More than a third of residents in the Canadian province of Quebec are refusing to plead guilty to violating bans imposed by authorities during the COVID-19 epidemic and are challenging them in court, writes The Montreal Gazette on July 30.
During the coronavirus restrictions, provincial authorities imposed 44,000 fines totaling CAD 68 million (4.25 billion rubles). Fines were imposed for gatherings, refusing to wear medical masks and violating the curfew, which in Canada was only in force in the province of Quebec.
So far, the authorities have only managed to collect about a third of the fines (37% of the total), although most of them were issued before the end of 2022. The average amount of the debt is 1,500 Canadian dollars (93.5 thousand rubles).
According to Quebec Justice Ministry spokeswoman Cathy Chenard, only 17% of those fined pleaded guilty or paid the fines without admitting guilt. Forty-one percent ignored the fine. Forty-two percent have pleaded not guilty and are attempting to contest the fines, with many of these complaints pending in the court system.
As Chenard noted in an email to the newspaper, the provincial government does not expect to collect all fines. Some may be dropped and others fined may be absolved. However, courts uphold punitive damages in 95% of cases.
In another Canadian province, British Columbia, the state of emergency due to coronavirus infection was not lifted until the end of July 2024.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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