Calgary woman forced to pay stranger's fine - or risk one of her own
UPDATED: Province now issuing a refund after CTV News' coverage.
Alandra Williams says she went into her local Alberta Registry in late December after having trouble renewing her vehicle registration online.
At the counter, Williams found out she was on the hook for a lot more than just registration fees.
"(Registry staff) told me that it was going to cost $730 and I didn't have that kind of money in my bank account at the time," Williams said.
But she paid it anyway.
"I wasn't going drive a vehicle that wasn't registered because then I could actually get a real ticket for it," she said.
A closer look showed a man with the same birth date and last name had been ticketed for trespassing at 8:20 p.m. on April 2, 2022.
He didn't pay and the ticket somehow ended up attached to a total stranger.
"I have no idea who he is," Williams said.
In January, she was able to email the court to have the ticket removed from her name.
"But what about my money? I'm not willingly paying the ticket for this man," she said.
Five months later, Williams hasn't heard a word about getting a refund.
She works two jobs and says the money forced her to make some difficult decisions.
"I feel kind of cheated," she said.
"That is almost a full paycheque for me."
CTV requested more information about the mix-up and what can be done to resolve it but late Monday afternoon, an Alberta Justice spokesperson said an answer was not possible before the publication deadline.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Campus protests: Israeli academics say their universities are 'best chance' for peace
One of the demands of pro-Palestinian activists who have set up protest encampments on university campuses in Canada and the United States is a severing of ties with Israeli universities.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.