Ontario to Stiffen Penalties for Impaired Drivers, Including Lifetime Licence Ban

Ontario's Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria attends Question Period at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto on Nov. 28, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

Ontario is cracking down on drunk driving with proposed legislation that includes lifetime licence suspensions for those convicted of impaired driving causing death.

The legislation also calls for mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device in the vehicle of anyone found guilty of impaired driving, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said at a May 15 press conference. Ignition interlocks are in-car breathalyzers that prevent the vehicle’s engine from starting if alcohol is detected in the driver’s system.

“There is never an excuse for getting behind the wheel impaired,” Mr. Sarkaria said. “And it’s about time we stopped making excuses for those who do. If you think there are no consequences for drinking and driving, my advice would be: start planning for life without your car.”

Ontario’s existing ignition interlock program doesn’t apply to first offences, nor is it mandatory, Mr. Sarkaria said.

The legislation, particularly the lifetime licence suspension for people convicted of impaired driving causing death, has the full support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Carolyn Swinson, a MADD volunteer, said at the same press conference.

Ms. Swinson, who lost her eldest son in an impaired driving crash in 1993, 12 years after her father was killed by someone who had been drinking, said one of her jobs as a volunteer is to offer victim support.

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“I know when talking to those victims...about someone who’s killed somebody being able to drive again, their opinion is that they shouldn’t ever be allowed to get behind the wheel of a car again,” Swinson said, adding that she has attended two trials in the last three weeks for people who have lost a loved one to an impaired driver.

If passed, the law would also require mandatory remedial education and treatment for first- and second-time alcohol- and drug-related offences, according to a government press release.  Immediate roadside licence suspensions for first and second-time alcohol and drug-related offences would also be increased under the proposed legislation and police authority to stop vehicles to administer sobriety tests for drivers on or off the highway would be reinforced.

Drivers under the influence of drugs would face the same consequences as drivers affected by alcohol.

“As police report increased incidences of cannabis-impaired driving, we'll also be launching a province-wide campaign highlighting the dangers and consequences of drug-impaired driving,” Mr. Sarkaria said, adding that the province plans to give police more tools to help with roadside drug detection.

The proposed legislation builds on announcements from the Doug Ford government earlier this week about cracking down on auto theft and stunt driving.

Government statistics show one in three roadway fatalities in Ontario involve impaired driving, either from alcohol or drugs. In fact, the percentage of drivers killed while under the influence of cannabis has more than doubled between 2012 and 2020.

A 2022 roadside survey compiled by the province found one in five drivers tested positive for drugs, alcohol, or both.