Toronto man's driver's licence suspended over 8-year-old ticket

Have you ever gotten a ticket in Toronto? Did you keep the receipt when you paid the fine?

If you didn't, you could be in trouble even if that incident happened years ago, as one man found out.

Blair Ridsdale was shocked last week to discover his driver's licence had been suspended, because the city alleges he didn't pay the fine some eight years ago after he wascaught driving with an expired licence plate sticker.

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Ridsdale, a real estate agent, said he paid his fine but it's been so long he doesn't have the paperwork to proveit. Now, he'll have to pay $180 to get his licence reinstated.

"I think it's a cash grab,"Ridsdale told CBC News.

"I don't have any receipts from eight years ago and I wouldn't be expected by any government agency to have receipts from eight years ago,"Ridsdale said.

Paralegal Jason Davie said he's seen nearly 50 similar cases in the past six months, including one that goes back 19 years.

Davie said he believes the city is pushing to make some money.

"It's a big problem we're having in the city,"he said.

"The city is going back on their old debts to try to collect them but who remembers if they paid those or if there was a clerical error?"

City stands behind move

Barry Randell, a director with the city's court services division, said there's no limitation period when it comes to Provincial Offences Act fines and there was no data entry error in this case.

"Depending on the circumstances, it can take time, even a significant amount of time before collection action is effective,"Randell said in an emailed statement.

"Court staff review court records and look for specific cases where a fine could be paid using available enforcement sanctions."

Randell did note, however, that anyone who disagrees with the city can fight the fine in court, which Ridsdale has vowed to do. He said his case has been reopened and his license suspension should be lifted later this week.

If you're worried you may have an unpaid fine other than parking tickets you can look it up on the City of Toronto courts look-up application, or call court services and provide them with your name and driver's licence number.