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Provincial Offences Act
Loi sur les infractions provinciales

ONTARIO REGULATION 497/94

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

Note: This Regulation was revoked on May 3, 2012. See: O. Reg. 67/12, s. 9.

Last amendment: O. Reg.67/12.

This Regulation is made in English only.

1. A document is properly completed in an electronic format if the information provided,

(a) is intelligible in a form prescribed under the Act when that information is used for any purpose under the Act; and

(b) cannot be altered after the document has been signed electronically, except for the elaboration of coded information or its compression or encryption, or the addition of codes necessary for mailing it or for its proper submission to the Integrated Court Offences Network of the Ministry of the Attorney General. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 1.

2. (1) A document is properly signed in an electronic format if the document contains a code, name or number of a person that is capable of identifying the person as the originator of the document and the code, name or number,

(a) is generated by electronic means at the same time as the document being signed or on completion of the document; and

(b) is reasonably secure against unauthorized use. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 2 (1).

(2) A code, name or number is presumed reasonably secure against unauthorized use,

(a) if the physical means of generating it are themselves protected; or

(b) if the electronic means of generating it are themselves a secure code or if those means are protected by a password issued in confidence to the originator of the document. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 2 (2).

3. (1) A document is properly filed by direct electronic transmission if it is transmitted by electronic means to the Integrated Court Offences Network of the Ministry of the Attorney General in such a way that,

(a) the information in the document is received completely and accurately by the court office computer;

(b) the information is intelligible in a form prescribed under the Act or under any other Act;

(c) the document is transmitted from the originating computer to the court office computer without alteration, except for codes necessary to ensure accurate transmission; and

(d) the court office computer transmits an acknowledgment of receipt to the originating computer confirming receipt of an intelligible document and the date of filing of the document. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 3 (1).

(2) A document may be filed by direct electronic transmission either by transmission over public or private communications systems or by physical delivery of data on a computer-readable medium. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 3 (2).

(3) A document filed by direct electronic transmission is filed on the date the transmission concludes, and documents filed in a batch transmission are filed on conclusion of the batch transmission. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 3 (3).

(4) The systems manager of the Integrated Court Offences Network shall ensure that documents filed with the Network by direct electronic transmission are not altered except as permitted by this Regulation. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 3 (4).

4. (1) A document filed by direct electronic transmission may be printed by any means that produces the document on paper in the format of the appropriate form prescribed under the Act. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 4 (1).

(2) A document filed by direct electronic transmission may be printed as an original document for the purpose of disposing of a charge under the Act only with the approval of the clerk of the court, a justice or a judge. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 4 (2).

(3) The clerk of the court receiving notice of an appeal shall authorize any document filed by direct electronic transmission that has not been previously printed for the purpose of disposing of the charge and that is required as part of an appeal record to be printed so as to create an original record, unless the appeal court requests that the document be transmitted to it in an electronic format. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 4 (3).

5. (1) No person shall alter a document filed in the court office in an electronic format, except as permitted by this section. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 5 (1).

(2) No person shall alter a document filed in the court office in an electronic format unless he or she has access to it through a password issued to him or her in confidence and unless the alteration is recorded in accordance with subsection (5). O. Reg. 497/94, s. 5 (2).

(3) The clerk of the court may authorize the altering of a document filed in the court office in an electronic format to add to it the date on which it was filed in the court, the disposition of the proceeding in which the document was used, details of enforcement measures and any other pertinent information relevant to the proceeding. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 5 (3).

(4) A judge or a justice may alter the information in a document in an electronic format in a proceeding before him or her to the same extent that all other documents may be altered under the Act and may indicate in such a document the disposition of the proceeding in which the document was used. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 5 (4).

(5) No authorized alteration may be made to an electronic document unless the Integrated Court Offences Network keeps a change journal containing an unalterable record of each alteration made and when and by whom it was made. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 5 (5).

(6) Expanding or explaining coded information based on tables of concordance in the court office computer does not constitute alteration of an electronic document. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 5 (6).

6. A judge or a justice may examine an electronic document by electronic means and may complete and sign by such means any document so as to indicate the disposition of the proceeding. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 6.

7. (1) Documents filed and held in an electronic format shall be maintained for the same period of time as paper documents. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 7 (1).

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a document in an electronic format if the document is printed for the purpose of disposing of a proceeding and the printed document is subject to the usual rules for the maintaining of paper documents. O. Reg. 497/94, s. 7 (2).

8. Omitted (provides for coming into force of provisions of this Regulation). O. Reg. 497/94, s. 8.