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 Mississauga, Ontario.
Quick Answer — Mississauga
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.
Most Mississauga theft under $5,000 charges start in a store rather than with the police — Square One and the big-box corridors, where a loss prevention officer made the stop, took a statement and held the accused before an officer ever arrived. So the first thing Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services reads in the disclosure is how that detention was carried out and what the store's own evidence actually shows, because a Mississauga retail theft file is largely built by the retailer before it reaches the Crown at Brampton's Davis courthouse.
Shoplifting, employee theft, and other low-value theft charges. Routinely diverted or resolved without a criminal record for first-time accused.
- Courthouse
- Ontario Court of Justice — Brampton
- Court Phone
- (905) 456-4700
- 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 Mississauga
Peel Region's largest city and one of our home jurisdictions. Charges out of Peel Regional Police, OPP Port Credit, and the QEW are routinely heard at the Mississauga courts. Adjacent to Toronto and Hamilton — we appear at all three weekly.
Criminal Court
Ontario Court of Justice — Brampton
7755 Hurontario Street, Brampton, ON L6W 4T1
(905) 456-4700
Criminal matters from Mississauga and Brampton. Caledon criminal charges go to the Orangeville Courthouse.
Local practice notes reviewed 2026-09-11
Common Questions — Mississauga
Where is a theft under $5,000 charge heard in Mississauga?
- Mississauga theft under $5,000 matters are heard at Ontario Court of Justice — Brampton, 7755 Hurontario Street, Brampton, ON L6W 4T1. The court's number is (905) 456-4700. Point Duty appears there.
Who lays theft under $5,000 charges in Mississauga?
- In Mississauga, theft under $5,000 charges are laid by Peel Regional Police, OPP and RCMP. The charge is then heard at Ontario Court of Justice — Brampton.
How long does a theft under $5,000 charge take in Mississauga?
- Peel tends to be a little slow in providing disclosure — often it is not available until well after the first appearance. Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services counts that in when setting expectations at the Davis courthouse: the overall range is similar to Toronto's, but a larger share of it is spent waiting for the Crown's first package rather than waiting for a date.
How does the Crown handle theft under $5,000 in Mississauga?
- A Peel Crown generally wants to see the work already underway before they will discuss resolution — counselling started, restitution paid, whatever the file calls for. That is the main difference from Toronto, where a Crown will usually have the conversation first and build the terms afterwards. Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services raises that with clients at the Brampton courthouse early, because the months before disclosure arrives are when the work can be done.
What else should I know about Ontario Court of Justice — Brampton?
- Brampton has two active courthouses and people go to the wrong one. Criminal matters are at 7755 Hurontario Street — the A. Grenville and William Davis Courthouse — while Highway Traffic Act tickets and other provincial offences are heard a few kilometres away at 5 Ray Lawson Boulevard. Toronto's problem is the opposite: it consolidated six courthouses into one building in March 2023 and clients still turn up at the old ones. In Brampton both buildings are open and both are busy.
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