OPP starts mandatory alcohol screening at all Waterloo Region traffic stops
Be prepared to provide a breath sample if you’re stopped by OPP on a Waterloo Region highway.
On Thursday, OPP announced officers are now conducting Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) during every traffic stop in the Greater Toronto Area.
The project includes Waterloo Region highways that are patrolled by the OPP’s Cambridge detachment, including Highway 7/8, Highway 85 and Highway 401, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt confirmed.
The OPP is calling the initiative its “toughest measures yet to reduce impaired driving.”
According to the force, impaired driving collisions and charges are up nearly 30 per cent compared to the previous five-year average.
Schmidt says it’s not always obvious when a driver has been drinking
“We've seen impaired drivers with not a lot of … breath smells out in the wind and the weather,” he told CP24.
“Now this takes away any bias, any situations. We're just going to be testing everybody.”
Drivers who refuse could be charged
Under Canada’s MAS law, introduced in 2018, police officers can demand a breath sample from drivers even if they don’t suspect they have drunk alcohol.
Schmidt says drivers that decline to do a breathalyzer test will face consequences.
“They refuse, it’s the same as failing. It’s a criminal offense of refusing to provide a breath sample.”
In Ontario, drivers with the full G license must have less than 0.05% blood alcohol concentration. The warn range is 0.05 to 0.079, with impaired considered 0.08 or more.
There is a zero tolerance policy for any drivers age 21 or under, any drivers with a G1, G2, M1 or M2 license and commercial vehicle operators.
'This is an unjustified power,' says CCLA
Drivers who spoke to CTV News at the Cambridge OnRoute on Thursday had mixed feelings about the new initiative, with some saying it feels like an invasion of privacy.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has similar concerns.
“This is an unjustified power to intrude into someone's life without any suspicion they have done something wrong,” said Shakir Rahim, director of CCLA’s criminal justice program.
Rahim says the CCLA does not believe mandatory alcohol screening will lead to less drunk driving.
He also disagrees with the OPP assertion that screening everyone removes any bias.
“We already know that if you look at who is stopped by the police on the road, disproportionately those individuals come from racialized communities. So the impact of this practice is going to fall most heavily on communities that are already over-policed,” Rahim said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'On the edge of failing': Most of Canada gets a 'D' on poverty report cards
Poverty and food insecurity have worsened in most of Canada in the past year and most provincial governments aren't doing enough to address the problem, according to a just-released series of report cards.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.
Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
Private island on Nova Scotia's South Shore listed for $15.8M
A private island on Nova Scotia’s South Shore has been listed for sale with a $11.5-million USD price tag.
U.K. prime minister calls national election for July 4
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a national election on Wednesday, naming July 4 as the date for a vote his governing Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party after 14 years in power.
'Happy tears' of victim's sister after prison attack on serial killer Robert Pickton
Cynthia Cardinal said she was 'overwhelmed' with happiness when she received a text message on Monday with the news that serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered her sister, was attacked in prison. She called it 'karma.'
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Blood vial delivery prompts evacuation of Republican headquarters in Washington
The Republican National Committee's headquarters in Washington was briefly evacuated on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing two vials of blood was delivered to the building, the police and the RNC said.
World's most expensive feather sells at New Zealand auction
A feather from a long-extinct New Zealand bird has set a record after selling for $46,521 NZD (about US$28,400), the auction house handling the sale has said.