Ontario, Canada, Municipal Law

Hi, I live in a small town in Ontario...here is my story...

A couple months ago my in laws dropped off a couch for me at my place because they got new furniture. It wouldn't fit through my door, so me and my buddy moved it to the carport beside my house, towards the back, and left it there.

Like the title says, I'm kind of a lazy guy. I admit it. I let my grass grow a bit too much sometimes, and apparantly there are "weeds" growing in front lawn. Anyways, about a month after we left the couch I got a warning sent to me from the town by law department telling me to move the couch and clean up my lawn. I don't own a vehicle, so the couch ended up staying there, but I cut my grass and removed some of the taller weeds from my front lawn. A little while later, the town left a message asking me to move the couch again. I forgot to do it, and it was kind of hard without a vehicle.

Forgive the length of the post...

So, a month after the call roughly, I receive a summons to court because of all this, mostly the couch as far as I'm aware. Immediatly I move the couch, and I called the town by law department right away. I explain that I forgot to move the couch, indicate that I moved it immediatly after receiving the summons, and ask if we can avoid going to court over something so trivial and to avoid wasting taxpayers money. The lady involved refuses. I ask who the prosecutor is so that I may possibly settle out of court. The by law officer lady indicates she is the prosecutor. I then offer to pay a bill of whatever amount she deems fair for the man hours wasted pursuing this matter. She refuses and told me that we can discuss it further in court, and offers no alternative resolution despite my obvious willingness to settle however she likes.

A little extra information: The couch does not smell, nor is it in terrible condition. No one who has visited me has mentioned it or asked about it. It is in my carport at the back, with my house on one side and an apartment building on the other. You wouldn't see it walking past my house unless you turned and looked into the carport.

I know I am in the wrong for some of this. I should have just moved the couch when they first asked me but with no one mentioning it, I didn't think it was that big of a deal, and was waiting for a friend to drop by with a truck to move it. I am out of work and waiting to start school the first week of January and have little money to pay to have it moved.

Despite my wrongs, I feel she is going overboard and is being unreasonable. She mentioned a $5000 fine the first time we spoke.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.