2015—understanding who truly controls your case fate has become essential for avoiding devastating consequences. Through comprehensive analysis of prosecution procedur...
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