Since January 2022, Almaguin Highlands OPP have investigated eight incidents involving impaired drivers.
Last year police investigated a total of 52 impaired drivers in Almaguin Highlands which is equivalent to one per week.
The message has been delivered for years, don’t drink and drive yet people continue to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs and they make the decision to drive. On December 18, 2018 mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) was introduced in Canada. MAS allows police officers to demand a breath sample from a driver in the absence of having a reasonable suspicion that the driver has consumed alcohol.
Detachment Commander Acting Staff Sergeant Derek Shoppoff says this is a useful tool that allows officers to ensure the public is protected.
Alcohol-Impaired driving that does not cause bodily harm or death-mandatory minimum penalties include:
- First Offence + blood alcohol content (BAC) of 80-119 mg: mandatory minimum $1000 fine
- First Offence + BAC of 120-159 mg: mandatory minimum fine $1,500 fine
- First Offence of refusal to be tested: mandatory minimum $2000 fine
- First offence + BAC of 160 mg or more: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
- Second offence: mandatory minimum 30 days imprisonment
- Third and subsequent offences: mandatory minimum 120 days imprisonment
An officer can also demand that a driver submit a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Evaluation. SFST-trained officers and DREs have the expertise to detected impairment by alcohol, drugs or both in a driver.
Young, novice and commercial drivers are reminded that OPP enforces the zero tolerance sanctions that apply to these driver classes.