At Monday’s regular council meeting for the Town of Battleford, council agreed to adopt a revised traffic bylaw schedule of fines recommended by the Town’s CAO John Enns-Wind.
For those in Battleford the change will be steep, with fines in the most extreme cases jumping from $15 to $500.
The reason for the seemingly all-of-a-sudden exorbitant fines is because the current fines, which mostly range from $15-$50, have not been updated since 1985.
However, Enns-Wind noted, in comparison to other towns' current fines, the proposed new figures would still be on the lower end of the spectrum.
The problem with the out-of-date fines was not the lack of revenue production, but rather due to the inability to enforce infractions with fines of such low value, according to the administrative report presented at council.
Instead, the administrative report says, the proposed fines are “about a healthy and safe community for residents of all ages.”
The new fines will also offer an option to pay a lower penalty if the payment is made at the time of issuance, with that penalty rising from between $5-$50, depending on the infraction, after 10 days.
