Canada Demerit Points Lookup
Pick your province and licence type, enter the points on your record, and optionally add an offence to see what happens next: a warning letter, a suspension, an insurance premium, or a licence revocation. Covers Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Free, instant, and calculated entirely in your browser; no sign-up.
Ontario demerit points
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A fully licensed Ontario driver receives a first warning letter at 6 points and a 30-day suspension at 15 points.
Point thresholds
| Points | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 | Warning letter |
| 9 to 14 | Second warning letter (interview may be required) |
| 15 or more | 30-day licence suspension (reinstated at 7 points) |
This tool is a general guide to how demerit or penalty points work in nine provinces (every province except Newfoundland and Labrador). Point values and thresholds come from each province's official schedule, but the offence lists are representative, and your exact points depend on the charge as written, your licence class, and your driving record. Only your provincial licensing authority (for example Ontario MTO, ICBC, the SAAQ, SGI or MPI) can confirm your official standing. This is information, not legal advice, and RecordingLaw.com is not a government body or a law firm.
How Each Province Differs
There is no national demerit-point system in Canada. Each province runs its own, and the nine covered here work in genuinely different ways, so a "12 point" total means something completely different depending on where you drive.
Ontario and Alberta use a straightforward suspension ladder: points build up, you get warning letters, and at a set total your licence is suspended (15 points for a fully licensed Ontario driver, 9 for a novice; 15 for a fully licensed Alberta driver, 8 on a graduated licence). See Ontario demerit points and Alberta demerit points for the full ladders.
British Columbia has no single suspension total. Instead, ICBC charges a Driver Penalty Point premium once you reach 4 points, RoadSafetyBC can review you for a discretionary driving prohibition at a higher total, and a separate Driver Risk Premium applies to specific high-risk convictions no matter how many points you have. See British Columbia penalty points.
Quebec revokes (not merely suspends) your licence at a threshold that depends on your age and licence class, from 4 points for an apprentice or probationary driver up to 15 for a fully licensed driver aged 25 or older. See Quebec demerit points.
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also use ladders, each with a twist. Nova Scotia suspends a fully licensed driver for 6 months at 10 points within 24 months. In New Brunswick a newly licensed driver starts with a bank of 4 points that grows by 2 a year to 10, and losing the whole bank means a 3-month revocation; for other drivers, how long the licence is lost depends on whether the points came from provincial or Criminal Code offences. PEI suspends an experienced driver at 12 points for 3 months, or 12 months when the points come from its most serious offences.
Saskatchewan runs two systems on the same offence points. SGI's Driver Improvement Program can suspend you (the regulation sets the first 30-day suspension at 18 points within 730 days, although SGI's own chart shows it at 21), while Safe Driver Recognition moves your insurance discount, or charges a penalty of $50 a point once you fall below zero. New drivers are handled incident by incident instead.
Manitoba does not use demerit points for suspensions at all. Convictions and at-fault claims move you down MPI's Driver Safety Rating scale, which sets your driver's licence premium, and any suspension comes from a case-by-case Driver Improvement & Control review.
Suspension Points at a Glance
The point total at which each province suspends or revokes a fully licensed driver's licence, and what that costs you:
| Province | Fully licensed driver | New or novice driver |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 15 points: 30-day suspension | 9 points: 60-day suspension |
| Quebec | 8, 12 or 15 points by age: revocation | 4 points: revocation |
| British Columbia | No set total: premiums, and a prohibition review at about 9 to 11 points | Prohibition review at 4 points |
| Alberta | 15 points: 1-month suspension | 8 points: 1-month suspension |
| Saskatchewan | 18 points in 730 days: 30-day suspension (SGI chart: 21) | Incident by incident, ending in suspensions |
| Manitoba | No point total: premiums, and a discretionary review | No point total; reviews start earlier |
| Nova Scotia | 10 points in 24 months: 6 months | 6 points: 6 months |
| New Brunswick | 10 points: 3 months (6 or 12 for Criminal Code offences) | All banked points (4 to 10 by year): 3 months |
| Prince Edward Island | 12 points: 3 months (12 for the most serious offences) | 6 points (year 1) or 9 (year 2): 1 month |
For example, a fully licensed Nova Scotia driver with 4 points who is convicted of careless and imprudent driving (6 points) reaches 10 points and faces a 6-month suspension. The same 10 points would mean a required driving record interview in PEI, and a second warning letter in Ontario.
What Points Do Not Tell You
Demerit points are separate from the fine and from your insurance. Even where a ticket carries no points, a conviction can still raise your premiums for years, which is often the real reason drivers dispute a charge. See how to fight a traffic ticket for the options. Serious matters like impaired driving and stunt driving also trigger immediate roadside suspensions and criminal or provincial penalties that go far beyond points.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these my official points?
No. This tool shows what a given number of points means under each province’s published thresholds, but it does not access your driving record. Only your provincial licensing authority (for example Ontario MTO, ICBC or RoadSafetyBC, the SAAQ, SGI or MPI) can tell you your official standing, usually through your driver abstract.
How long do demerit points stay on my record?
In most provinces, about two years. Ontario counts two years from the offence date and Quebec from the date of conviction; Nova Scotia and PEI remove points two years after conviction, and New Brunswick returns them two years after conviction. Saskatchewan counts points within a 730-day period that starts with your first point and starts over once more than 730 days pass without an offence. Manitoba has no points to expire: your Driver Safety Rating level is reassessed each year instead. The conviction itself may stay on your abstract longer for insurance purposes.
Does British Columbia suspend my licence at a set number of points?
Not in the way Ontario and Alberta do. BC has no single suspension total. Instead, four or more points in a year triggers an ICBC Driver Penalty Point premium, RoadSafetyBC can review you for a discretionary prohibition at a higher total (around 9 to 11 points for a full Class 5 driver, 4 for a new Class 7 driver), and certain convictions add a separate Driver Risk Premium regardless of your points.
Why does Quebec revoke instead of suspend?
Under Quebec’s Code de la sécurité routière, reaching your points d’inaptitude limit results in the revocation of your licence, and the limit depends on your age and licence class: 4 points for apprentice or probationary permits, 8 for full-licence holders under 23, 12 for ages 23 to 24, and 15 for age 25 and older. A single grand excès de vitesse can carry 30 or more points and revoke any driver at once.
Do out-of-province tickets count?
Often yes. Under reciprocal agreements, many convictions from other provinces and some US states are added to your home record as if they happened at home. Check with your provincial authority, because the point value applied is your home province’s value for the equivalent offence.
Does this tool store what I enter?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved, transmitted, or used to contact you.
This lookup uses the published demerit and penalty-point thresholds for nine provinces (every province except Newfoundland and Labrador). It estimates the consequence of a point total and is general information, not legal advice. RecordingLaw.com is not affiliated with any government body. Confirm your official points and standing with your provincial licensing authority.
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