Driving Law

Filkow Law is a leading driving law firm well-known for its exceptional results on all aspects of driving law and frequently consulted by legal professionals for advice. A driving prohibition can have devastating effects on one’s employment and family and can also have serious criminal, financial and insurance consequences.

The lawyers at Filkow Law have over 50 years of driving law experience and are highly regarded for their knowledge, expertise and excellent representation.

Driving is one of the most highly regulated areas of the law. Driving offences range from having a traffic ticket to an immediate roadside prohibition to dangerous and impaired driving to serious car accidents and pedestrian fatality cases. Driving prohibition can have devastating effects on one’s employment and family and can also have criminal and insurance consequences.

The lawyers at Filkow Law have successfully dealt with thousands of driving prohibition cases. If you are facing a driving prohibition, immediate roadside prohibition or a charge of driving while prohibited, call Filkow Law today.

For more information on our highlighted practice areas, click on any of the links below.

Driving While Prohibited

Criminal Code
Motor Vehicle Act

Licence Prohibitions

Notice of Prohibition
Notice of Intent to Prohibit
Driver Improvement Program

ICBC Breaches & Accidents

Drugs and alcohol
False statements
Fail to cooperate
ICBC Debt

Immediate Roadside Prohibitions

Fail
Refusal
Warning

Why did I get a driving prohibition from RoadSafetyBC?

RoadSafetyBC may prohibit you for a number of reasons, including the following:

you have an “unsatisfactory” driving record;
a police officer forwarded a “high-risk driving incident report” to RoadSafetyBC;
RoadSafetyBC determines you are medically “unable” or “unfit” to drive; and
for any other reason RoadSafetyBC considers to be in the public interest.

The most common reason for a prohibition is having an “unsatisfactory” driving record, which usually results from having too many points or high-risk offences.

What is the difference between a fully-licensed driver (Class 5) and a new driver (Class 7)?

Class 7 drivers are subject to certain restrictions. For example, new drivers cannot use electronic devices, have any alcohol or drugs in their body while driving, or have too many passengers. Learners cannot drive at all unless they have a properly qualified supervisor.

RoadSafetyBC treats Class 7 drivers who incur driving violations much more severely than experienced drivers.

What if I have an international driver’s licence?

RoadSafetyBC treats international drivers as new drivers. Because of this fact, a driver with an international licence will scrutinized more closely than a driver with a full BC driver’s licence. Even one ticket may result in a driving prohibition.

I have my full licence (Class 5). How many points am I allowed before I will be prohibited?

Fully-licensed (class 5) drivers who incur 15 or more points in a two-year period will likely be prohibited.

Fully-licensed drivers who are found guilty of two or more high-risk driving offences in a 12-month period, will likely be prohibited from driving – even if they have fewer than 15 points.

I am a new driver (Class 7). How many points am I allowed before I will be prohibited?

New drivers (class 7) who incur more than three points or even one high risk driving offence will likely be prohibited from driving.

What is considered a high-risk driving offence?

RoadSafetyBC designates the following offences as “high-risk”:

using an electronic device while driving;
excessive speeding;
driving without due care and attention; and
driving without consideration.

Because these offences are designated high-risk, it is particularly important to get advice from an experienced lawyer about the consequences.

I have a letter referring me to the Driver Improvement Program. What does that mean?

The Driver Improvement Program is RoadSafetyBC’s process of reviewing driving records and issuing, warning notices, probation notices and driving prohibitions. You can find more information on the program here. Learn more about driving prohibitions here.

I received a Notice of Intent to Prohibit. What does this mean?

A Notice of Intent to Prohibit advises you of RoadSafetyBC’s intention to prohibit you from driving for a period of time. The amount of time is specified in the letter. Learn more about how you could receive a driving prohibition here.

I have received a Notice of Intent to Prohibit Letter. What can I do?

The Notice of Intent letter gives you 21 days to submit a review of the intended prohibition. If a letter is submitted during this period, the decision to prohibit will be suspended until a final decision is made. We strongly recommend speaking to a lawyer to discuss your options.

If RoadSafetyBC already intends to prohibit me from driving. Why should I submit a request to review my prohibition within 21 days?

RoadSafetyBC may consider your hardship and may shorten or reduce your prohibition. Without a letter, all RoadSafetyBC sees is your driving record. Further, if you provide your submissions within the 21-day timeline, your prohibition will be put on hold until a decision is made. This may give you some more time to prepare for the prohibition.

I received a Notice of Prohibition. What does this mean?

A Notice of Prohibition advises you of RoadSafetyBC’s decision to prohibit you from driving for a period of time. The amount of time is specified in the letter.

How is a Notice of Prohibition different from a Notice of Intent to Prohibit?

A Notice of Intent to Prohibit advises you of RoadSafetyBC’s intention to prohibit you and provides you with 21 days to respond. On the other hand, a Notice of Prohibition advises you that RoadSafetyBC has prohibited you from driving, however the prohibition does not commence until you acknowledge the prohibition by signing it and returning it to RoadSafetyBC, or until a police officer serves you with it. In other words, the prohibition begins on the day you sign it and send it in or the day a police officer serves you.

I received a Notice of Prohibition but I am still driving. What will happen?

If you do not acknowledge your Notice of Prohibition, a police officer may serve you with the prohibition. If you are driving at the time the officer serves you, the officer may use their discretion to give you time to drive home before your prohibition commences.

What are the possible outcomes after I send my letter?

RoadSafetyBC will make one of three decisions: they will uphold the prohibition, reduce it in duration, or cancel the prohibition altogether. If you are prohibited by RoadSafetyBC, you are prohibited from driving for all purposes. RoadSafetyBC does not make exceptions that allow you to drive for work or medical reasons. Learn more about driving prohibitions here.

What considerations does RoadSafetyBC make when reviewing my submission?

RoadSafetyBC will look at a number of factors, including the following:

your driving experience;
the type and class of licence(s);
the seriousness of the infraction(s) as they relate to public safety or property damage;
the period of time since the infraction or between infractions;
any previous warnings, probation periods or driving prohibitions;
any previous lenience shown by adjudicators;
penalty points; and
driving improvement shown.

Hardship alone will usually not result in a driving prohibition being cancelled.

This is the first driving ticket I have ever received, and I am a good driver. Should I bother disputing it?

There are a number of reasons to dispute your first ticket. If you are a new driver, you can be prohibited from driving after a single ticket. If you are an experienced driver, you can be prohibited for as few as two tickets. If you pay your ticket, fail to dispute your ticket, miss your hearing, plead guilty, or are convicted of the offence, the violation will go on your record. All entries on a driving record are permanent.

Driving Law

Nov 29, 2022

The police took my stuff, can I get it back?

When the police suspect someone of criminal activity, it’s common for them to obtain search warrants to search the suspect’s home, car, or other storage sites. When they do this, they’ll often seize many items. Sometimes, the suspect doesn’t get charged with a crime, or at least they’re not charged yet, but the police are still holding on to the seized items for a long time, depriving their owner of them. In some cases, this can even go on for years.

What do the police do after they’ve taken things they obtained with a search warrant?

The first thing that’s supposed to happen after the police seize things from a suspect is that they’re supposed to get an order from a justice, “as soon as practicable,” that allows them to legally keep those things for a limited time period. If they don’t do this, they’re illegally possessing the suspect’s property. The police then need to satisfy a justice that they should be allowed to keep the seized things for the purpose of an investigation, criminal trial, or other (legal) proceeding.

The police don’t have to prove anything to satisfy a justice to give them an order to keep the seized things. A simple explanation is usually enough, like, “we took this person’s computer and business documents because we think we’ll find evidence there to support our fraud investigation against them.” The justice just needs to be “satisfied” the police need the items for their investigation.

Once the justice is satisfied, they grant the police an order to keep the seized things for 90 days. The suspect doesn’t get the chance to respond to the police’s justifications at this stage, nor do they even get notified that a justice granted the police the initial 90-day order.

So how can I get my stuff back if the police have a right to keep it for 90 days? Do I get it back after that?

The answer to these questions are “it depends.” If the police seized things that they don’t require for their investigation or any other proceeding, then they should return those things, provided the suspect is legally entitled to possess them. However, it’s not possible to get an order from a judge during the first 90 days for the police to return things they’ve seized unless it’s creating some hardship for the suspect. If there’s no hardship, the suspect can only apply after the first 90 days are expired. Before that happens, the police will notify the suspect that they’ll be applying to keep the seized things longer than 90 days. Often, the police ask for a nine-month time extension after the first 90 days after up.

If the police seized things from someone other than the suspect, i.e. a third party, then that third party can apply at any time to have their things returned to them. Usually, a judge, rather than a justice, decide whether to order that things belonging to a third party should be returned to them.

The police took a bunch of stuff unrelated to any criminal investigation. Can I get that stuff back, at least?

The police will often seize money, cars, or other property from people they’re investigating. Although the seized things might have nothing to do with their criminal investigation, the police will take them to seek to have them forfeited through civil forfeiture proceedings. That’s a procedure in civil court where the government alleges that things seized from a suspect were used to commit a crime (e.g. a vehicle used to transport drugs) or obtained by committing crimes (e.g. money earned from the sale of illegal drugs). If a civil court judge is satisfied that the seized things are “tainted” in this way, then they can order the property has to be forfeited (i.e. given up) to the government.

When the police obtain an order from a justice to keep seized things for the initial 90 days, the justice also considers whether those things are required for civil forfeiture purposes. If they are, they’ll grant the order for that reason too. The justice doesn’t only focus on whether the seized things are for a criminal investigation.

After the initial 90 days, the police must apply for a time extension to keep the seized things beyond 90 days. Many times, their application is uncontested by the suspect. However, if it becomes contested, then a judge, rather than a justice, will usually decide whether to grant the time extension. At that stage, the judge must “have regard to” the nature of the police investigation before granting a time extension to the police. This is a slightly more stringent test than the test for the initial 90-day order.

At the 90-day stage, it’s possible for a judge to find that the police have been too slow to refer seized things to civil forfeiture if that was the reason police seized those things in the first place. If that happens, the suspect might get their things back. If not, the judge will grant the extension to the police. The suspect might then need to argue their case in civil court once civil forfeiture proceedings are underway unless the suspect gets charged with a crime before the time extension expires.

The police’s investigation is complete, and I’ve been charged with a crime. Does that change anything?

If the suspect is charged with a crime, it changes everything. The police no longer require any orders from a judge or justice to keep the things they seized from the suspect (once charged, the suspect is now called “the accused”). The police are legally entitled to keep the seized things until the end of the criminal proceedings, where the accused will be found either guilty or not guilty.

Once the suspect is charged with a crime, the police also don’t need any more judicial orders to keep the things they’ve taken for civil forfeiture purposes. They can also keep those things until the end of the criminal proceedings. The police can still choose to refer those things to the civil forfeiture office, but often they’ll wait for the outcome of the criminal proceedings instead.

If the accused is found guilty, the Crown can apply in criminal court to forfeit the accused’s seized things. This is a similar procedure to civil forfeiture proceedings but takes place in criminal court after the verdict.

Once again, if the police seized things from a third party (i.e. someone other than the accused), the third party is allowed to apply to have their things returned to them at any time, even if the suspect/accused has been charged with a crime as part of that police investigation.

All of this is pretty unfair, isn’t it?

The policy of using civil forfeiture as a means to tackle crime is controversial. The power of the police to take things from people, and to keep them with very little proof they have a good reason to keep them, also raises concerns about the extent of police power. The way the law is structured relies heavily on the police acting in good faith.

However, a suspect isn’t deprived of all remedies when the police take their things. The rights of innocent third parties is protected by the law. The framework around civil forfeiture allows some flexibility to civil court judges to return property to suspects.

Some judges have granted accused people remedies under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, where the police were cavalier about following the proper procedures to keep things they had seized from the accused. The first step to fighting back, of course, is getting a lawyer to look at the issue.

Contact Filkow Law today

If the police have filed a search warrant or have had your seized belongings referred to civil forfeiture, call Filkow Law today. Our lawyers have vast criminal law experience and are equipped with the right tools to assist your case. Contact us for a consultation today.

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Oct 25, 2022

What are the possible outcomes of a criminal charge?

Many people accused of a crime have no idea what the possible outcomes could be to the accusation. Below is a list of possible outcomes after someone has been accused of a crime in Canada.

(1) No charge

The Crown prosecutor decides their charging standard is not met and does not approve/lay charges.

To approve a charge in British Columbia, the Crown must be satisfied that: (a) the charge/prosecution is in the public interest; and (b) there is a “substantial likelihood” of conviction.

In BC, the standard of proof is higher than other provinces. In Ontario, only a “reasonable prospect” of conviction is required and, in Alberta, the standard is “more likely than not”.

Another difference in charge assessment is that the Crown approves criminal charges in BC – not the police. In other provinces, such as Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, the police approve charges without Crown approval.

(2) Acquittal/Not guilty

The judge or jury makes a finding of “not guilty” after trial. This occurs when the judge or jury is not satisfied that the accused committed the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.

(3) Charge withdrawal

The Crown decides to withdraw, or undo, an approved charge. This outcome is rarely utilized by the Crown in BC. The Crown in BC more frequently enter a stay of proceedings (see below).

(4) Stay of proceedings

The Crown “stays”, or stops, the prosecution. This is commonly how the Crown drops charges in BC. Legally, it is possible for the Crown to reinitiate a prosecution after a stay, however it is rare.

(5) Alternative measures

The Crown diverts an accused’s prosecution from the courts to Community Corrections (or probation). If the accused is accepted into the program, they must complete some requirements that are like probation. If the accused successfully completes the requirements, the Crown will enter a stay of proceedings on the charge. The Crown can also divert a case before charging it.

(6) Peace Bond

The accused acknowledges the complainant has a reasonable fear of them and agrees to enter into conditions for up to one year. A peace bond is not a criminal charge. It is similar to what many people refer to as a restraining order.

Peace bonds do not involve the accused admitting guilt, instead, they acknowledge the complainant’s reasonable fear of the accused. The conditions of a peace bond include restrictions on contact with the complainant. There may be various exceptions depending on the circumstances.

(7) Absolute discharge

The judge finds the accused guilty of an offence but does not convict them. This is like a sentence of mercy. Because the accused is not convicted they do not receive a criminal record and they do not receive any punishment (conditions, fines, jail, etc.).

(8) Conditional discharge

The judge finds the accused guilty of an offence and imposes up to three years of probation. This is like an absolute discharge but with conditions. If the accused is convicted of breaching their probation, the court may revoke the conditional discharge and convict the accused. After completing the conditions, the discharge becomes absolute.

(9) Suspended sentence

The judge convicts the offender and imposes up to three years of probation on them. This results in a criminal record but no fine and no jail.

(10) Fine

The judge convicts the offender and imposes a fine. This is not like a fine imposed for a traffic violation and failure to pay can result in jail time.

(11) Conditional sentence

The judge imposes a jail sentence on the offender but allows them to serve their sentence in the community under certain conditions. This is sometimes called house arrest. The maximum time for the conditional sentence is two years less a day. A further three years of probation can be imposed at the end of the conditional sentence.

(12) Intermittent sentence

The judge imposes a jail sentence on the offender but allows them to serve their sentence a few days at a time. The offender usually serves an intermittent sentence on weekends. They go into custody on Friday evening until Sunday. This may allow an offender to maintain employment. The offender is also placed on probation on the days they are not in jail.

(13) Jail – provincial time

The judge imposes a jail sentence on the offender of up to two years less a day. This is referred to this as “provincial time” because these sentences are served in provincial correctional centres. Provincial time can be followed by up to three years of probation.

(14) Jail – federal time

The judge imposes a jail sentence on the offender of two years or more. This is referred to this as “federal time” because these sentences are served in federal correctional facilities. There is no probation for federal time.

Charged with a criminal offence? Call Filkow Law

If you are being investigated, or have been charged with a criminal offence call the lawyers at Filkow Law for representation and expert advice.

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Sep 28, 2022

Can I look up criminal cases online in BC?

In BC, we have an online system that tracks criminal and traffic cases in provincial court. It also tracks superior court civil cases and appeal cases. You can find this at the Court Services Online website. For criminal cases, click on “search traffic/criminal” then enter the name of the person you want to search.

What information is included on Court Services Online for criminal matters?

You can obtain quite a bit of information from doing a search query on someone on Court Services Online. Criminal and traffic cases will be listed. You can see the court file numbers. Those starting with “AH” refer to traffic matters. You can see the police file number (called “Agency File #”), the court location, date/time, reason for court date, and the last result.

If you click on “view”, you can see even more information, including the charging date, the alleged offence date, the offence charged, all the court appearances, and the outcome under “sentences/disp.”.

What do all the three letter abbreviations mean next to the court appearances?

There’s many possible two or three letter acronyms next to the court dates found under the “reason” column (as in, “reason for court date”). For the first court date, this will be listed as “FA” for First Appearance. Regular court dates are listed as FxD for “Fix Date”. That means those dates were set to set another court date. That might seem silly, but this exists whenever an accused hasn’t decided yet whether they’ll choose to plead guilty to their charges or set them for trial.

The letters “CWC” stand for Consult With Counsel. This means the accused doesn’t yet have a lawyer. Their next court date exists to tell the court whether they’ll be hiring one, and if so, who it’ll be. The letters “JIR” stand for Judicial Interim Release. This means the court date is set for a bail hearing to determine whether the accused will be released from custody (i.e. jail) pending the outcome of their charge.

Another acronym is CWI, which stands for Compliance With Instructions. This can show up when an accused has been referred to alternative measures, a type of mini-probation that, if completed, means the Crown prosecutor will drop the charges. The court date exists to confirm with the court that the accused completed those requirements.

An important acronym is WI, which stands for Warrant Issued. This occurs whenever an accused fails to appear for court when they knew they should have. If a warrant exists for your arrest, it’s better to turn yourself in rather than wait until the police arrest you. Getting re-released on bail will be more likely that way.

So, everything going on with someone’s criminal charges is visible to the public?

Yes. Without any application for a publication ban at a bail hearing, court information will remain visible to the public. It’s likely that many employers are aware of the existence of Court Services Online, and they may look someone up to do a quick “background check” on them.

The potential use of Court Services Online by prospective employers is hardly fair, because the accused could be rejected for a job application without having ever been found guilty of anything. Ongoing charges get listed on Court Services Online, regardless of the strength of the prosecution’s case.

Worse yet, prospective employers usually need to get the consent of applicants before doing background checks on them. With Court Services Online, they can look up ongoing criminal matters without any consent from the applicant, or even without the applicant knowing they were searched in this way.

Is there any way to erase my information listed on Court Services Online?

The best an accused can do is ask the judge for a publication ban during their bail hearing. The judge can only order such a ban when the issue of bail is live. They can’t make such an order at other types of hearings. Even then, if a judge orders a publication ban, the entry on Court Services Online won’t be removed altogether. Instead, it’ll still exist and say “ban imposed”. It won’t be possible to view the charges, but other information may still be visible.

Once the charges are dealt with, the entry on Court Services Online will remain for a certain time, after which they’re usually removed. The time varies depending on the outcome. If the accused is convicted (i.e. if they received a criminal record as part of the outcome) then the entry might remain indefinitely, or until the accused obtains a record suspension (i.e. a pardon).

Other expiry dates include one year for a peace bond or stay of proceedings (i.e. if charges are dropped) and perhaps longer for a conditional discharge (i.e. for probation with no conviction/no criminal record). It’s unclear how long the entries remain because it depends on the administrative decision-making of the government staff that runs Court Services Online.

If an old charge remains visible on Court Services Online, and enough time has passed that it should have been removed, it’s possible to simply ask the Court Services Online staff to remove it. They may not readily be responsive. If they refuse to remove it and offer no way to appeal their decision, the only remedy available is to apply to a judge in superior court to review their decision.

Is anyone’s privacy protected after they’re charged with a crime?

Oddly, criminal matters being heard in superior court don’t appear on Court Services Online. This is ironic because superior court only deals with criminal matters where the Crown has proceeded by indictment, i.e. where the Crown consider the charges to be on the more serious end of the spectrum. That means the privacy of people accused of more serious crimes is better protected online than for people accused of less serious crimes.

The only class of people who will not appear on Court Services Online at all are youth. This is to give effect to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which says young people should receive enhanced privacy protections.

If you are being investigated, or have been charged with a criminal offence call the lawyers at Filkow Law for representation and expert advice.

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Driving Law

Driving While Prohibited

Licence Prohibitions

ICBC Breaches & Accidents

Immediate Roadside Prohibitions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did I get a driving prohibition from RoadSafetyBC?

What is the difference between a fully-licensed driver (Class 5) and a new driver (Class 7)?

What if I have an international driver’s licence?

I have my full licence (Class 5). How many points am I allowed before I will be prohibited?

I am a new driver (Class 7). How many points am I allowed before I will be prohibited?

What is considered a high-risk driving offence?

I have a letter referring me to the Driver Improvement Program. What does that mean?

I received a Notice of Intent to Prohibit. What does this mean?

I have received a Notice of Intent to Prohibit Letter. What can I do?

If RoadSafetyBC already intends to prohibit me from driving. Why should I submit a request to review my prohibition within 21 days?

I received a Notice of Prohibition. What does this mean?

How is a Notice of Prohibition different from a Notice of Intent to Prohibit?

I received a Notice of Prohibition but I am still driving. What will happen?

What are the possible outcomes after I send my letter?

What considerations does RoadSafetyBC make when reviewing my submission?

This is the first driving ticket I have ever received, and I am a good driver. Should I bother disputing it?

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