Motor Vehicle Appeal Board Procedures Regulations
made under subsection 7C(11) of the
Motor Vehicle Act
R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 293
N.S. Reg. 181/2012 (effective September 19, 2012)
as amended to N.S. Reg. 149/2017 (effective October 10, 2017)
Table of Contents
Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.
Click here to go to the text of the regulations.
Citation
Interpretation
Applying for an appeal
Panels of the board
Setting hearing date
If applicant withdraws application
Rescheduling oral hearing
Dismissal of an application
Hearing procedures
Board decisions
Annual report
Citation
1 These regulations may be cited as the Motor Vehicle Appeal Board Procedures
Regulations.
Interpretation
2 In these regulations,
“Act” means the Motor Vehicle Act;
“applicant” means a person who is submitting an application;
“application” means an application for appeal of a Registrar’s decision;
“board” means the Motor Vehicle Appeal Board established under
subsection 7C(1) of the Act;
“chair” means the chair of the board designated by the Minister under
Section 7C of the Act;
“Minister” means the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal;
“panel” means the member or members of the board selected by
Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal under Section 4 to hear an
application;
“Registrar’s decision” means a decision made by the Registrar under
subsection 279(2) [of the Act] respecting a suspension order issued under
clause (a), (b), (d), (e) or (f) of subsection 279(1), Section 279B or Section
291A of the Act;
“vice-chair” means a member of the board designated by the chair under
subsection 4(3) to act as chair of a panel of the board, in the absence of the
chair.
Applying for an appeal
3 (1) An application must include or be accompanied by all of the following:
(a) a fee of $150.00;
(b) the applicant’s full name and current mailing address;
(c) the applicant’s telephone number and fax number, if any;
(d) the applicant’s preferred method of receiving information related to
the appeal;
(e) contact information for the applicant’s legal counsel or agent, if any;
(f) a completed application on a form provided by Transportation and
Infrastructure Renewal setting out the reason the applicant is
requesting the appeal;
(g) a copy of the Registrar’s decision that is being appealed, if available.
(2) Unless otherwise directed by Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, an
application and any related submissions must be in writing and delivered to
Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal by hand, mail or courier.
(3) An application is deemed to be received by Transportation and Infrastructure
Renewal on the date that the application is stamped as received by the
Department.
(4) If Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal determines that an application
is incomplete, it must return the application to the applicant.
(5) If an incomplete application that has been returned to an applicant is not
resubmitted within 30 days of the date Transportation and Infrastructure
Renewal returned the incomplete application, the Registrar’s decision is final
and there is no further appeal.
Panels of the board
4 (1) On receipt of an application, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal must
select a panel composed of 1 or 3 3 board members to hear the appeal.
(2) One member of a panel constitutes a quorum of the board and different
panels of the board may sit separately at the same time to hear appeals.
(3) If the chair is not a member of a panel, the chair must designate a member of
the panel to be a vice-chair for the matter being considered by the panel.
Setting hearing date
5 (1) On receipt of a completed application, Transportation and Infrastructure
Renewal must
(a) set a date for a hearing; and
(b) notify the Registrar of the application.
(2) On receipt of notice of an application, the Registrar must provide
Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal with copies of all of the
following:
(a) the Registrar’s decision related to the application;
(b) any material that the Registrar relied on in making the Registrar’s
decision;
(c) any other material that the Registrar considers relevant to the
application, including the driving record of the applicant.
(3) At least 20 days before the date of the hearing, Transportation and
Infrastructure Renewal must send the applicant copies of the material
provided by the Registrar under subsection (2), and advise the applicant of
the date of the hearing.
(4) An applicant may respond to any material sent to the applicant under
subsection (3) by
(a) filing a written response with Transportation and Infrastructure
Renewal no later than 10 business days before the date of the
hearing; or
(b) in the case of an oral hearing, making a presentation to the board at
the hearing.
If applicant withdraws application
6 If an applicant withdraws their application, the Registrar’s decision that was to be
appealed is final.
Rescheduling oral hearing
7 (1) Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal may reschedule a hearing at the
request of the chair or a vice-chair of a panel of the board or at the request of
an applicant.
(2) An applicant who requests that a hearing be rescheduled but fails to make
the request at least 48 hours before the scheduled hearing date must pay a
rescheduling fee of $150 at least 10 days before the rescheduled hearing
date.
Dismissal of an application
8 (1) If an applicant fails to attend at a scheduled oral hearing of their application,
the board must dismiss the application and, except as provided in subsection
(2), the Registrar’s decision that was to be appealed is final.
(2) If an application is dismissed because the applicant fails to attend at a
scheduled oral hearing, and the chair is satisfied that the person has a
reasonable excuse for failing to appear, the chair
(a) may direct that the hearing be rescheduled; and
(b) if the hearing is rescheduled, the applicant must pay a rescheduling
fee of $150 at least 10 days before the rescheduled hearing date.
(3) If an applicant fails to pay a rescheduling fee required under subsection (2)
or Section 7, the board must dismiss the application and the Registrar’s
decision that was to be appealed is final.
Hearing procedures
9 (1) The chair or, if applicable, vice-chair of a panel must
(a) preside at an oral hearing if applicable; and
(b) prepare the written decision of the board.
(2) The board must conduct a hearing in an informal manner and is not required
to comply with the rules of evidence.
(3) The board may adjourn a hearing and reconvene a hearing at any time and at
any place the board considers appropriate.
(4) The chair may make rules and procedures for the efficient administration of
the board.
(5) The board is not required to keep any written record of evidence or
arguments given at any hearing.
(6) Each oral hearing before the board must take place in Halifax at a location
determined by Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.
Board decisions
10 (1) The decision of a majority of a panel is the decision of the board.
(2) A decision of the board must, no later than 7 days after the date of the
hearing, be sent to the applicant by registered mail and filed with the
Registrar.
(3) Despite subsection (2), failure of the board to provide a decision within the
required time period does not affect the jurisdiction of the board to make a
decision with respect to the application.
(4) A decision of the board must meet all of the following requirements:
(a) it must be in writing and signed by the chair or a vice-chair
designated under subsection 4(3), who heard the appeal; and
(b) it must state the reason for the decision.
Annual report
11 The chair must annually prepare a report to the Minister, which must include all of
the following information in detail:
(a) the number of applications received by Transportation and
Infrastructure Renewal;
(b) the number of applications heard by the board;
(c) the number of oral hearings held by the board;
(d) the number of hearings each member of the board participated in;
(e) the results of the appeals heard by the board;
(f) any recommendations for changes to the administration of the board;
(g) any additional matters the chair believes may be relevant.
The following regulations are not yet in force and
are not included in the current consolidation: