i.
What the charge means
Theft of property valued under $5,000 is a hybrid offence under section 334(b) of the Criminal Code. The Crown typically elects to proceed summarily.
Criminal Code s.334(b)
Theft Under $5,000 charges in Caledon, Ontario.
Quick Answer — Caledon
Point Duty defends theft under $5,000 charges under Criminal Code s.334(b) — shoplifting, employee theft, and similar allegations. Summary conviction carries up to two years less a day and a dishonesty record that employers screen for and U.S. officers treat as a crime involving moral turpitude. A licensed paralegal can act; diversion often avoids any record.
A Caledon theft under $5,000 usually has a complainant who is known to the accused — a neighbour, a local employer, a business on the main street — rather than an anonymous chain store with a loss prevention department. That changes the file: the complainant's view of how it should end carries real weight with the Crown at Orangeville, and making restitution to someone you will keep running into is a different proposition than repaying a retailer. Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services works that angle on Caledon theft charges.
Shoplifting, employee theft, and other low-value theft charges. Routinely diverted or resolved without a criminal record for first-time accused.
- Courthouse
- Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice)
- Court Phone
- (519) 941-5802
- Consultation
- Free & Confidential
ii.
Penalties
Summary: up to 2 years less a day. A finding of guilt creates a criminal record. Diversion, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge frequently available for first-time accused.
iii.
Available defences
- Lack of intent (no mens rea)
- Honest but mistaken belief in ownership
- Identification
- Charter — unlawful detention or search
iv.
The process
Crown pre-charge screening, disclosure, diversion application where eligible, plea or trial. Diversion programs (e.g., Direct Accountability) can result in a stay without a record.
v.
Notes for Caledon
Caledon traffic and Provincial Offences Act matters from Caledon OPP and the Town of Caledon bylaw are heard at the Caledon POA Court on Old Church Road. Criminal matters from Caledon proceed at the Orangeville Courthouse on Louisa Street.
Criminal Court
Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice)
10 Louisa Street, Orangeville, ON L9W 3P9
(519) 941-5802
Criminal matters from Caledon and Dufferin County.
Local practice notes reviewed 2026-09-11
Common Questions — Caledon
Where is a theft under $5,000 charge heard in Caledon?
- Caledon theft under $5,000 matters are heard at Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice), 10 Louisa Street, Orangeville, ON L9W 3P9. The court's number is (519) 941-5802. Point Duty appears there.
Who lays theft under $5,000 charges in Caledon?
- In Caledon, theft under $5,000 charges are laid by OPP. The charge is then heard at Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice).
How does the Crown handle theft under $5,000 in Caledon?
- The Crown's office at Orangeville expects the same thing a Peel Crown does — the work started before the conversation about resolution happens. What differs is scale. It is a small office, so Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services tends to deal with the same prosecutor across a file's appearances rather than a different one each time, and a position taken early tends to hold.
Do I have to attend court in person in Caledon?
- Orangeville runs virtual appearances the same way the larger courts do — case management can be attended virtually, while guilty pleas and trials are in person unless the court grants permission otherwise. It is a smaller courthouse than Brampton's or Toronto's, but it is not a different system, and Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services appears there on the same footing.
What else should I know about Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice)?
- Caledon criminal matters are heard at Orangeville, at 10 Louisa Street. Caledon and Orangeville are adjacent communities and the drive is not far. The court sits daily. It is a smaller courthouse than Brampton's, but it runs relatively similarly to other GTA courts, so a Caledon file is not on a slower or stranger track than a Mississauga or Brampton one — it is simply in a different Crown's office, with the OPP as the investigating service.
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