The authority for a justice of the peace to amend a certificate is provided by s.34 of the POA. That authority, however is limited to proceedings where the defendant is present or represented. It may not be used to amend a certificate in absentia (where the defence is not present).
There are two sections of the POA that compel the justice of the peace to deem the defendant to not wish to dispute the charge when the defence is not present and proceed in absentia; s.9 and s. 9.1.
s. 9 is triggered when the defendant fails to respond by not filing a notice of intention to appear or by not taking the other options.
This will be done approximately 45 days after the date of the ticket. I know, the law says 15 days after, but it showed to be impractical and PO courts usually wait for another 20 to 30 days depending on the jurisdiction. You may call the office and ask to be sure.
With due respect Keroba, failing to respond is not the preferred option because the charge may be relayed (charged again) within 6 months from the time of the offence.
s.9.1 deals with an absent defence at the time of the trial, at which time the justice of the peace may or may not catch the error and you risk having to appeal at the extra cost and time.
The best way to proceed is getting someone to appear as a 'friend of the court', which will not attorn the defendant to the jurisdiction of the court, and advise the court of the error, which in this case is fatal. The court should then proceed under s.9.1 well knowing -and the record would show- that the certificate is defective (actually; is NOT complete and regular on its face) and not amendable It is now trite law that the justice of the peace may NOT make any amendments to a certificate without the presence of the defendant or a defence representative.
File your NIA but do not go to the trial; send a friend without the authority to enter a plea on your behalf, to act as a friend of the court.
By the time the matter has been set for trial, the 6 months limitation would have elapsed.
Cheers.