What does a demerit point warning letter from the MTO mean?
It means convictions for offences committed in the past two years have pushed your total to a set stage. The first letter comes at 6 points on a full licence and 2 on a novice licence, and it does not suspend your licence.
Points are added only when you are convicted, but they are dated back to the day of the offence, so the ticket behind a letter may be months old.
| Stage | Full licence | Novice licence (G1, G2, M1, M2, M1-L, M2-L) | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| First warning letter | 6 to 8 points | 2 to 5 points | A letter in the mail. Your licence is not suspended. |
| Second warning, possible interview | 9 to 14 points | 6 to 8 points | A second letter. The Ministry may require you to attend an interview to show why your licence should not be suspended. |
| Suspension | 15 or more | 9 or more | 30 days on a full licence, 60 days on a novice licence. Your total is then cut to 7 or 4. |
| Repeat suspension | Suspension level reached again | Suspension level reached again | Six months, if the offence was committed within two years after the earlier demerit suspension ended. |
Warning letters come by mail, so the address the Ministry has for you matters. You must tell the Ministry of Transportation within six days of changing your name or address, and keeping it current is how you make sure the next letter actually reaches you.
A letter reflects where your total stood when it was mailed. Your 3-year driver record shows your current total and the convictions behind it, with their dates, which is what you need to work out what comes next.
What are the demerit point stages on a full Ontario licence?
A warning letter at 6 points, a second warning and a possible interview at 9, and a 30-day suspension at 15. The same scale applies to every fully licensed driver, whatever the licence class.
- 0 to 5 pointsNo letter
- 6 to 8 pointsFirst warning letter
- 9 to 14 pointsSecond warning, and you may be called to an interview
- 15 or more30-day suspension, then your total is cut to 7
Two ordinary tickets are enough to reach the first letter, and a few convictions get there on their own.
| Convictions within two years | Points | Stage reached |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding 16 to 29 km/h over, and a red light ticket from an officer | 3 + 3 = 6 | First warning letter |
| Following too closely, and failing to signal | 4 + 2 = 6 | First warning letter |
| Failing to stop for a school bus | 6 | First warning letter, from one conviction |
| Failing to remain at the scene of a collision | 7 | First warning letter, from one conviction |
| Three speeding tickets at 16 to 29 km/h over | 3 + 3 + 3 = 9 | Second warning, possible interview |
| Five speeding tickets at 16 to 29 km/h over | 15 | 30-day suspension |
At 9 to 14 points, Ontario’s public description is a second warning letter encouraging you to improve your driving. The regulation also lets the Ministry require an interview at this level.
Every offence and its value is in the Ontario demerit points chart. Tickets from other provinces, New York and Michigan can count toward these totals too.
What are the stages on a G1, G2 or other novice licence?
The same steps at much lower numbers: a warning letter at 2 points, a second warning and a possible interview at 6, and a 60-day suspension at 9. This applies to G1, G2, M1, M2, M1-L and M2-L licences.
- 0 or 1 pointNo letter
- 2 to 5 pointsFirst warning letter
- 6 to 8 pointsSecond warning, and you may be called to an interview
- 9 or more60-day suspension, then your total is cut to 4
One ticket can be enough. A single conviction for speeding 16 to 29 km/h over is 3 points, which puts a G2 driver in warning-letter range on its own.
On a novice licence, the points behind a letter come from the 2 and 3-point offences: speeding 16 to 29 km/h over, failing to signal, an improper turn, a red light ticket from an officer. More serious convictions are handled differently. A conviction for breaking a novice condition, or for an offence worth 4 or more points, is recorded as zero points and brings an escalating suspension instead. Handheld phone convictions carry no points for novice drivers either; they bring a suspension.
Those convictions do not raise your point total, because the points are recorded as zero, but the convictions and suspensions still appear on your record. The guide to drivers abstracts for G1 and G2 drivers covers what a novice record shows.
What happens at an MTO demerit point interview?
You attend before a Ministry of Transportation official, at a time and place the Ministry sets, and show why your licence should not be suspended. If you do not attend, or do not show cause, your licence can be suspended.
Your total reaches the interview level
A second warning letter goes out once offences from the past two years put you in the interview range for your licence type, shown in the tables above.
The Ministry may require you to attend
The interview is before a Ministry official, at a designated time and place. It is not automatic at this level, but it can be required.
You show cause
This is your chance to show why your licence should not be suspended. A lawyer or paralegal can advise you on what to say and what to bring.
Your licence stays, or it is suspended
If you do not attend, or do not show cause, your licence can be suspended (on a novice licence, suspended or cancelled). If it stays, your points keep counting until each offence is two years old, and reaching the suspension level still means a suspension.
How should you prepare for a demerit point interview?
Attend, and arrive knowing your own record: your exact point total, the convictions behind it and the date each set of points stops counting.
Before the interview
- Put the date and time you were given in your calendar, and plan to attend
- Get a current copy of your 3-year driver record and read every conviction on it
- Match each conviction to its ticket and note the offence date: its points stop counting two years later
- Check the record is right, from your name and licence number to every entry
- Ask a lawyer or paralegal for advice if a ticket is still open, or about the interview itself
What makes it worse
- Not attending: your licence can be suspended
- Working from memory instead of your actual total and dates
- Paying a new ticket on autopilot: payment counts as a guilty plea and a conviction
- Ignoring a new ticket: if you do not respond by the deadline printed on it, a conviction can be entered without a hearing
- Driving while suspended, if it comes to that: six months can be added to the suspension
Having the record in front of you matters because it lists every conviction behind your total. With your tickets beside it for the offence dates, you can see whether you are at 9 or 14, which points drop off first, and anything on it that looks wrong. If something does, the guide to errors on a driving record explains who corrects it.
Order your driving abstract online before the date and read it through once.
When does a demerit warning turn into a suspension?
At 15 points on a full licence, which brings a 30-day suspension, or 9 on a novice licence, which brings 60 days. It can come sooner if you are required to attend an interview and do not attend or do not show cause.
The Ministry sends a letter with the date the suspension takes effect. The time runs from the day you surrender your licence, and if you do not surrender it you can lose it for up to two years. Before you drive again you may need to retake the vision, written and road tests, and a reinstatement fee applies every time a licence is suspended.
Afterwards, your total is reduced to 7 on a full licence, keeping the most recent offences, or 4 on a novice licence. That leaves you close to the interview level again, and reaching the suspension level a second time, for an offence within two years after the first suspension ended, means six months.
The suspension goes on your record too: the 3-year driver record lists suspensions and reinstatements from the past three years. The steps to get back on the road are in the guide to reinstating a suspended licence.
How do you get your points back below the warning level?
With time and no new convictions. Each conviction’s points count for two years from its offence date, so your total drops every time one of those dates passes.
You start at zero and only gain points, so there is nothing to earn back. Your total is the sum of points from offences in the past two years, which makes the offence date of your oldest ticket the most important date you have.
| Date | What happens | Total | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 3, Year 1 | Speeding 25 km/h over (3 points) | 3 | No letter |
| September 18, Year 1 | Red light ticket from an officer (3 points) | 6 | First warning letter |
| January 9, Year 2 | Following too closely (4 points) | 10 | Second warning, possible interview |
| March 3, Year 3 | The first offence turns two years old | 7 | Back in the first-letter range |
| September 18, Year 3 | The second offence turns two | 4 | Below the letters |
| January 9, Year 4 | The third offence turns two | 0 | No active points |
Two rules can keep a total lower than the tickets suggest. When several convictions come from one incident and no court suspension is imposed, only the one with the most points is recorded. And if you appeal a conviction and the Registrar of Motor Vehicles is served with notice of the appeal, its points are not entered unless the conviction is upheld.
The convictions themselves can stay on your 3-year record after their points stop counting, and anyone reading the record sees them. The guide to whether your driving record resets walks through both clocks.
How do you see your exact total and the convictions behind it?
Order your 3-year Ontario driver record. It prints your current demerit point total and lists your convictions from the past three years with their dates, along with any suspensions.
What your record tells you after a letter
- Your current demerit point total, as one number
- Each conviction from the past three years, with its conviction date
- Your licence status: licensed, unlicensed or suspended
- Suspensions and reinstatements from the past three years
- Active fine suspensions, if a fine went unpaid
What it will not show
- Tickets you are still disputing: they are charges, not convictions
- Tickets that were withdrawn or dismissed
- Red light camera tickets, which carry no points
- Your home address
Points count from the offence date, which is printed on your ticket, so keep your tickets next to the record to work out when each set drops off. The guide on how to check your demerit points shows where the total is printed.
Anyone with your licence number can order the same 3-year record, so this is also the total an employer or insurer sees. For insurance, see drivers abstracts for insurance.
Get your driving record online for $39.99, paid once. One short form, no account, and the PDF arrives by email instantly after payment. Occasional delays can occur.
Frequently asked questions
Does a demerit warning letter mean my licence is suspended?
No. A warning letter means your total has reached the first stage: 6 points on a full licence or 2 on a novice licence. A suspension comes at 15 points (9 for novice drivers), or sooner if you are required to attend an interview and do not attend or do not show cause.
Is the MTO demerit interview mandatory?
If the Ministry requires you to attend, treat it as mandatory. A driver who does not attend, or does not show why the licence should not be suspended, can have it suspended, and a novice licence can also be cancelled.
How many demerit points before the MTO calls you in for an interview?
Nine on a full licence or 6 on a novice licence, counting offences committed within any two-year period. At that level the Ministry may require an interview, but it is not automatic.
How many points does a G2 driver need to get a warning letter?
Two. A single ticket worth 2 or 3 points, such as failing to signal (2) or speeding 16 to 29 km/h over (3), is enough on its own.
Do my demerit points reset after I get a warning letter?
No. The letter does not change the clock. Each conviction’s points still count for two years from its offence date, and drop off as that offence turns two years old.
What is my point total after a demerit suspension ends?
Not zero. It is reduced to 7 on a full licence or 4 on a novice licence. More points can bring you back to the interview level, and a second demerit suspension, for an offence within two years after the first one ended, lasts six months.
Can tickets from another province lead to an Ontario warning letter?
Yes. Convictions in other Canadian provinces and territories, New York and Michigan add demerit points to your Ontario record as if the offence happened here, for offences such as speeding, running a stop sign or red light, and careless driving. Those points count toward the same letters and suspensions.
Can an employer see my demerit points?
Yes, if they order your record. Anyone with your licence number can order your 3-year driver record, which shows your demerit point total and your convictions, so check yours first for $39.99.
Sources: Point thresholds, warning letters, interviews, demerit suspensions, point reductions and the two-year rule: Ontario Regulation 339/94 (Demerit Point System) under the Highway Traffic Act, and the Ministry of Transportation’s guidance on demerit points and its Official Driver’s Handbook. Novice escalating suspensions and handheld device penalties: Ministry of Transportation guidance. Paying or not responding to a ticket: Provincial Offences Act. Record contents: the Ministry of Transportation’s description of the 3-year driver record.