What is certified evidence?

Certified evidence is a procedure under the Provincial Offences Act that lets a prosecutor introduce the certificate of offence — the ticket — into evidence without the officer who issued it attending court to testify.

In a speeding prosecution, the certificate is a prescribed form the officer completed at the roadside: your information, the offence, the statutory provision, the set fine, and the officer’s certification. In a certified evidence proceeding, the court receives that certificate as the prosecution’s evidence. The officer does not attend, and there is no live testimony from the officer.