Ontario to get tough on drug-impaired drivers

Ontario plans to introduce tough new penalties for drugimpaired drivers ahead of the legalization of recreational marijuana next July.

Premier Kathleen Wynne said Monday there will be zero tolerance for youths aged 21 and under, novice drivers and all commercial drivers in Ontario who have a detectable presence of drugs or alcohol in their system. The province will also increase all monetary penalties and suspensions for impaired driving offences.

The announcement comes a little over a week after Ontario’s Liberal government announced its plan to distribute and sell recreational cannabis in as many as 150 dedicated stores run by the province’s liquor control board and set the legal age to buy the drug at 19.

“We had a goal to balance the new freedom that people in Ontario will have to use cannabis recreationally with everyone’s expectation that it will be managed responsibly,” Wynne said.

Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said the proposed changes would align both drug and alcohol impaired driving offences under the law in Ontario. The new legislation would also increase penalties for drivers who fail or refuse to provide a sample for a roadside test, he added.

Under the proposed rules, young or novice drivers (with a G1, G2, M1 or M2 licence) would face licence suspensions from three to 30 days and fines from $250 to $450 if they have drugs or alcohol in their system. Currently, young and novice drivers face a 24-hour licence suspension and no monetary penalty.