A summary conviction (as opposed to be indicted), still lands you with a criminal record. Any conviction for Criminal Code of Canada offenses gets you a criminal record.
That $500 fine then turns out to be a $10,000 monster, as that's the amount of money you have to dish out to a lawyer to get you out of trouble. When your lawyer gets the charges thrown out, you don't get reimbursed for your legal fees. But that's what it's worth for not being stuck with a criminal record, and all the problems associated with it: loss of passport, can't travel outside Canada, may lose your job, loss of firearms.