Prosecution

The Prosecution Unit is part of the Legal Services Division of the City of Burlington. This service is available at the Halton POA Court location only. Please note that the Prosecution Unit does not provide legal services or advice to members of the public.

Opportunity to discuss your case with a prosecutor

Starting Jan. 4, 2021 for a limited time period, prosecutors are available to discuss your case for any tickets issued by the OPP or Halton Regional Police. If you have requested a trial and you wish to discuss your case, you may contact a prosecutor by emailing prosecutionenquiries@burlington.ca. Please include your ticket number and name. A prosecutor will respond to your email. 

All defendants have a legal right to disclosure, which is the evidence of your case. Requests for disclosure can be made by completing the disclosure request form.

Please note: when completing the request form, if you have not received a Notice of Trial, you may insert any future date so that the form can be processed.   

Things You Need to Know

What is disclosure?

You have a right to know what the Prosecutor's case is. This is called "disclosure".  Disclosure is a process by which the defendant is provided with copies of all evidentiary documentation including such items as police or enforcement officer's notes and witness statements that may be used by the Prosecutor during the trial. 

To find out who your prosecuting agency is and how to order disclosure, see the Prosecution Contact List.

For OPP and HRPS charges ONLY:

To request disclosure, go to the 'Forms' page and complete the Request for Disclosure form located in the list of available on-line forms.  The instructions to complete the form are included on the form.

You must provide mandatory information in order for your disclosure request to be processed.  Mandatory information is identified with an asterisk (*) on the Request for Disclosure form.

Please allow a minimum of 10-12 weeks to process your disclosure request.

Once the disclosure has been processed, you may obtain your disclosure by:

• Email - provide an email address on the form
• In person - pick up at the Burlington Provincial Offences Court location

Please provide a phone number on the form so that we can advise you when the disclosure is available for pickup or if we have difficulty in emailing the disclosure to you.

Please note: Any missing information may delay or prevent the processing of your request.

What is Early Resolution?

Early Resolution is a process by which a prosecutor and defendant may meet to discuss the charge. At this meeting, you may discuss the following:

• Disclosure of the evidence the prosecution has against you
• Possible resolution by means of a guilty plea to an amended or lesser charge that is supported by the facts, and/or
• Possibility that the fine can be reduced

If a resolution is reached, you will attend a courtroom to enter your guilty plea in front of a Justice of the Peace. The Justice of the Peace will determine whether to accept your guilty plea and what the amount of the fine will be, if any. If the Prosecutor offers you a resolution, you are not obligated to accept it as you always have the right to go to trial.