Fined for drinking in the street

bopper

So I got fined $125 for being caught drinking a beer in the street. The cop was actually really nice and only fined me even though my friend (who is Canadian) was caught too. He said we could split the fine between us and also mentioned that he didn't know what would actually happen if I didn't pay the fine (wink wink nudge nudge) as the address on my driver's licence is Irish.

So my Canadian friends are telling me there's nothing to worry about, not to pay the fine that nothing will happen.

However, I'm only on a 12 month visa at the moment and will be applying for a two year one in January. If I don't pay the fine will this show up later? The ticket has my full name, dob and Irish address so I'm still a bit worried about doing nothing. The fine is not exactly huge so I'm thinking I may as well just pay it for peace of mind.

Anybody else had an experience like this?

snowguy

My advice is pay it.

If you do not pay it in the specified time, it starts to escalate within the court system. When they see your address, it may very
well get written off. But, if you ever have to deal with the police, accident, etc, etc, it could flash up on their system that you have
a warrant out for your arrest due to an unpaid fine. Last year the cops in Edmonton did a blitz on executing warrants for these types
of things !!

However, when you apply for your 2 year visa, it could surface that you have an un-paid fine. That just might be enough to get
your application 'reviewed'. As you say, for the peace of mind - pay it.

Martyn1989

Regardless of what friends say I'd pay it, no point leaving this to chance and it's only $125

V8_man

why wouldn't you pay it?

just_be_nice

If you are looking to get a two year working visa for Canada, it's quite ridiculous that you need to chew over paying a $125 fine.

Consider also that your Canadian friend who was caught with you, might be advising you not to pay because they don't want to pay their half!

Also, never take legal advice from a cop who is writing you up, even if he's winkin' at ya!

bopper

As I said in my original post I am thinking I may as well just pay it I was simply asking if anyone else had any experience with a fine like this. I don't mind paying it but if I just wanted to check how strict they were first as I've only just arrived.

I don't know a single backpacker who paid their tram fine in Australia and yet it never showed up when applying for second years. I also know others who had unpaid speeding and parking tickets who successfully applied for permanent residency!

Also it wasn't just my friend who told me not to pay it, but regardless I would never ask her to split it with me anyway, if she got away with it then good on her!

Thanks to those who offered their advice anyway. I'll know not to carry a beer with me on the way to a gig in future!

desbrook

So its ok for ordinary Aussies to subsidise backpackers tram fares ? And its ok to dodge Canadian public order fines if you can ? What happened to morals? You are enjoying the hospitality etc of another country. You were treated well. The least you might do is obey their laws or respect them by paying a fine if you break them in ignorance.

tommyombomb

Thought the fine was 320 if caught

biko

You did bad and got caught. Pay the fine and sleep better at night.
125 isn't all that much and it's worth it just to know it won't blow up in your face at a later stage.

bopper

desbrook wrote: »

So its ok for ordinary Aussies to subsidise backpackers tram fares ? And its ok to dodge Canadian public order fines if you can ? What happened to morals? You are enjoying the hospitality etc of another country. You were treated well. The least you might do is obey their laws or respect them by paying a fine if you break them in ignorance.

Jesus relax I'm gonna pay it! Of course my initial reaction was to pay it but after I had 5 Canadians telling me not to, as well as the cop who fined me subtly hinting not too either, I started to second guess myself. I was simply asking if anyone else had gotten a fine like this. Obviously if I thought it was a sure thing that the fine would be thrown aside and never followed up I'd be more reluctant to pay it. Sorry if you think think that shows a lack of morals!

tommyombomb wrote: »

Thought the fine was 320 if caught

Maybe it differs depending on what state you're in. This was in Muskoka (Ontario)