BOYLE — An Ontario man living in Alberta will have to pay almost $7,000 in fines after driving with no insurance while on a suspended licence.
Stephen Callen was handed $6,600 in fines after pleading guilty to one count of driving while unauthorized and one count of driving with no insurance in Boyle Court of Justice June 24.
Single charges of displaying unauthentic licence plates, possession of unmarked tobacco, and operating an unregistered vehicle were withdrawn as part of the plea deal.
“I don’t have much to say about it, I’m guilty of it,” said Callen, who entered his pleas in person.
Callen was stopped by police on Willow Street in Boyle March 3. At the time of the stop, Callen was still under a Canada-wide licence suspension he received while living in Ontario.
Shaigec approved the Crown’s request for a $600 fine for driving while unauthorized, which also came with an automatic six-month licence suspension.
The minimum sentence available for driving without insurance is $3,000, but in light of his past driving record, the Crown sought a penalty of double the minimum instead.
“He does have several priors with the most recent being in a current state of April 10, 2024, where he was fined $4,500,” said Traffic Crown Sheila Ries. “Notice of intent to seek greater punishment was served, so the mandatory minimum under the TSA (Traffic Safety Act) is the $6,000.”
Justice Robert Shaigec gave Callen until June 1, 2027 to pay his balance, or the Ontario man risks spending 74 days in jail.
“It’s a manageable amount with that amount of time if you put money toward it,” said Shaigec. “it’s unmanageable if you wait a year before doing anything and then you’ll end up serving days in jail, which is not the intent here.”
