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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'