Hi,

I got arrested while in vacation in Quebec driving my friend car and they charged me with a DUI. They seized the car for 30 days but they did not suspend my license. My first court day is in October.

Here are my questions:

- What happen if I do not show up to court at all?

- What happen if I show up and plaid guilty, I know my license will be suspended in Quebec but will I be still able to drive in Ontario?


THANKS!

A suspended license is a suspended license it is suspended period, so you can not drive anywhere until it is re-instated.

If you don't show up, normally, they issue a warrant for your arrest for non appearance

A suspended license is a suspended license it is suspended period, so you can not drive anywhere until it is re-instated.

If you don't show up, normally, they issue a warrant for your arrest for non appearance


If they issue a warrant in Quebec, can they come to pick me up in Ontario?

They can issue a Canada-wide arrest warrant.

How similar is Canadian policy to the US's? If it's the same in that aspect, the you can have a warrant in one district, county, or providence and not outside of that jurisdiction. You can have contact with the law and not even know about it. But if you are cited or registered for any reason within the warrant's incident location, you will be arrested and charged with failure to appear, and failure to comply with court orders. I don't recommend either. I had a similar incident. My older brother (notorious with local police) was apparently pulled over for a moving violation. I guess he had a warrant out for his arrest. But he was allowed to drive off because the officer who cited him, didn't bother to confirm his identity because he did not have a valid state ID of any kind to present. My brother and I share the same first and last name with the difference of our middle initials. His birthday is only 4 days before my own, so the cop wrote him up in my name. He did look up the information that was given to him, but the first name profile he saw is what he went with... my DL #. I suppose it could be that our last name is very rare, so he figured he had the right guy. I didn't find out about it until 3 years later when I was trying to renew my license. I was denied and advised to assess my warrant for arrest. I first contacted the traffic court in that county and was given the date, year, make, and model of the vehicle in question. To my advantage, the cop noted that the individual was unable to present a valid driver's license. I knew right away who was responsible. The ticket fine was mailed to a residence that my brother lived at for a short time. I never had a chance. Then I was told to call the department where that cop was assigned to... it had been decommissioned a year before due to budget cuts. I had no way of knowing what to do. I wrote letters, made phone calls, sent emails, provided proof that I was working 256 miles away at the time of the incident, but all they suggested was for me to show up in person and verify my identity. How the heck am I to drive 256 miles with a suspended license into a county where I have a warrant out for me, as a Federal law enforcement officer myself, that was not a good solution. I know that sometimes you may be summoned, and as soon as you arrive, you get arrested. Another issue, was my background investigation for my employment. I was lucky it was fresh when I was hired. Otherwise I could have faced charges for failure to report, and lying on a federal document. I went without a license for 6 months, driving my kids around, to and from work, and in uniform no less. I even contacted the local Sheriffs' dpt. After I had no other way to resolve it. I was told to file a police report but the officer told me there was nothing he could do for a county level warrant only state issued. I did receive an infraction for a traffic violation a over a year after the warrant, and over a year before I resolved it. But I didn't find out until the DMV shot me down. So don't risk it. Just pay the fine or show up to you appointed court date. At least this way you won't have to worry about getting arrested when you do have to renew your license.