The provincial government's controversial changes to traffic courts are being delayed.

Minister of Transportation Rajan Sawhney and Acting Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Sonya Savage say they've heard from Albertans who are upset about the proposed changes.

Government documents said the Province would do away with Traffic Courts, tickets would be emailed and disputing fines could cost up to $150 which drew concerns about due process.

The ministers issued a joint statement:

“Alberta’s court system is facing a significant backlog. Quite simply, that means serious criminals are getting back onto the streets because the courts are bogged down with traffic issues. This is unacceptable.

“Every year, more than two million traffic tickets are issued in Alberta. Of those tickets, 400,000 are challenged. This results in more than 60,000 challenges to traffic tickets receiving court dates.

“That means Alberta’s justice system dedicates 10 courtrooms per day to traffic tickets alone. The traffic tickets clogging up our courts create real-world consequences for Albertans. For example, many repeat offenders in the rural crime epidemic have their court dates delayed by the thousands of traffic cases crowding the courts.

“That is not sustainable nor is it an efficient use of our valuable court resources.

“We will take the next 90 to 120 days to ensure that we communicate and consult with Albertans and that they are educated on the changes proposed in Phase 2. We will listen to what Albertans have to say and we will share the benefits of these changes with them."

They say the status quo is not working for the police, who are caught up for hours waiting in traffic courts, for the court system that is forced to delay serious criminal matters to address speeding tickets, and it’s not working for Albertans living with the consequences of crime in their communities.

They reiterated Albertans will always have the right to challenge tickets and due process under the law.


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